Female artists nearly double their presence in the global charts, new WIPO analysis shows

Women artists have nearly doubled their share of the top-streamed tracks on Apple Music in recent years, new analysis by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) shows.

In 2024, songs from female artists represented some 30% of the most-streamed songs, compared with only 16% in 2017, according to the WIPO analysis released to coincide with International Women’s Day 2025.

In other findings:

• Latin and R&B music now lead streaming charts in female representation while major gender disparities still exist in other genres, such as rock, electronic and classical music.
• In Latin music, long dominated by male artists, women now command center stage, with women artists representing 88 percent of top streamed music.
• In R&B, women superstars still account for 70 percent of top streamed music.
• Artists Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande are the most streamed women globally.

About International Women’s Day 2025

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, is a call to action for gender equality.

The 2025 theme,  “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” challenges every sector to transform pledges into progress.

As part of its commitment to gender equality, WIPO conducts research and analysis on women’s representation in various industries. While gender gaps persist globally, the music world offers a hopeful blueprint, proving that systemic change is possible when creativity and inclusivity converge.