BTS Member Named Among The Top Most Influential Stars In The World, Alongside Ronaldo & Messi

Along with his fellow BTS members, V is one of the most beloved K-pop superstars worldwide, boasting far-reaching influence across various fields. In particular, his immense popularity shines on Instagram, where he consistently garners high engagement and is widely recognized as one of the platform’s most influential figures.

Since V launched his personal Instagram account, he has never once missed the list of top influencers, even during his time in the military. And this year is no exception!

According to the latest report by the renowned influencer analytics company HypeAuditor, V ranked an impressive No. 3 on the “Top 1000 Most Influential Global Influencers” list—solidifying his powerful presence on social media and proving his global reputation.

Notably, V ranked just behind two of the world’s biggest football legends, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking the No. 1 spot and Lionel Messi at No. 2. V came in at No. 3, making him the highest-ranked artist in the world—even surpαѕѕing Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner, who came in at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Even more impressively, V ranked No. 3 in the United States and claimed the No. 1 spot in the United Kingdom, surpαѕѕing both Messi and Ronaldo in regional influence.

In вяαzιℓ, one of the largest K-pop-loving countries in South αмєяι¢α, V also ranked third, once again proving himself to be one of the most fan-supported global superstars.

What’s especially remarkable is that V has not yet returned to active music promotions since his military discharge, yet his influence remains as strong as ever. He even topped the “Music” category, outshining many other globally recognized names.

As of July 4, V’s Instagram account had 68.07 million followers, with over 12.4 million followers from the United States—the highest U.S.-based following of any K-pop artist.

Amazingly, in just 25 days after his discharge, V gained 1.22 million new followers, marking the fastest growth among K-pop stars. According to influencer marketing platform SocialBook, V’s engagement rate on Instagram over the past 60 days reached a stunning 20.6%—a figure rarely seen at this level of fame.

This engagement rate reflects the dedication and enthusiasm of his fans, measured by likes and comments. Even though comments on V’s account are limited, he still maintains the highest engagement rate among global celebrities.

Although he ranks 75th globally in follower count, V averages a staggering 14 million likes per post. Even in his most recent uploads, each post continues to receive around 12.5 million likes, placing him among the top performers worldwide.

It only takes one look at the way social media exploded the moment V resumed public activities post-discharge to understand why he’s ranked No. 3 globally. When he departed for Paris to attend CELINE’s fashion show as a Global Ambαѕѕador, the news of his departure immediately became a worldwide headline.

On Google Trends, keywords related to V topped search charts in over 40 countries, including South кσяєα, the United States, fяαи¢є, the United Kingdom, and נαραи. On X (formerly Twitter), the hashtag “HAVE A SAFE FLIGHT TAEHYUNG” ranked No. 1 on global trends, and the top four trending topics were all about him—once again proving the undeniable scale of his fame.