2025 charts in Italy: rappers dominate, only 8 women in the top 100, while female stars reign supreme worldwide

2025 confirms the central role of Italian music in the domestic market. This is highlighted by the annual Top of the Music by FIMI/NIQ charts (December 27, 2024–December 25, 2025), the only ones to combine physical and digital sales with all streaming tiers. Despite a year marked by the media weight of major international superstars, from Bad Bunny to Rosalía, Italian listeners overwhelmingly favor domestic production, which accounts for 85% of the Top 100 Albums. That figure marks a sharp rise from 69% in 2015, confirming a structural shift in listening habits. Stylistically too, 2025 marks a turning point: alongside the continued strength of the urban axis, pop reclaims the top spots, once again becoming the dominant language of the charts and rebalancing a landscape that in recent years had been almost entirely the domain of rap and trap. Streaming remains the backbone of the system: nearly 100 billion total streams, up 5.3% on 2024.

But I'm not fire: the gender imbalance

2025, however, also confirms a now-structural peculiarity of the Italian record market: a marked gender imbalance with no equivalent in the major international markets. In the 2025 charts of the Italian bubble, Olly reigns supreme, topping both the album chart with "Tutta vita" and the singles chart with "Balorda nostalgia". Behind him move the leading names of the pop-urban axis: Sfera Ebbasta (with Shiva), Geolier and Achille Lauro. In physical formats, meanwhile, Caparezza stands out, topping the Top 20 across CDs, vinyl and cassettes, ahead of Taylor Swift. Only 8 female artists appear in the Top 100 Albums. The first woman, ANNA, comes in at just number 12 with "Vera Baddie". She's followed by Taylor Swift (29), Elodie (32 and 86), Lady Gaga (35), Rose Villain (37 and 98), Billie Eilish (49), Alessandra Amoroso (50) and Annalisa (67 and 73).

The only Italian artist able to compete consistently on the commercial front is therefore ANNA; Annalisa and Elodie hold their ground as established pop brands, while the rest of the female output struggles to assert itself as a coherent body of work.

In the singles chart the picture improves only slightly: Giorgia comes in second with "La cura per me", but many of the female entries stem from featured guest spots rather than standalone artistic projects. The "gender quota", in other words, often has to pass through the filter of male credibility. In physical formats, finally, just two women make the Top 20: Taylor Swift (2) and Annalisa (19).

The international comparison

The contrast with the global market is rather embarrassing. In the United States, the 2025 Billboard 200 is led by Taylor Swift, who dominates both sales and the cultural conversation, steadily flanked by SZA, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter. The album remains a central, identity-defining format even for younger artists, such as Chappell Roan, who has managed to turn queer pop into a mainstream phenomenon.

In the UK, 2025 has been the year of women: alongside Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, names like Raye, Olivia Dean and Lola Young occupy the top spots and shape the cultural conversation.

The magazine Newsic also attempts to offer a "sociological" explanation for the phenomenon, pointing out that Italian audiences "buy" women as an event (the single), but struggle to recognize them as a cultural authority (the album), adding that "as long as the coolness factor is dictated by a purely male street rhetoric, women will remain the splendid guests at a party organized by others". What's more, "if in London or New York a woman's album is a political, aesthetic and social statement," the magazine continues, "in Italy it still seems like a business risk that the majors would rather not take, retreating instead to the safe harbor of bedroom rap." So, "while the world celebrates the complexity of Gracie Abrams or the razor-sharp irony of Charli XCX or the class of Rosalía, we remain stuck in a record-industry machismo that reeks of the past." The conclusion is disarming: "Abroad, women sell albums because they build worlds. In Italy, until we allow our artists to be 'unpleasant', authoritative and free from radio-pop clichés, we'll keep watching the peaks of the global charts from the back of the pack."

The top 100 albums and the leading labels

To wrap up, here is the full chart of the 100 most-listened-to albums in Italy over the course of 2025, based on Top of the Music by FIMI/NIQ data (December 27, 2024–December 25, 2025). An analysis of the Top 100 by record label and distributor confirms the dominance of the majors. Universal Music Group remains the undisputed leader, controlling nearly half the chart with 47% of the titles (47 albums). Warner Music follows with a 28% share, while Sony Music rounds out the podium with 20% of total entries. Independents are left with just a marginal 5%, spread across outfits like Believe, Self and Artist First.

1. Olly – Tutta vita (sempre) (Epic/ Sony Music)
2. Sfera Ebbasta & Shiva – Santana Money Gang (Cupido/ Milano Ovest/ Universal Music)
3. Geolier – Dio lo sa – Atto II (Warner Music)
4. Bad Bunny – Debí tirar más fotos (Rimas Entertainment LLC. / The Orchard)
5. Lazza – Locura (Island / Universal Music)
6. Marracash – È finita la pace (Island / Universal Music)
7. Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – Hello World (Epic / Sony Music)
8. Artie 5ive – La Bellavita (Warner Music / Trenches Records Ent / Warner Music)
9. Guè – Tropico del Capricorno (Island / Universal Music)
10. Kid Yugi – Tutti i nomi del diavolo (EMI / Universal Music)
11. Achille Lauro – Comuni mortali (Warner Music)
12. Anna – Vera Baddie (EMI / Universal Music)
13. Capo Plaza – Ferite (Deluxe Edition) (Plaza Music / Warner Music)
14. Salmo – Ranch (Columbia / Sony Music)
15. Marracash – Persona (Island / Universal Music)
16. Cesare Cremonini – Alaska Baby (EMI / Universal Music)
17. Ultimo – Ultimo Live Stadi 2024 (Ultimo Records / Believe)
18. Tony Effe – Icon (Island / Universal Music)
19. Luchè – Il mio lato peggiore (Warner Music)
20. Bresh – Mediterraneo (Epic / Sony Music)
21. Ernia – Per soldi e per amore (Island / Universal Music)
22. Alfa – Non so chi ha creato il mondo ma so che era innamorato (Deluxe) (Artist First)
23. Tony Boy – Going Hard 3 (22 Srl / Warner Music)
24. Sfera Ebbasta – X2VR (Island / Universal Music)
25. Lazza – Sirio (Island / Universal Music)
26. Shiva – Milano Angels Reloaded (Milano Ovest / Columbia / Sony Music)
27. Olly & Juli – Il mondo gira (Epic / Sony Music)
28. Papa V, Nerissima Serpe & Fritu – Mafia Slime 2 (K100 / Columbia / EMI / Universal Music / Sony Music)
29. Taylor Swift – The Life Of A Showgirl (Island / Universal Music)
30. Tedua – La Divina Commedia (Deluxe) (Epic / Sony Music)
31. Marracash – Noi, loro, gli altri (Island / Universal Music)
32. Elodie – Mi ami mi odi (Island / Universal Music)
33. Tony Boy – Uforia (22 Srl / Warner Music)
34. Fabri Fibra – Mentre Los Angeles brucia (Epic / Sony Music)
35. Lady Gaga – Mayhem (EMI / Universal Music)
36. Geolier – Il coraggio dei bambini - Atto II (Columbia / Sony Music)
37. Rose Villain – Radio Vega / Radio Vega (After Dark) (Warner Music)
38. Tananai – Calmocobra (Eclectic Records / EMI / Universal Music)
39. Caparezza – Orbit Orbit (BMG / Universal Music / BMG)
40. Lucio Corsi – Volevo essere un duro (Sugar / Universal Music)
41. Tony Boy – Umile (Deluxe) (Warner Music)
42. Jovanotti – Il corpo umano Vol. 1 (Island / Universal Music)
43. The Weeknd – Hurry Up Tomorrow (Island / Universal Music)
44. Sfera Ebbasta – Rockstar (Island / Universal Music)
45. Simba La Rue – Esci dal tunnel (Warner Music)
46. Night Skinny – Containers (Island / Universal Music)
47. Various Artists – Kpop Demon Hunters (O.S.T.) (Island / Universal Music)
48. Linkin Park – Papercuts (Warner Music)
49. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft (EMI / Universal Music)
50. Alessandra Amoroso – Io non sarei (Epic / Sony Music)
51. Shiva – Milano Demons Reloaded (Milano Ovest / Columbia / Sony Music)
52. Damiano David – Funny Little Fears (Dreams) (Sony Music / Arista / Sony Music)
53. Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – Fake News (Columbia / Sony Music)
54. Capo Plaza – 20 (Plaza Music / Sto Records / Warner Music)
55. Lazza – Re Mida (Aurum) (Island / Universal Music)
56. Sfera Ebbasta – Sfera Ebbasta (Island / Universal Music)
57. Alex Warren – You'll Be Alright, Kid (Warner Music)
58. Gazzelle – Indi (Maciste Dischi / Warner Music)
59. David Guetta – New Year's Eve Party (Warner Music)
60. Ed Sheeran – +-=÷× (Tour Collection) (Warner Music)
61. Franco126 – Futuri possibili (Bomba Dischi / Universal Music)
62. Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – Fuori dall'hype (Columbia / Sony Music)
63. Rkomi – Taxi Driver (Island / Universal Music)
64. Sfera Ebbasta – Famoso (Island / Universal Music)
65. Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – Ahia! (Columbia / Sony Music)
66. Marracash & Guè Pequeno – Santeria (Island / Universal Music)
67. Annalisa – Ma io sono fuoco (Warner Music)
68. Vasco Rossi – Il Supervissuto (O.S.T.) (EMI / Universal Music)
69. Mace – Maya (Island / Universal Music)
70. Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti (Rimas Entertainment / The Orchard)
71. thasup – 23 6451 (Epic / Sony Music)
72. Tananai – Rave, Eclissi (EMI / Universal Music)
73. Annalisa – E poi siamo finiti nel vortice (Warner Music)
74. Geolier – Emanuele (Marchio Registrato) (Island / Universal Music)
75. Luchè – Potere (Il giorno dopo) (Island / Universal Music)
76. Marco Mengoni – Materia (Prisma) (Epic / Sony Music)
77. Coez – Faccio un casino (Atlantic / Warner Music)
78. Linkin Park – From Zero (Deluxe Edition) (Warner Music)
79. Rrari Dal Tacco – Non sono Gesù (EMI / Universal Music)
80. Brunori Sas – L'albero delle noci (Island / Universal Music)
81. Kid Yugi – The Globe (EMI / Universal Music)
82. Tony Boy – Nostalgia (Export) (22 Srl / Warner Music)
83. Coma_Cose – Vita_fusa (Asian Fake / Warner Music)
84. Noyz Narcos – Funny Games (Thaurus / M.A.S.T. / Believe)
85. Max Pezzali & 883 – Tutto Max (WM Italy / Warner Music)
86. Elodie – This Is Elodie (Island / Universal Music)
87. Ernia – Gemelli (Island / Universal Music)
88. Irama – Antologia della vita e della morte (Warner Music)
89. Astro – Astro Deluxe (Warner Music)
90. Achille Lauro – 1969 (Warner Music)
91. Kendrick Lamar – GNX (EMI / Universal Music)
92. Glocky – Northside Melodies (Square / M.A.S.T. / Believe)
93. Arctic Monkeys – AM (Domino / Self)
94. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (50th Anniversary) (Legacy Recordings / Sony Music)
95. Rkomi – Decrescendo. (Island / Universal Music)
96. Calcutta – Mainstream (Bomba Dischi / Sony Music)
97. Vasco Rossi – Vasco Live Milano Sansiro (EMI / Universal Music)
98. Rose Villain – Radio Sakura (Warner Music)
99. Sadturs & Kiid – No Regular Music 2 (Sto Records / Warner Music)
100. Tony Boy – Going Hard 2 (Believe / Gorilla Records / Self / Believe)

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