©
2025. All Rights Reserved.
April 2025 numbers on the rise of K-Content—including K-Food, K-Pop, and K-Dramas—show no sign of a slowdown in popularity. K-Dramas have taken over the world for a few years now—and Netflix has been the main stage. In fact, 60% of all Netflix users watched Korean content in 2023, according to the platform’s official engagement reports. From swoon-worthy romances to nail-biting thrillers, Korean series have become global obsessions.
In this list, we break down the most-watched Korean dramas on Netflix globally since 2020 based on Netflix's yearly data of most most-watched non-English series. These are the shows that dominated screens around the world.
How Korean Culture Is Captivating The World: April 2025 Hallyu ReportK-Culture InsightsMay 1, 2025
Before we dive into the list, here’s a quick heads-up on the numbers you’ll see below:
“Views” refers to the number of individual times people started watching a drama — basically, how many unique streams or accounts tuned in.
“Hours viewed” measures the total amount of time all viewers spent watching the show combined. For example, if 1 million people watch 2 hours each, that’s 2 million hours viewed.
Netflix sometimes reports one or the other depending on what metric is most relevant, but both help show just how popular a series is worldwide. So, whether it’s millions of views or hundreds of millions of hours streamed, these Korean dramas are proof of the global love for K-Content!
🥇 "Squid Game", the #1 most-watched non-English series of all time on Netflix
It is not just Korean series, but all non-English series on Netflix.
Total Views:
Season 1: 265.2 million views | 2.2 billion hours watched
Season 2: 192.6 million views | 1.38 billion hours watched
Summary: Strangers in debt join a deadly survival game for a massive cash prize.
Main Cast: Lee JungJae, Park HaeSoo, Jung HoYeon, Wi HaJoon, Lee ByungHun
Netflix
📺 Most Watched Debut International Netflix Series
*data retrieved at the end of the year of the release. Ranked by year.
2025 yearly data are not yet out, but dramas like "When Life Gives You Tangerines", "Karma", or "Weak Hero Class 2" could make the list at the end of the year.
✨ 2024 - "Parasyte: The Grey"
Views: 18.7 million
It was number 6 in the top 10.
Summary: Alien parasites invade Earth, and one woman becomes humanity’s hope.
Main Cast: Jeon SoNee, Koo KyoHwan
✨ 2023 - "Black Knight"
Views: 15.9 million
It was number 9 in the top 10.
Summary: In a dystopian future, a legendary deliveryman fights for survival and justice.
Main Cast: Kim WooBin, Esom, Song SeungHeon
✨ 2022 - "All of Us Are Dead (Season 1)"
Views: 55.5 million
Hours Watched: 679.3 million hours
Summary: A group of high school students is trapped during a zombie outbreak.
Main Cast: Park JiHu, Yoon ChanYoung, Cho YiHyun
✨ 2022 - "Extraordinary Attorney Woo"
Netflix Points: 24,352
Summary: A brilliant young lawyer on the autism spectrum navigates courtroom battles and social life.
Main Cast: Park EunBin, Kang TaeOh, Kang KiYoung
✨ 2022 - "Business Proposal"
Netflix Points: 21,123
Summary: A woman goes on a blind date pretending to be someone else — and ends up meeting her CEO!
Main Cast: Ahn HyoSeop, Kim SeJeong
✨ 2022 - "Alchemy of Souls"
Netflix Points: 17,326
Summary: In a fictional land, warriors and mages are entangled in body-swapping magic and fate.
Main Cast: Lee JaeWook, Jung SoMin, Go YounJung
✨ 2021 - "Vincenzo"
Summary: A Korean-Italian mafia lawyer returns to Seoul and serves his own brand of justice.
Main Cast: Song JoongKi, Jeon YeoBeen, Ok TaecYeon
Enjoy full access for just $1
Join over 10,000 active members!
🌟 Special Contents for Subscribers
