Taylor Swift Dominates Global Charts: 'Patient Zero' Secures Coveted No. 1 Spot!

Taylor Swift's latest single, “Patient Zero,” has made a monumental debut, claiming the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. This achievement marks Swift's eighth Global 200 leader, putting her in a tie with BTS for the most No. 1s since the chart's inception in September 2020. Furthermore, she now holds her fifth Global Excl. U.S. No. 1, surpassing Bad Bunny and Ariana Grande to lead among solo artists, with only BTS having more overall with eight.

“Patient Zero” is one of four new songs featured on the deluxe version of Swift’s 2025 album, *The Life of a Showgirl*, which was released on September 25 and dubbed *The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore*. The original album, including all its versions, has also seen a resurgence, returning to No. 1 for a remarkable 13th week on the United States-based Billboard 200 chart. The three other new tracks from the deluxe edition also made a strong showing on both global rankings: “Cleveland!” debuted at No. 2, “Babylon” at No. 3, and “Pink Clouding” at No. 5 on the Global 200. On the Global Excl. U.S. chart, “Cleveland!” entered at No. 6, followed by “Pink Clouding” at No. 7, and “Babylon” at No. 8.

The global dominance of “Patient Zero” is underscored by its impressive metrics, opening as the biggest song worldwide with 70.7 million streams and 80,000 units sold globally between September 25 and October 1, according to Luminate data. The single's music video, directed by Swift herself and starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, premiered on September 27 during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. With these new entries, Swift has now accumulated 47 top 10 hits on the Global 200, surpassing Drake (45) for the most in the chart’s history. She also extends her record for the most top 10s on the Global Excl. U.S. tally to 34, with Bad Bunny ranking second with 24.

Swift’s existing track, “The Fate of Ophelia,” initially released on the original *The Life of a Showgirl* and a previous seven-week No. 1, has also rebounded on the charts, rising from 14-8 on the Global 200 with 29.8 million streams (up 27%) and from 13-10 on the Global Excl. U.S. “Patient Zero” alone garnered 37.3 million streams and 15,000 sales outside the U.S. in the tracking week. In other chart news, Karol G, Judeline, and rusowsky’s “BbY WOW” dipped to No. 3 on Global 200 and No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. after four weeks at No. 1. Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” fell to No. 3 on Global Excl. U.S., while ADÉLA continued her presence with “Nicole Kidman” rising to a new high of No. 4 and “Ain’t in LA” receding to No. 5.

The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts are comprehensive rankings based on streaming and sales activity from over 200 territories worldwide, compiled by Luminate, an independent data provider. The Global 200 includes worldwide data, while the Global Excl. U.S. chart specifically omits data from the United States. Rankings are determined by a weighted formula that incorporates official streams from both subscription and ad-supported audio and video music services, as well as download sales from full-service digital music retailers globally, excluding sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites. The latest charts, dated October 10, 2026, will be updated on Billboard.com on October 6, with the top 100 titles publicly available and the complete 200-title rankings accessible via Billboard Pro, the subscription-based service.

Luminate plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of the Billboard charts. The company conducts a thorough review and authentication process for all data submissions used in compiling the weekly rankings. In partnership with Billboard, any data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is systematically removed, adhering to established criteria, before the final chart calculations are made and published, ensuring accurate and reliable results.