Wham!’s “Last Christmas” tops the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for a second week each.
The 1984 release by the British duo of George Michael, who died in 2016, and Andrew Ridgeley, has led both lists this season for the first time. It also hit a new No. 2 high on the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100. Ridgeley marveled to Billboard at how the carol has become “beloved by all generations,” upon its rise to the Hot 100’s runner-up rank, citing “the special place the song occupies in so many hearts and one that George Michael would have been immensely proud of.” Shared Michael’s estate, “Thank you to everyone who keeps this song at the very heart of Christmas.”
“Last Christmas” heads up an all-holiday top 10 on each international chart, with a seasonal presence extending to the top 13 songs on the Global 200. (Two years ago this week, holiday hits scored their biggest shutout in the charts’ upper reaches, at Nos. 1-19 on the Global 200 and Nos. 1-20 on Global Excl. U.S.)
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
“Last Christmas” rebounds a spot on the Global 200 with 192 million streams (up 92% week-over-week) and 10,000 sold (up 48%) worldwide in the week spanning Dec. 19 through Christmas Day.
The song posts the 10th-biggest global streaming week for a track since the Global 200 began in September 2020. It also boasts the ninth-highest frame, as it drew 192.5 million worldwide streams a year ago this week — with no other title repeating in the top 10. (BTS’ “Butter” leads with 289.2 million; June 5, 2021.)
Rounding out the top five on the Global 200, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dips to No. 2 after a record 20 weeks at No. 1 since December 2020; Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” keeps at No. 3, after it hit a No. 2 peak in 2022; Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” hops a spot back to its No. 4 best; and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” also returns to its high (7-5).
“Last Christmas” rules Global Excl. U.S. with 131.1 million streams (up 103%) and 5,000 sold (up 34%) beyond the U.S.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” dashes 3-2 on Global Excl. U.S., following 14 weeks at No. 1 since December 2020; “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” makes a jolly 6-3 jump back to its best rank; “Jingle Bell Rock” hits a new high (7-4); and “Santa Tell Me” treks 8-5, after reaching No. 4.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 3, 2026) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Dec. 30. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
