Credit: Netflix
Korean dramas are once again proving their global pull, landing 11 titles in Netflix’s Top 100 Most-Watched TV Shows of 2025, according to new data from Flix Patrol.
The numbers reveal just how far K-content has come, with Korean series showing major dominance among non-English-language programming. Out of 7,508 series released globally in the first half of 2025, 11 K-dramas made it into the top 100 by total viewing hours.
At the top of the Korean pack—and nearly at the top of the list overall—was Squid Game Season 2 , pulling in 117.3 million views, landing at #2 globally. Close behind was Squid Game Season 3 with 71.5 million views at #3, while the original Season 1 (2021) still held strong at #12 with 42 million views. Combined, the Squid Game franchise logged a staggering 230.8 million viewing hours in just the first half of the year—particularly impressive as Season 3 only premiered on June 27th.
Credit: Netflix
Other Korean standouts included When Life Gives You Tangerines with 34.8 million views at #19, and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call , clocking in at 34.1 million views, ranked #20. Together, five K-dramas secured spots within the Top 20 globally—solidifying Korea’s unmatched export power in the drama space.
The Weak Hero Class series also posted strong numbers: Season 1 (2022) came in at #36 with 22.3 million views, while the newly released Season 2 followed closely at #45 with 19.6 million views.
Other K-drama entries in the Top 100 included: Mercy for None with 16.9M views (#58); When the Phone Rings with 14.3M views (#77); Tastefully Yours with 13.7M views (#82); and Karma with 12.7M views (#92).
The most-watched show globally in the first half of 2025 was the UK’s Adolescence , which topped the list with 144.8 million views. Rounding out the top five were the U.S. political thriller Zero Day at #4 (61.3M views), and the British romance drama Missing You at #5 (58M views).
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