The Gospel Explosion: How ‘Afro-Gospel’ is Challenging Afrobeats for Global Dominance

While genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano have long held the cultural spotlight in Africa, a spiritual and commercial revolution is fiercely challenging their territory.

Gospel is now achieving equal attention, filling venues, and climbing streaming charts across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), signaling its arrival as a major continental force.

The numbers behind the takeover

Confirming this spiritual surge, Spotify 2025 Wrapped data reveals Sub-Saharan Africa’s gospel streams jumped by 50% year-on-year (2024 – 2025), marking a huge 3480% growth since 2020. This rise was most pronounced in key markets: Nigeria registered an 88% growth in Gospel listening; South Africa saw growth at 42%; Ghana achieved an increase of 36%; and Kenya registered a 30% rise. The countries driving the most plays overall are South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Angola.

The genre’s rising influence is clearly reflected in overall genre rankings, proving it now plays alongside the biggest commercial genres. Gospel music was ranked as the 4th most-streamed genre in South Africa, 7th in Ghana, 9th in Kenya, and 10th in Nigeria. Additionally, its role as a key soundtrack to the daily routine is clear, with Gospel performing strongly in commuting hour music data, holding the 2nd rank in Nigeria, where heavy traffic is common, and the 4th rank in Ghana.

This role is further underscored by its prominence on the Words on Playlists Chart, where gospel ranks highly across key markets, holding the 3rd position in Nigeria, the 2nd position in Ghana, and the 3rd position in Kenya and South Africa, respectively.

Chart architects and tracks

Driving this streaming success is a mix of African and international gospel artists. The top 10 most streamed gospel artists in SSA feature African stars like Nathaniel Bassey, Lawrence Oyor, Dunsin Oyekan, Moses Bliss, and Sunmisola Agbebi (Nigeria); Spirit of Praise and Joyous Celebration (South Africa), who share the spotlight with international groups such as Hillsong Worship (Australia), Maverick City Music (United States), and Elevation Worship (United States). These artists and groups are fronting a list of deeply resonant and popular tracks.

The top five most streamed gospel songs in SSA showcase a blend of solo and collaborative power: the list is headed by Lawrence Oyor’s Favour and includes We will be many by Sound of Salem, Lawrence Oyor, and Moses Akoh, Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor’s No Turning Back II, Nontokozo Mkhize’s Esandleni, and Promise Keeper by Pst. Oche Ogebe and Sound Of Salem.

Arena worship: The live show effect

This transformation is driven by several factors that are taking gospel music from traditional settings into the mainstream spotlight. The sheer scale of live events has turned the gospel genre into an arena-sized spectacle across Africa.

In Nigeria, gatherings like The Experience concert remain a monumental fixture, consistently drawing vast numbers and generating global buzz that makes it one of the largest faith-based concerts in the world. This trend is mirrored in South Africa, where groups like Joyous Celebration operate as cultural tastemakers, continually setting the industry standard with massive live tours and annual recordings.

Similarly, collectives like the Spirit of Praise, with their Spirit of Praise 11 Tour, create major event moments essential for platforming established stars alongside emerging talent. High-profile events like Nigerian artist Moses Bliss’s Grace Encounter: A Night of Worship and Miracles in Kenya generate significant social media buzz, showcasing the seamless movement of influence and artistry across African borders, effectively turning concerts into vital continental moments.

Virality & global reach

The power of social media has proven vital, instantly turning gospel songs into viral phenomena. The music is shareable; two gospel-driven tracks, Lawrence Oyor’s Favour and Gaise Baba & Lawrence Oyor’s No Turning Back II ranked among the top five most shared songs in Nigeria.

The Hallelujah Challenge by Nathaniel Bassey is another viral moment that demonstrated the immense power of digital communal worship, establishing a precedent for massive, spontaneous online gatherings.

Global validation: The new influence

The African gospel scene is receiving validation from international collaborations and visits. In August 2025, Grammy-winning icon CeCe Winans visited Africa as part of her #MoreThanThisWorldTour, with stops in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Kenya, signalling the region’s importance to global gospel artists.

African gospel music has proven that profound faith offers a spiritual anchor that keeps millions grounded, whilst achieving undeniable commercial and cultural success.