The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" is one of the highest-earning and most streamed Christmas songs in the past 50 years, according to Spotify data.

New streaming data has revealed the biggest Christmas hits.

"Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues ranked number 15 on the list with 326,441,975 streams and $2,611,536 in estimated royalties.

Wham!'s 1986 release "Last Christmas" beat Mariah Carey's 1994 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as the most streamed Christmas song of all time.

"Last Christmas" has received nearly 2 billion streams and earned an estimated $15 million on Spotify alone. Its playlist reach is 39 million.

In second place, Mariah Carey's Christmas classic had 1.4 billion streams, earning earned an estimated $11,854,972 in royalties.

The remaining songs within the top five were all released in the 2010s. In third place is Ariana Grande’s 2013 release "Santa Tell Me," followed by Michael Bublé's rendition of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" in fourth place and Sia’s 2017 "Snowman" in fifth place.

The research, conducted by CSGO gambling site CSGOLuck, analyzed Christmas songs released within the past 50 years to determine the most streamed songs on Spotify and each song's estimated earnings. The research also looked at the ‘playlist reach’ for each song, which examines how many user-created Spotify playlists include the song.

Top 20 highest-earning Christmas songs on Spotify:

  1. "Last Christmas" - Wham! (1986)
  2.  "All I Want for Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey (1994)
  3. "Santa Tell Me" - Ariana Grande (2013)
  4. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" - Michael Bublé (2011)
  5. "Snowman" - Sia (2017)
  6. "Mistletoe" - Justin Bieber (2011)
  7. "Feliz Navidad" - José Feliciano (1970)
  8. "Underneath the Tree" - Kelly Clarkson (2013)
  9. "Holly Jolly Christmas" - Michael Bublé (2011)
  10. "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon (1971)
  11. "Driving home for Christmas" - Chris Rea (1986)
  12. "Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney (1979)
  13. "Hallelujah" -Pentatonix (2016)
  14. "Merry Christmas Everyone" - Shakin' Stevens (1985)
  15. "Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues (1988)
  16. "Somewhere Only We Known" - Lily Allen (2013)
  17. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - Sam Smith (2019)
  18. "Christmas Lights" - Coldplay (2011)
  19. "My Only Wish (This Year)" - Britney Spears (2000)
  20. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" - The Jackson 5 (1970)

“Christmas music provides a sense of nostalgia, tradition and memories, becoming a fundamental part of the holiday season," said a spokesperson for CSGOLuck.

“Social media once again has revealed its power, as you would expect more classic Christmas songs to rank within the top 10. Most of the songs in the ranking have been, to some extent, trending on TikTok or Instagram, resulting in a surge of streams.

"Despite that, seeing an even blend of modern-day and classic songs on everyone's holiday playlist is great this year.” 

The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York," which features vocals by Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl, became a number-one hit in Ireland when it was released as a single in November 1987. The Irish Christmas ballad hit number two on the UK charts that year, beat only by the Pet Shop Boys' "Always on My Mind."

The duet, which depicts the stormy relationship of two down-on-their-luck Irish emigrants in New York around Christmas time, has garnered controversy over the years for its cynical lyrics and use of slurs. However, the song remains one of the best loved Christmas songs and has been called a "cultural touchstone" for Irish immigrants.

MacGowan, the Pogues frontman, passed on November 30 at the age of 65. Kirsty MacColl died in 2000.

Related: Christmas, Music