AKB48 is a Japanese idol girl group formed on December 8, 2005. As of 2026, the group consists of 49 members, including 37 official members and 12 trainees.
The member lineup often changes as members graduate from the group and are replaced by members promoted from trainee status. Monica Hesse of The Washington Post describes the AKB48 audition process as "American Idol-esque".
The group has publicized special events for choosing the promotional and recording lineup for some of its singles. In 2009, the concept of was introduced. To obtain a ballot, voters have to buy the group's latest "election single", or sign up for the official paid fanclub. The members who receive the most votes will get to participate in the recording of AKB48's next single, and are heavily promoted. The highest voted member earns the right to be the center performer during the group's live performances.
Narumi Kuranoo is the current leader or "general manager" of AKB48 and all of its sister groups. The results from AKB48's annual general elections from 2009–2018 are included.
Members are listed by order below as they appear on the official website's roster .
Official members +Key Denotes elections that the member did not take part in Denotes elections the member took part in but did not rank Denotes ranking between #81 and #100
+Official members of AKB48Image Name Birth date (age)Election rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 66 51 42 22 97 32 31 51 25 34 30 49 67 104 109 55 92
Trainees are members who have entered the group but have not been assigned or promoted to a fixed team. Currently the trainees are 20th generation-members who were introduced on December 20, 2024, 21st generation-members who were introduced on December 4, 2025, and 22nd generation-members who were introduced on September 26, 2026.
+Trainees of AKB48 Name Birth date (age)
See also List of former members of AKB48
References