British singer Ed Sheeran has scored yet another number one – on Spotify’s list of the top 25 most influential artists under the age of 25.

The 24-year-old star was the streaming service’s most streamed artist of 2014, while his ballad Thinking Out Loud is the most-streamed song of all time.

Sheeran’s friend and collaborator Taylor Swift was notably absent from the Global 25 Under 25 after she pulled all her music from Spotify in November last year for financial reasons.

British star Sam Smith, 23, was third on the list, just behind Ariana Grande, and boyband One Direction also made the top five, following Miley Cyrus in fourth place.

The list is based on total streams, but also on number-one hits, volume and growth of streams over the past year and Spotify’s viral chart.

Other UK artists to make the list included James Bay at number 13 and new X Factor judge Rita Ora in 16th place.