In late 2011, Bieber confirmed to radio network Capital FM that he was recording material for his third studio album, which was originally going to be released in early 2012.

[7] The cover art for the promotional single was unveiled on June 4, 2012, and features Bieber holding an acoustic guitar over his shoulder, standing on the surface of the world, while the moon is glowing behind him.

[11] It is a Eurodance song,[12] which incorporates heavy synth-pop elements in its instrumentation and is similar to previous works by producer David Guetta.

[1][2] Contemporary critics compared the track to Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" (2011) and Chris Brown's "Beautiful People" (2011).

Jenna Rubenstein of MTV thought that the "fist-pumping club banger" is a complete departure from Bieber's previous work,[2] while Diadem Pambid of the International Business Times stated that the singer joined the "'synth-pop' bandwagon" along with Britney Spears, Chris Brown and Usher.

[9] Entertainment Weekly columnist Ray Rahman gave "All Around the World" a positive review, and stated: "a Euro beat worthy of The Wanted?

"[17] Becky Bain of Idolator explained that the song is a good example of how Bieber is taking "baby steps to 'swaggy' adulthood through the evolution of his music — keep the content G-Rated, but make the beat something the older club-going crowd can enjoy.

"[7] Amy Sciaretto of Pop Crush gave the track a mixed review, and deemed it as highly similar to the work of Spears, stating: "If you told us this song was penned for Britney Spears for her last album Femme Fatale, we'd Believe it, because the computerized style and the thick vocal effects remind us of recent Brit material.

"[18] In the United States, "All Around the World" debuted at its peak number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 23, 2012, becoming the week's best-debuting single.

[27][29] Nardine Saad from Los Angeles Times noted that the video "briefly makes us sympathetic toward the Biebs and his eyebrow-raising behavior this last year, which has included speeding, possibly smoking pot and frequently walking around shirtless" and named the fans' part "memorable".

Entering from the upper portion of the arena, Bieber was lowered onto the center of the stage wearing a massive pair of charcoal-colored wings.

Fireworks exploded, laser lights shot wildly from the ceiling, confetti fell to the floor and plumes of smoke were released from the bottom of the stage.

[36] Sophie A. Schillaci from The Hollywood Reporter gave a negative review for the performance and wrote that "if you can move past Justin Bieber's bizarre stage entrance, flying in on a set of ginormous metal wings to the tune of 'All Around the World', it's hard not to smile at his show".