BEST SELLING ALBUMS
Contents
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- (Top)
- Legend
- 40 million copies or more
- 30–39 million copies
- 20–29 million copies
- Timeline of the best-selling albums
- Best-selling album by year worldwide
- See also
- Notes
- References
List of best-selling albums
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
This is a list of the world’s best-selling albums of recorded music in physical mediums, such as vinyl, audio cassettes or compact discs. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies and certified at least 10 million units (the equivalent of a diamond certification by the RIAA).[a] This list can contain any types of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, various artists, soundtracks and remixes. The figures given do not take into account the resale of used albums. Certified copies are sourced either from available online databases of local music industry associations or a country with an established certifying authority (see List of music recording certifications).
As a result of the methodology that the American and Canadian certification-awarding bodies (the RIAA and Music Canada respectively) use, each disc in a multi-disc set is counted as one unit toward certification, leading to many double albums on the list—such as Pink Floyd‘s The Wall and the Beatles‘ The Beatles (White Album) —being certified with a number double the number of copies sold there. Such albums have the certifications for the number of copies (not discs) shipped indicated. Conversely, the American certification level for double albums that fit onto one compact disc, such as the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack reflect the actual number of copies sold. In 2016, RIAA included streaming in addition to track sales and album sales based on the concept of album-equivalent unit for certification purposes, and certification therefore no longer reflects shipment alone.[1][2] For example, in the update of the certification for Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles in August 2018, the album was certified 38× Platinum (increasing from the previous 29× Platinum certification in 2006) based on the new criteria, making it then the album with the highest certification in the United States.[3]
Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever.[4][5][6] Jackson also currently has the highest number of albums on the list with five, Celine Dion has four, while the Beatles, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Pink Floyd each have three.
Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 40 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–29 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold. If two or more artists have the same claimed sales, they are then ranked by certified units and thereafter by the artist’s last name. Markets’ order within the table is based on the number of compact discs sold in each market, largest market at the top and smallest at the bottom.[7]
Legend
| Colors | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| Greatest hits and compilations | |
| Soundtracks | |
| Live albums | |
40 million copies or more
*All sales figures are shown in millions
| Artist | Album | Released | Genre | Total certified copies (from available markets)* | Reported sales* | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Jackson | Thriller | 1982 | Pop, post-disco, funk, rock | 51.3 | 70 | [30][31][32] |
| AC/DC | Back in Black | 1980 | Hard rock | 31.2 | 50 | [40] |
| Whitney Houston / various artists | The Bodyguard | 1992 | R&B, soul, pop, soundtrack | 29.7 | 45 | [46] |
| Pink Floyd | The Dark Side of the Moon | 1973 | Progressive rock | 25.6 | 45 | [48] |
| Eagles | Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) | 1976 | Country rock, soft rock, folk rock | 41.2 | 44 | [49] |
| Eagles | Hotel California | 1976 | Soft rock | 31.8 | 42 | [51] |
| Shania Twain | Come On Over | 1997 | Country, pop | 30.7 | 40 | [54][55] |
| Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | 1977 | Soft rock | 30.3 | 40 | [59][60] |
| Meat Loaf | Bat Out of Hell | 1977 | Hard rock, glam rock, progressive rock | 22 | 40 | [62] |
| Bee Gees / Various artists | Saturday Night Fever | 1977 | Disco | 22.1 | 40 | [64][65] |
30–39 million copies
*All sales figures are shown in millions
20–29 million copies
*All sales figures are shown in millions
Timeline of the best-selling albums
| Year record set | Artist | Album | Record-setting sales (millions) | Total sales (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Various Artists | Oklahoma! (78 rpm album) | 0.5 | 1.0 | [218][219] |
| After 1946 | Al Jolson | The Jolson Story | 1 | [220] | |
| 1956 | Various Artists | Oklahoma! (LP album) | 1.75 | 2.5 | [221] |
| 1956/1957 | Various Artists | My Fair Lady | 2 | 5 | [222][223][224] |
| 1960 | Various Artists | South Pacific | 2.25 | 3 | [225] |
| 1963 | Vaughn Meader | The First Family | 4 | 7.5 | [226][227] |
| 1968 | Various Artists | The Sound of Music | 8WW | [228] | |
| 1969 | Iron Butterfly | In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida | 8WW | 30 | [229][230] |
| 1973 | Carole King | Tapestry | 10+ | [231] | |
| 1975/1976 | Various Artists | The Sound of Music | 10–15SM-T | [232][233] | |
| 1976 | Carole King | Tapestry | 13.5SM-T | 25 | [234] |
| 1979 | Bee Gees/Various Artists | Saturday Night Fever | 25–27 | 40 | [235][236] |
| 1984 | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 35 | 70 | [6][237] |
Notes
- WWIt is unclear whether this sales figure refers to worldwide sales or US sales.
- SM-TThe exact year in which Tapestry regained the title of “best-selling album of all time”, if it ever regained it at all, is unclear. The album’s 1976 sales claim is therefore only listed to be inclusive, as it is plausible that Tapestry had overtaken The Sound of Music in sales during this time period.
Best-selling album by year worldwide
The charts of the best-selling albums by year in the world are compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry annually since 2001. These charts are published in their two annual reports, the Digital Music Report and the Recording Industry in Numbers. Both the Digital Music Report and the Recording Industry in Numbers were replaced in 2016 by the Global Music Report.[238]
In 2022, for sales of albums in 2021, IFPI reported three formats of sales chart, the Global all-format chart which includes all physical sales, digital downloads and streaming numbers, newly created Global vinyl album chart counting vinyl physical sales, combination of physical sales and digital downloads as Global album sales chart.
| Year | Album | Artist(s) | Sales (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Hybrid Theory | Linkin Park | 9.0 | [239] |
| 2002 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | 13.9 | [240] |
| 2003 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | 11.0 | [241] |
| 2004 | Confessions | Usher | 12.0 | [242] |
| 2005 | X&Y | Coldplay | 8.3 | [243] |
| 2006 | High School Musical | Various Artists | 7.0 | [244] |
| 2007 | High School Musical 2 | 6.0 | [245] | |
| 2008 | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Coldplay | 6.8 | [246] |
| 2009 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle | 8.3 | [247] |
| 2010 | Recovery | Eminem | 5.7 | [248] |
| 2011 | 21 | Adele | 18.1 | [240] |
| 2012 | 8.3 | [249] | ||
| 2013 | Midnight Memories | One Direction | 4.0 | [250] |
| 2014 | Frozen | Various Artists | 10.0 | [251] |
| 2015 | 25 | Adele | 17.4 | [252] |
| 2016 | Lemonade | Beyoncé | 2.5 | [253] |
| 2017 | ÷ | Ed Sheeran | 6.1 | [254] |
| 2018 | The Greatest Showman | Hugh Jackman & Various Artists | 3.5 | [255] |
| 2019 | 5×20 All the Best!! 1999–2019 | Arashi | 3.3 | [256] |
| 2020 | Map of the Soul: 7 | BTS | 4.8 | [257] |
| 2021 | 30 | Adele | 4.7 | [258] |
| 2022 | Greatest Works of Art | Jay Chou | 7.2 | [259] |
| 2023 | FML | Seventeen | 6.4 | [260][261] |
| 2024 | The Tortured Poets Department | Taylor Swift | 5.6 | [262] |
See also
- Album era
- Lists of albums
- List of fastest-selling albums
- List of best-selling albums by women
- List of best-selling albums by country
- List of best-selling Latin albums
- List of best-selling remix albums
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
- List of best-selling singles
- List of best-selling singles by country
Notes
- Certification systems have been established periodically throughout the past half century; thus, certification databases are not able to cover all sales. Some (or all) records released and sold prior to a certification system’s establishment year may not be found within the available searchable certification databases. Year of establishment (from largest market to smallest based on Retail Value each market generates respectively):[263][264]
- United States: 1958[265]
- Japan: 1989[266]
- Germany: 1975[267]
- United Kingdom: 1973[268]
- France: 1973[269]
- Canada: 1975[270]
- Australia: 1997[271][A]
- Brazil: 1990[36]
- Netherlands: 1978[16]
- Italy: 2009[272][B]
- Spain: 1979[34]
- Sweden: 1987[18]
- Norway: 1993[273]
- Denmark: 2001[274][C]
- Switzerland: 1989[276]
- Mexico: 1999[15]
- Argentina: 1980[38]
- Belgium: 1995[44]
- Austria: 1990[21]
- Poland: 1995[277]
- Finland: 1971[278]
- Ireland: 2005[279]
- New Zealand: July 1978[280]
- Portugal: 2004[281][D]
- (online certification-database has begun since 1990. Certifications; however, existed in Australia since the 1970s.)
- (online certification-database covers certifications issued since 2009. Certifications; however, have existed in Italy since the 1980s.)[70]
- (online certifications for Denmark start from 2001. Certifications; however, existed in Denmark since the early 1990s.)[275]
- (online certification-database covers certifications issued since 2004. Certifications; however, have existed in Portugal since the 1980s.)[70]
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It went on to sell 70 million copies worldwide.
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His album “Thriller” has sold more than 70 million copies, and he is the biggest-selling recording artist of all time.
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Released more that a quarter of a century ago, the album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales between 70-110 million copies worldwide.
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32 Million (Dangerous)
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Dangerous (32,000,000 copies)
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: length (help) - Fernandez, Alexandre (August 29, 2008). “Expresso Popular (SP) – 2007 a 2019 – DocReader Web”. Expresso Popular. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
Dangerous (32 Million Copies)
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