List of best-selling albums


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. 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.
As a result of the methodology that the American and Canadian certification-awarding bodies 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 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. 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 based on the new criteria, making it then the album with the highest certification in the United States.
Michael Jackson's Thriller, estimated to have sold 70 million copies worldwide, is the best-selling album ever. Jackson also 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.

40 million copies or more

*All sales figures are shown in millions
ArtistAlbumReleasedGenreTotal certified copies
Reported sales*
Thriller1982Pop, post-disco, funk, rock 70
AC/DCBack in Black1980Hard rock
50
/ Various artistsThe Bodyguard1992R&B, soul, pop, soundtrack
45
Pink FloydThe Dark Side of the Moon1973Progressive rock
45
EaglesTheir Greatest Hits (1971–1975)1976Country rock, soft rock, folk rock
44
EaglesHotel California1976Soft rock
42
Come On Over1997Country, pop
40
Fleetwood MacRumours1977Soft rock
40
Meat LoafBat Out of Hell1977Hard rock, glam rock, progressive rock
40
Bee Gees / Various artistsSaturday Night Fever1977Disco
40

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 setArtistAlbumRecord-setting sales
Total sales
1945Various ArtistsOklahoma! 0.51.0
After 1946The Jolson Story1
1956Various ArtistsOklahoma! 1.752.5
1956/1957Various ArtistsMy Fair Lady25
1960Various ArtistsSouth Pacific2.253
1963The First Family47.5
1968Various ArtistsThe Sound of Music8
1969In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida830
1973Tapestry10+
1975/1976Various ArtistsThe Sound of Music10-15
1976Tapestry13.525
1979Bee Gees/Various ArtistsSaturday Night Fever25-2740
1984Thriller3570

;Notes

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.
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.
YearAlbumArtistSales
2001Hybrid TheoryLinkin Park9.0
2002The Eminem ShowEminem13.9
2003Come Away with Me11.0
2004ConfessionsUsher12.0
2005X&YColdplay8.3
2006High School MusicalVarious Artists7.0
2007High School Musical 2Various Artists6.0
2008Viva la Vida or Death and All His FriendsColdplay6.8
2009I Dreamed a Dream8.3
2010RecoveryEminem5.7
201121Adele18.1
201221Adele8.3
2013Midnight MemoriesOne Direction4.0
2014FrozenVarious Artists10.0
201525Adele17.4
2016LemonadeBeyoncé2.5
2017÷6.1
2018The Greatest Showman & Various Artists3.5
20195x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019Arashi3.3
2020Map of the Soul: 7BTS4.8
202130Adele4.7
2022Greatest Works of ArtJay Chou7.2
2023FMLSeventeen6.4
2024The Tortured Poets DepartmentTaylor Swift5.6