A number of issues make exact figures difficult to calculate, as historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries is incomplete. Additionally, fans, record companies and the media are prone to exaggerating sales figures to boost the image of the relevant act. The figures given do not take into account the resale of used albums. The list takes no account of any kind of copyright infringing activity such as home taping or the emergence of illegal downloading of digital music in the 2000s or of pirate sales of copied discs.
Michael Jackson's Thriller tops the list, estimated to have sold 110 million copies worldwide.
Colors | |
Studio Albums | |
Greatest Hits & Compilations | |
Soundtracks |
Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 50 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–29 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold and thereafter by the artist's first name.
style="width:20%;" | Album !! style="width:13%;" | Released !! style="width:13%;"| Genre !! style="width:19%;"| Sales (millions) !! style="width:10%;"| Source | |||
style="text-align:center;" | Michael Jackson | style="text-align:center;" | style="text-align:center;">style="text-align:center;"| Pop / Rock || | 110 |
style="width:20%;" | Album !! style="width:13%;" | Released !! style="width:13%;"| Genre !! style="width:19%;"| Sales (millions) !! style="width:10%;"| Source | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | AC/DC | Back in Black | style="text-align:center;">style="text-align:center;"| Hard rock / Heavy metal || | 49 | ||
style="text-align:center;" | Pink Floyd | style="text-align:center;"The Dark Side of the Moon || | 1973 | Progressive rock | 45 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Whitney Houston / Various artists | style="text-align:center;"The Bodyguard || | 1992 | Soundtrack | 44 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Meat Loaf | style="text-align:center;"Bat Out of Hell || | 1977 | Rock | 43 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Eagles | style="text-align:center;"Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) || | 1976 | Rock | 42 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Various artists | style="text-align:center;"Dirty Dancing || | 1987 | Soundtrack | 42 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Backstreet Boys | style="text-align:center;"Millennium || | 1999 | Pop | 40 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Bee Gees / Various artists | style="text-align:center;"Saturday Night Fever || | 1977 | Soundtrack | 40 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Fleetwood Mac | style="text-align:center;"Rumours || | 1977 | Rock | 40 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Shania Twain | style="text-align:center;"Come On Over || | 1997 | style="text-align:center;"Country / Pop || | 40 |
style="width:20%;" | Album !! style="width:13%;" | Released !! style="width:13%;"| Genre !! style="width:19%;"| Sales (millions) !! style="width:10%;"| Source | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | style="text-align:center;">style="text-align:center;"| Hard rock / Heavy metal || | 37 | ||
style="text-align:center;" | Alanis Morissette | style="text-align:center;"Jagged Little Pill || | 1995 | Rock | 33 | |
style="text-align:center;" | The Beatles | style="text-align:center;"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band || | 1967 | Rock | 32 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Celine Dion | style="text-align:center;"Falling into You || | 1996 | Pop | 32 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Mariah Carey | style="text-align:center;"Music Box || | 1993 | Pop / R&B; | 32 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Michael Jackson | style="text-align:center;"Dangerous || | 1991 | Pop / Rock / New jack swing | 32 | |
style="text-align:center;" | The Beatles | style="text-align:center;"1 || | 2000 | Rock | 31 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Celine Dion | style="text-align:center;"Let's Talk About Love || | 1997 | Pop | 31 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Elton John | style="text-align:center;"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road || | 1973 | Glam rock / Soft rock | 31 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Bee Gees | style="text-align:center;"Spirits Having Flown || | 1979 | Disco / Pop | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Bruce Springsteen | style="text-align:center;"Born in the U.S.A. || | 1984 | Rock | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Dire Straits | style="text-align:center;"Brothers in Arms || | 1985 | Rock | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | James Horner | style="text-align:center;"Titanic || | 1997 | Soundtrack | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Madonna | style="text-align:center;"The Immaculate Collection || | 1990 | Pop / Dance | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Michael Jackson | style="text-align:center;"Bad || | 1987 | Pop / Rock | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Pink Floyd | style="text-align:center;"The Wall || | 1979 | Progressive rock | 30 | |
style="text-align:center;" | Nirvana | style="text-align:center;"Nevermind || | 1991 | Grunge / Alternative rock | 30 | |
style="width:20%;" | Album !! style="width:13%;" | Released !! style="width:13%;"| Genre !! style="width:19%;"| Sales (millions) !! style="width:10%;"| Source | |||||||
style="text-align:center;" | ABBA | ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits | style="text-align:center;"1992 || | Pop | 28 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Backstreet Boys | style="text-align:center;"Backstreet's Back || | 1997 | Pop | 28 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Bon Jovi | style="text-align:center;"Slippery When Wet || | 1986 | Hard rock | 28 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Guns N' Roses | style="text-align:center;"Appetite for Destruction || | 1987 | style="text-align:center;"Hard rock / Heavy metal || | 28 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Various artists | style="text-align:center;"Grease || | 1978 | Pop | 28 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Santana | style="text-align:center;"Supernatural || | 1999 | Rock | 27 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Britney Spears | style="text-align:center;"...Baby One More Time || | 1999 | Pop | 26 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Carole King | style="text-align:center;"Tapestry || | 1971 | Pop | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | George Michael | style="text-align:center;"Faith || | 1987 | style="text-align:center;"Pop / Soul || | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Iron Butterfly | style="text-align:center;"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida || | 1968 | Psychedelic rock | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Mariah Carey | style="text-align:center;"Daydream || | 1995 | Pop / R&B; | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Queen | style="text-align:center;"Greatest Hits || | 1981 | Rock | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Simon & Garfunkel | style="text-align:center;"Bridge over Troubled Water || | 1970 | Folk Rock | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | U2 | style="text-align:center;"The Joshua Tree || | 1987 | Rock | 25 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Whitney Houston | style="text-align:center;"Whitney Houston || | 1985 | Pop / R&B; | 25 | ||||
Backstreet Boys | style="text-align:center;"Black & Blue || | 2000 | Pop | 24 | |||||
style="text-align:center;" | Madonna | style="text-align:center;"True Blue || | 1986 | Pop | 24 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Ace of Base | style="text-align:center;"Happy Nation/The Sign || | 1994 | Pop | 23 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Spice Girls | style="text-align:center;"Spice || | 1996 | Pop | 23 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Metallica | style="text-align:center;"Metallica || | 1991 | style="text-align:center;"Heavy metal|| | 22 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Oasis | style="text-align:center;"(What's the Story) Morning Glory? || | 1995 | Britpop / Rock | 22 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Dido | style="text-align:center;"No Angel || | 1999 | Pop | 21 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Madonna | style="text-align:center;"Like a Virgin || | 1984 | Pop / Dance | 21 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Aerosmith | style="text-align:center;"Get a Grip || | 1993 | Hard Rock | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Billy Ray Cyrus | style="text-align:center;"Some Gave All || | 1992 | Country | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Bob Marley & The Wailers | style="text-align:center;"Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers || | 1984 | Reggae | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Blondie | style="text-align:center;"Parallel Lines || | 1978 | Rock | 20 | ||||
Bon Jovi | style="text-align:center;"Cross Road || | 1994 | Rock | 20 | |||||
Britney Spears | style="text-align:center;"Oops!... I Did It Again || | 2000 | Pop | 20 | |||||
style="text-align:center;" | Céline Dion | style="text-align:center;"The Colour of My Love | >style="text-align:center;"| 1993 | style="text-align:center;" | Pop | style="text-align:center;">style="text-align:center;"| | |||
style="text-align:center;" | Cher | style="text-align:center;"Believe (Cher album) | Believe |>style="text-align:center;"| 1999 | style="text-align:center;" | Pop | style="text-align:center;">style="text-align:center;"| | |||
style="text-align:center;" | Def Leppard | style="text-align:center;"Hysteria || | 1987 | Hard rock | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Janet Jackson | style="text-align:center;"janet. || | 1993 | Pop / R&B; | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Madonna | style="text-align:center;"Ray of Light || | 1998 | style="text-align:center;"Pop / Electronic || | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Michael Jackson | style="text-align:center;"HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I || | 1995 | Pop / Rock / R&B; | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Michael Jackson | style="text-align:center;"Off the Wall || | 1979 | Soul / Disco / R&B; | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Norah Jones | style="text-align:center;"Come Away with Me || | 2002 | Jazz | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Prince & The Revolution | style="text-align:center;"Purple Rain || | 1984 | Pop / Rock | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Spice Girls | style="text-align:center;"Spiceworld || | 1997 | Pop | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Tina Turner | style="text-align:center;"Private Dancer || | 1984 | Rock | 20 | ||||
style="text-align:center;" | Usher | style="text-align:center;"Confessions || | 2004 | R&B; | 20 |
bg:Списък на най-продаваните музикални албуми в света cs:Seznam nejprodávanějších hudebních alb na světě es:Anexo:Álbumes musicales más vendidos de todos los tiempos fa:فهرست پرفروشترین آلبومهای موسیقی جهان fr:Liste des albums les plus vendus id:Daftar album terlaris di seluruh dunia it:Lista degli album più venduti nel mondo nl:Lijst van bestverkochte albums wereldwijd ja:最も売れたアルバム一覧 no:Liste over verdens mestselgende album pl:Najlepiej sprzedające się płyty na świecie pt:Anexo:Álbuns mais vendidos do mundo ro:Lista celor mai bine vândute albume din toate timpurile ru:Список самых продаваемых в мире альбомов simple:List of best-selling albums worldwide sk:Zoznam najpredávanejších hudobných albumov na svete fi:Luettelo maailman myydyimmistä albumeista th:อันดับอัลบั้มเพลงทั่วโลกยอดขายสูงสุดตลอดกาล tr:Dünya çapında en çok satan albümler listesi vi:Danh sách album bán chạy nhất thế giới zh:全球最畅销专辑列表
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