List of best-selling albums worldwide

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This is a list of the world's best-selling albums. The criteria are that the album must have been published (self-publishing by the artist is allowed), and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies worldwide. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 100 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–25 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold and there-after by the artist's first name. This list contains any type of album, including studio, greatest hits, compilation, various artists, soundtrack and remix.

A number of issues make exact figures difficult to calculate, historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries are also incomplete. Additionally fans, record companies and the media are prone to exaggerating sales figures to boost the image of the relevant act.

Thriller is the best selling album of all time, though sales figures for the album vary between different sources the album is cited as selling between 45 million[1] and 108 million copies worldwide.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The Guinness Book of World Records lists it as 65 million copies sold as of 2007.[8]


Contents

100 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Michael Jackson Thriller 1982 Pop / R&B 108 [2][3][4][5][6][7]

38–43 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
AC/DC Back in Black 1980 Rock 42 [9]
Whitney Houston / Various artists The Bodyguard 1992 Pop / R&B 42 [10]
Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) 1976 Rock 41 [9]
Bee Gees / Various artists Saturday Night Fever 1977 Disco 40 [9]
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon 1973 Rock 40 [11]

32–37 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Meat Loaf Bat out of Hell 1977 Rock 37 [9]
Shania Twain Come on Over 1997 Country / Pop 36 [12]
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 Rock 32 [9]
Celine Dion Falling into You 1996 Pop 32 [13]
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV 1971 Rock 32 [13]
Mariah Carey Music Box 1993 Pop / R&B 32 [14]
Various artists Dirty Dancing 1987 Dance / Pop 32 [9]

26–31 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Celine Dion Let's Talk About Love 1997 Pop 31 [15]
Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill 1995 Pop 30 [16]
Backstreet Boys Millennium 1999 Pop 30 [17]
The Beatles 1 2000 Rock 30 [13]
The Beatles Abbey Road 1969 Rock 30 [13]
Bee Gees Spirits Having Flown 1979 Disco / Pop 30 [18]
Celine Dion / James Horner / Various artists Titanic 1997 Pop 30 [19]
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms 1985 Rock 30 [20]
Fleetwood Mac Rumours 1977 Rock 30 [21]
Michael Jackson Bad 1987 Pop / R&B 29 [13]
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys 1997 Pop 28 [22]
Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet 1986 Rock 28 [23]
Michael Jackson Dangerous 1991 Pop / R&B 27 [24]
ABBA ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits 1992 Pop 26 [25]
Nirvana Nevermind 1991 Grunge 26 [26]

20–25 million copies

Artist Album Released Genre Sales (millions) Source
Britney Spears …Baby One More Time 1999 Pop 25 [27]
Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction 1987 Rock 25 [28]
Iron Butterfly In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 1968 Rock 25 [29]
Queen Greatest Hits 1981 Rock 25 [30]
Santana Supernatural 1999 Rock 25 [31]
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 1985 Pop / R&B 25 [10]
Carole King Tapestry 1971 Pop 24 [32]
Linkin Park Hybrid Theory 2000 Rock 24 [33]
Michael Crawford / Sarah Brightman The Phantom of the Opera 1986 Broadway 24 [34]
Spice Girls Spice 1996 Pop 23 [35]
Madonna The Immaculate Collection 1990 Pop 22 [36]
Metallica Metallica 1991 Heavy Metal 22 [37]
Dido No Angel 1999 Pop 21 [38]
Blondie Parallel Lines 1978 New Wave 20 [39]
Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. 1984 Rock 20 [40]
Celine Dion All the Way… A Decade of Song 1999 Pop 20 [15]
Celine Dion The Colour of My Love 1993 Pop 20 [41]
Cher Believe 1999 Dance / Pop 20 [42]
George Michael Faith 1987 Pop / Soul 20 [43]
Lionel Richie Can't Slow Down 1983 R&B 20 [44]
Madonna True Blue 1986 Pop 20 [45]
Norah Jones Come Away with Me 2002 Jazz 20 [46]
Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? 1995 Rock 20 [47]
Tina Turner Private Dancer 1984 R&B / Rock 20 [48]
U2 The Joshua Tree 1987 Rock 20 [49]
Various artists Grease 1978 Pop 20 [50]

See also

References

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  6. ^ a b Michael Jackson - Thriller 25th Anniversary Edition (02 Feb 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
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  50. ^ DeLapp, Bill. 1978 Grease. Celebritywonder.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.