| 1980s in music in the UK | |
| Number-one singles | |
| Number-one albums | |
| Best-selling singles | |
| Best-selling albums | |
| Summaries and charts 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
|
| ←1979 | 1990→ |
| Top 10 singles 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 |
|
| ←1979 | 1990→ |
Albums are defined by The Official Charts Company (OCC) as being a type of music release that features more than four tracks and lasts longer than 25 minutes;[1] during the 1980s, sales of albums in the United Kingdom were compiled on behalf by of the British music industry by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) until 4 January 1983, after which they were monitored by Gallup.[2] The biggest-selling album of the 1980s was Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, which was the first album to sell a million copies on CD.[3]
| Position | Album | Artist | Record label[lower-alpha 1] | Year[lower-alpha 1] | Chart peak[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brothers in Arms | Dire Straits | Vertigo | 1985 | 1 |
| 2 | Bad | Michael Jackson | Epic | 1987 | 1 |
| 3 | Thriller | Michael Jackson | Epic | 1982 | 1 |
| 4 | Greatest Hits | Queen | Parlophone | 1981 | 1 |
| 5 | Kylie | Kylie Minogue | PWL | 1988 | 1 |
| 6 | Whitney | Whitney Houston | Arista | 1987 | 1 |
| 7 | Tango in the Night | Fleetwood Mac | Warner Bros. | 1987 | 1 |
| 8 | No Jacket Required | Phil Collins | Virgin | 1985 | 1 |
| 9 | True Blue | Madonna | Sire | 1986 | 1 |
| 10 | The Joshua Tree | U2 | Island | 1987 | 1 |
| 11 | Graceland | Paul Simon | Warner Bros. | 1986 | 1 |
| 12 | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | CBS | 1987 | 1 |
| 13 | Popped In Souled Out | Wet Wet Wet | The Precious Organisation | 1987 | 1 |
| 14 | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan | PWL | 1989 | 1 |
| 15 | A New Flame | Simply Red | WEA | 1989 | 1 |
| 16 | Can't Slow Down | Lionel Richie | Motown | 1983 | 1 |
| 17 | Like a Virgin | Madonna | Sire | 1984 | 1 |
| 18 | Make It Big | Wham! | Epic | 1984 | 1 |
| 19 | Diamond Life | Sade | Epic | 1984 | 2 |
| 20 | Money for Nothing | Dire Straits | Vertigo | 1988 | 1 |