This is a list of best-selling albums in Australia that have been certified by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Since the 1970s, ARIA certified an album platinum for a shipment of 50,000 copies across Australia. In 1983, the number of copies required for a platinum album was raised to 70,000 copies.[1] All albums in this list released after 1982 must have won at least ten ARIA Platinum Awards (700,000 copies) or fourteen awards (700,000 copies) if released before 1983. This list is primarily based on the ARIA database, so it does not include some of the albums which were best-sellers before ARIA began tracking records.

According to ARIA certifications, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf is the best-selling album of all time in Australia, with twenty-five times platinum; Whispering Jack by John Farnham is the second-best-selling album and best-selling album for any local artist, with twenty-four times platinum; and Shania Twain's Come On Over holds record for the best-selling album by a female solo artist, with twenty-five times platinum. Gold: Greatest Hits by ABBA is the best-selling compilation album ever, while Madonna's The Immaculate Collection is the best-selling compilation album in solo artist category. All of these records (except for the second-best-selling album of all time) are held by foreign artists. The highest-selling album by an Australian female solo artist is Delta Goodrem's debut Innocent Eyes, with fifteen times platinum.

Gold and Platinum certification awards (Timeline)

Albums

Certification Until 1983[2] Since 1983[1][3] Since 2015[4]
Gold 20,000 35,000 no change
Platinum 50,000 70,000 no change
Diamond – – 500,000

Best-selling albums in Australia

Listing is sorted by certified sales and by release year.

No. Year Album Artist Nationality Award Sales Source
1 1977 Bat Out of Hell Meat Loaf US 26× Platinum 1,820,000 [5]
2 1997 Come On Over Shania Twain Canada 25× Platinum 1,750,000 [5]
3 1986 Whispering Jack John Farnham Australia 24× Platinum 1,680,000 [6]
4 1992
2014		 Gold: Greatest Hits
Gold: Greatest Hits (40th Anniversary Edition)		 ABBA Sweden 17× Platinum
1× Platinum		 1,260,000 [7][8]
[7]
5 1985 Brothers in Arms Dire Straits UK 17× Platinum 1,190,000 [9]
2011 21 Adele UK [8]
1982 Thriller Michael Jackson US [10]
8 1975 The Best of ABBA ABBA Sweden 22× Platinum 1,100,000 [11]
9 2003 Innocent Eyes Delta Goodrem Australia 15× Platinum 1,050,000 [12]
1981 Greatest Hits Queen UK [7]
11 1995 Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette Canada 14× Platinum 1,035,000 [13][14]
12 2011 Christmas Michael Bublé Canada 2× Diamond 1,000,000 [15]
2002 The Eminem Show Eminem US [16]
14 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd UK 14× Platinum 980,000 [12]
1978 Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta & Various Artists Various [13][17]
1984 Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen US [16]
1993 So Far So Good Bryan Adams Canada [5]
18 1994 Cross Road Bon Jovi US 13× Platinum 910,000 [5]
1996 Falling into You Celine Dion Canada [12]
1996 Recurring Dream − The Very Best of Crowded House Crowded House New Zealand / Australia [18]
1977 Rumours Fleetwood Mac UK / US [12]
1991 Metallica Metallica US [16]
2008 Funhouse Pink US [10]
24 1976 Arrival ABBA Sweden 18× Platinum 900,000 [11]
25 2005 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem US 12× Platinum 840,000 [19][20]
1980 Back in Black AC/DC Australia [21]
1990 The Immaculate Collection Madonna US [22]
1997 Savage Garden Savage Garden Australia [23]
2003 The Complete Greatest Hits Eagles US [18][6]
1993 Music Box Mariah Carey US [12]
2006 I'm Not Dead Pink US [10]
32 1987 Dirty Dancing Various Artists US 11× Platinum 770,000 [12]
2014 1989 Taylor Swift US [10]
1994 Forrest Gump Various Artists US [12]
2002 Come Away with Me Norah Jones US [24]
1979 The Wall Pink Floyd UK [12]
2017 ÷ Ed Sheeran UK [5]
2008 Only by the Night Kings of Leon US [5]
38 1975 ABBA ABBA Sweden 14× Platinum 700,000 [11]
1972 Hot August Night Neil Diamond US [25][26]
1990 Led Zeppelin Remasters Led Zeppelin UK 10× Platinum [27]
1991 Dangerous Michael Jackson US [12]
1994 Don't Ask Tina Arena Australia [12][28]
1996 Yourself or Someone Like You Matchbox Twenty US [29]
2000 1 The Beatles UK [9]
2009 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle UK [12]
2015 25 Adele UK [30]
1994 Throwing Copper Live US [8]
1991 Soul Deep Jimmy Barnes Australia [19]
2010 Greatest Hits...So Far!!! Pink US [19]
2014 × Ed Sheeran UK [16]
1995 Greatest Hits Bruce Springsteen US [5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "ARIA Accreditations". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  2. ^ Glenn A Baker (12 June 1982). "Riding an International Wave". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 54, Australia New Zealand insert p. 2 (A/NZ2). ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ Glenn A Baker (15 November 1986). "Pacing the Majors: Labels Try to Balance Pluses and Minuses in Year of Transition". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 60, Australia insert p. 6. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ Ryan, Gavin (28 November 2015). "ARIA Albums: Adele '25' Debuts at No 1 in Australia". noise1.com. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  9. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Glen Baker (8 November 1979). "Billboard Magazine Volume 91, No. 36". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k <"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  14. ^ "ARIA Charts media release 7 November 2015" (PDF). ARIA. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  15. ^ "ARIA End of Year Album Chart 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  16. ^ a b c d "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  17. ^ "ARIA Catalogue Albums Chart – 03/12/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  18. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  19. ^ a b c "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Eminem – "Curtain Call" Certified 12xPlatinum in Australia | Eminem.Pro - the biggest and most trusted source of Eminem". 6 September 2020.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  22. ^ "ARIA Catalogue Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  25. ^ Position 21, 138th week: Hot August Night - Neil Diamond, 14 x Platinum "ARIA Albums Chart". 24 November 1991. ((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. ^ Position 41, 145th week: Hot August Night - Neil Diamond, 14 x Platinum "ARIA Album Chart". 12 January 1992.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  28. ^ "The all-time more than 500,000 sellers, according to ARIA accreditations". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  29. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 20 Catalogue Albums | Australia's Official Top 20 Catalogue Records - ARIA Charts". www.ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 23 October 2021.

External links

ARIA Charts
Lists of best-selling albums
Categories