Adele's 21 is the best selling album of the 21st century to date, with sales of over 31 million copies worldwide. Her third album 25, is also on the list with sales of over 23 million copies.

This is a list of the best-selling albums of the 21st century to date based on IFPI certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album must have shipped at least 10 million units starting from January 1, 2001. Units sold include physical copies and digital downloads.

From 2022, IFPI reported three formats of sales chart, newly created Global vinyl album chart, combination of physical copies and digital downloads as Global album sales chart and Global all format chart for totaling of all sales.[1]

Legend

Colors
Studio albums
Greatest hits and compilations
Soundtracks

30 million copies or more

Release
year 		Album Artist/s Nationality Worldwide sales
(in millions) 		Ref(s)
2011 21 Adele United Kingdom 31.0 [2]

20–29 million copies

Release
year 		Album Artist/s Nationality Worldwide sales
(in millions) 		Ref(s)
2002 The Eminem Show Eminem United States 27.0 [3]
2002 Come Away with Me Norah Jones United States 27.0 [4]
2015 25 Adele United Kingdom 23.0 [5]

13–19 million copies

Release
year 		Album Artist/s Nationality Worldwide sales
(in millions) 		Ref(s)
2008 The Fame Lady Gaga United States 18.0 [6]
2003 Fallen Evanescence United States 17.0 [7]
2002 A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay United Kingdom 17.0 [8]
2002 Let Go Avril Lavigne Canada 16.0 [9]
2003 Meteora Linkin Park United States 16.0 [10]
2006 Back to Black Amy Winehouse United Kingdom 16.0 [11]
2004 Confessions Usher United States 15.0 [12]
2004 American Idiot Green Day United States 15.0 [13]
2014 1989 Taylor Swift United States 14.0 [14]
2001 Laundry Service Shakira Colombia 13.0 [15]
2001 Missundaztood Pink United States 13.0 [16]
2005 X&Y Coldplay United Kingdom 13.0 [17]
2005 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem United States 13.0 [18]

10–12 million copies

Release
year 		Album Artist/s Nationality Worldwide sales
(in millions) 		Ref(s)
2001 Songs in A Minor Alicia Keys United States 12.0 [19]
2002 A New Day Has Come Celine Dion Canada 12.0 [20]
2002 Stripped Christina Aguilera United States 12.0 [21]
2003 Get Rich or Die Tryin' 50 Cent United States 12.0 [22]
2003 Life for Rent Dido United Kingdom 12.0 [23]
2004 Feels like Home Norah Jones United States 12.0 [24]
2004 Breakaway Kelly Clarkson United States 12.0 [25]
2008 Fearless Taylor Swift United States 12.0 [26]
2011 Christmas Michael Bublé Canada / Italy 12.0 [27]
2003 Dangerously in Love Beyoncé United States 11.0 [28]
2004 Back to Bedlam James Blunt United Kingdom 11.0 [29]
2004 Encore Eminem United States 11.0 [30]
2005 All the Right Reasons Nickelback Canada 11.0 [31]
2001 Survivor Destiny's Child United States 10.0 [32]
2006 Loose Nelly Furtado Canada 10.0 [33][34]
2005 The Emancipation of Mimi Mariah Carey United States 10.0 [35]
2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor Madonna United States 10.0 [36]
2004 Under My Skin Avril Lavigne Canada 10.0 [37]
2001 Silver Side Up Nickelback Canada 10.0 [31]
2001 Britney Britney Spears United States 10.0 [38]
2002 Songs About Jane Maroon 5 United States 10.0 [39]
2002 Justified Justin Timberlake United States 10.0 [40]
2003 Number Ones Michael Jackson United States 10.0 [41]
2006 FutureSex/LoveSounds Justin Timberlake United States 10.0 [40]
2008 I Am... Sasha Fierce Beyoncé United States 10.0 [42]
2008 Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay United Kingdom 10.0 [17]
2009 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle United Kingdom 10.0 [43]
2010 Recovery Eminem United States 10.0 [44]
2014 Frozen Various Artists — 10.0 [45]

Best-selling album by year

The charts of the best-selling albums by year in the world are compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) 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.[46]

In 2022, for albums released in 2021, IFPI reported three formats of sales chart, newly created Global vinyl album chart, combination of physical copies and digital downloads as Global album sales chart and Global all format chart for totaling of all sales. Adele's 30 topped all three format charts.[47]

Year Album Artist/s Nationality Sales
(in millions)		 Source
2001 Hybrid Theory Linkin Park United States 8.5 [48][49]
2002 The Eminem Show Eminem United States 13.9 [50]
2003 Come Away with Me Norah Jones United States 13.0 [51]
2004 Confessions Usher United States 12.0 [52]
2005 X&Y Coldplay United Kingdom 8.3 [53]
2006 High School Musical Various Artists — 7.0 [54]
2007 High School Musical 2 — 6.0 [55]
2008 Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay United Kingdom 6.8 [56]
2009 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle United Kingdom 6.4 [57]
2010 Recovery Eminem United States 5.2 [58]
2011 21 Adele United Kingdom 18.1 [50]
2012 8.3 [59]
2013 Midnight Memories One Direction United Kingdom/Ireland 4.0 [60]
2014 Frozen Various Artists — 10.0 [45]
2015 25 Adele United Kingdom 17.4 [61]
2016 Lemonade Beyoncé United States 2.5 [62]
2017 ÷ Ed Sheeran United Kingdom 6.1 [63]
2018 The Greatest Showman Hugh Jackman & Various Artists — 3.5 [64]
2019 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019 Arashi Japan 3.3 [65]
2020 Map of the Soul: 7 BTS South Korea 4.8 [66]
2022 Greatest Works of Art Jay Chou Taiwan 7.2 [67][68]
2023 FML SEVENTEEN South Korea [69][70]

See also

References

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