Top-Selling Albums Through The Years 💿

The top-selling album of the year from 2001 to 2023 by units sold.

Units sold include all physical formats (vinyl, cassette, CD) and paid full album downloads.

Figures come from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and are updated as of August 2024.

British singer-songwriter Adele is one of the best-selling artists in the past two decades. Her past three albums: 21, 25, and 30, each sold the most units worldwide in their respective release years. Her top-selling album, 21–with hit singles like "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You"–won two years in a row.
In recent years, album sales have become increasingly global, with Taiwanese (Jay Chou), Korean (Seventeen, BTS), and Japanese (ARASHI) artists recording top-selling albums.
Popular films have also produced highly successful soundtrack albums, such as High School Musical, Frozen, and The Greatest Showman.

Dataset

Year	Album	Artist	Units sold (CD, vinyl, cassette, paid full album downloads)
2023	SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album 'FML'	SEVENTEEN	6,400,000
2022	Greatest Works of Art	Jay Chou	7,500,000
2021	30	Adele	4,700,000
2020	MAP OF THE SOUL 7	BTS	4,800,000
2019	5×20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019	ARASHI	3,300,000
2018	The Greatest Showman OST	Various Artists	3,500,000
2017	÷	Ed Sheeran	6,100,000
2016	Lemonade	Beyoncé	2,500,000
2015	25	Adele	17,400,000
2014	Frozen	Various Artists	10,000,000
2013	Midnight Memories	One Direction	4,000,000
2012	21	Adele	8,300,000
2011	21	Adele	18,100,000
2010	Recovery	Eminem	6,000,000
2009	I Dreamed A Dream	Susan Boyle	8,300,000
2008	Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends	Coldplay	6,800,000
2007	High School Musical 2	Various Artists	6,300,000
2006	High School Musical	Various Artists	5,300,000
2005	X & Y	Coldplay	8,300,000
2004	Confessions	Usher	12,000,000
2003	Come Away With Me	Norah Jones	10,500,000
2002	The Eminem Show	Eminem	13,900,000
2001	HYBRID THEORY	LINKIN PARK	8,800,000