While many people get their music today from streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, or Pandora, decades of music lovers purchased their favorite songs on vinyl records, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, and CDs.
Starting in the early 1970s, certified sales started being tracked. Over fifty years, a handful of albums have sold over 40 million copies!
Another several dozen have managed to sell between 20 and 39.99 million copies!
Below, you will find a list of the highest selling albums in history. If you’re a music lover, you’ll probably recognize many of these gems!
Albums Reported to Have Sold over 40 Million Copies
Ten albums (and nine musical acts) have reported sales of over forty million copies.
When you think about it, that’s a lot of albums. Seriously.
Even in the age of the digital download, that is forty million (or more, in a few cases) times someone purchased a copy of these albums.
So, what are the highest selling albums in history?
Michael Jackson: Thriller
Year of Release: 1982
Genre(s): Rock, Pop, Funk
Reported Sales: 70 Million
Notable Tracks: “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “The Girl is Mine,” “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
AC/DC: Black in Black
Year of Release: 1980
Genre(s): Rock/Hard-Rock
Reported Sales: 50 Million
Notable Tracks: “Hell’s Bells,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
Whitney Houston: The Bodyguard (Soundtrack)
Year of Release: 1992
Genre(s): Pop, R&B, Soul
Reported Sales: 45 Million
Notable Tracks: “I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Run to You,” “Queen of the Night,” “Jesus Loves Me,”
Meatloaf: Bat Out of Hell
Year of Release: 1977
Genre(s): Hard Rock, Progressive Rock, Pop-Rock, Glam Rock
Reported Sales: 44 Million
Notable Tracks: “Bat Out of Hell,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth”
Eagles: Greatest Hits 1971-1975
Year of Release: 1976
Genre(s): Soft Rock, Country Rock, Folk Rock
Reported Sales: 44 Million
Notable Tracks: “Take It Easy,” “Witchy Woman,” “Desperado,” “One of These Nights,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Best of My Love,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Already Gone,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling”
Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
Year of Release: 1973
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Reported Sales: 44 Million
Notable Tracks: “Breathe,” “Speak to Me,” “Money,” “Us and Them,” “Time,” “On the Run,” “Brain Damage,” “Eclipse”
Eagles: Hotel California
Year of Release: 1976
Genre(s): Soft Rock
Reported Sales: 42 Million
Notable Tracks: “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Hotel California,” “The Last Resort”
Bee Gees (and Various Others): Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack)
Year of Release: 1977
Genre(s): Disco
Reported Sales: 40 Million
Notable Tracks: “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep is Your Love,” “More Than a Woman,” “If I Can’t Have You”
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
Year of Release: 1977
Genre(s): Soft Rock
Reported Sales: 40 Million
Notable Tracks: “Dreams,” “Second Hand News,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Songbird,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “The Chain”
Shania Twain: Come On Over
Year of Release: 1997
Genre(s): Pop, Country
Reported Sales: 40 Million
Notable Tracks: “You’re Still the One,” “From This Moment,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” “Come On Over,” “You’ve Got a Way”
Albums Reported to Have Sold Between 30-39.99 Million Copies
While a couple of the albums above may be surprising, it may be more surprising to some that the albums below haven’t cracked the “Top 10” yet.
Likewise, only two albums in the 30-39.99 million range have come from the 2000s – and one of those is from The Beatles.
| Various Artists | Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack) | 1987 |
| Adele | 21 | 2011 |
| Celine Dion | Let’s Talk About Love | 1997 |
| Metallica | Metallica | 1991 |
| The Beatles | 1 | 2000 |
| The Beatles | Abbey Road | 1969 |
| ABBA | Gold: Greatest Hits | 1992 |
| Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984 |
| Madonna | The Immaculate Collection | 1990 |
| Pink Floyd | The Wall | 1979 |
| James Horner | Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture | 1997 |
| Dire Straits | Brothers in Arms | 1985 |
| Nirvana | Nevermind | 1991 |
| Santana | Supernatural | 1999 |
| Guns N’ Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 1987 |
| Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 1973 |
Albums Reported to Have Sold Between 20-29.99 Million Copies
While it seems like there might be a gulf between the albums below and Thriller or Back in Black, there is absolutely nothing to scoff at about selling over 20 million album copies.
In fact, some of the most celebrated musical acts of the past of half century can be found on this list.
| Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | 1986 |
| Mariah Carey | Music Box | 1993 |
| Linkin Park | Hybrid Theory | 2000 |
| Eminem | The Eminem Show | 2002 |
| Norah Jones | Come Away with Me | 2002 |
| Eric Clapton | Unplugged | 1992 |
| Britney Spears | …Baby One More Time | 1999 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers | 1984 |
| Carole King | Tapestry | 1971 |
| Phil Collins | No Jacket Required | 1985 |
| Queen | Greatest Hits | 1981 |
| Madonna | True Blue | 1986 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | Bridge over Troubled Water | 1970 |
| U2 | The Joshua Tree | 1987 |
| Prince and The Revolution | Purple Rain | 1984 |
| George Michael | Faith | 1987 |
| Elton John | Greatest Hits | 1974 |
| Backstreet Boys | Backstreet’s Back / Backstreet Boys | 1997 |
| Backstreet Boys | Millennium | 1999 |
| Spice Girls | Spice | 1996 |
| Ace of Base | Happy Nation/The Sign | 1993 |
| Celine Dion | All the Way… A Decade of Song | 1999 |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | 1985 |
| Fugees | The Score | 1996 |
| Oasis | (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? | 1995 |
| Michael Jackson | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 1995 |
| Adele | 25 | 2015 |
| Madonna | Like a Virgin | 1984 |
| Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | 2000 |
| Bon Jovi | Cross Road | 1994 |
| Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | 1979 |
| Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998 |
| Boston | Boston | 1976 |
| Britney Spears | Oops!… I Did It Again | 2000 |
| Celine Dion | The Colour of My Love | 1993 |
| Def Leppard | Hysteria | 1987 |
| Elvis Presley | Elvis’ Christmas Album | 1957 |
| Green Day | Dookie | 1994 |
| Lionel Richie | Can’t Slow Down | 1983 |
| Mariah Carey | Daydream | 1995 |
| Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here | 1975 |
| Shania Twain | The Woman in Me | 1995 |
| Supertramp | Breakfast in America | 1979 |
| Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | 1988 |
| Various artists | Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | 1983 |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney | 1987 |
| The Who | Tommy | 1969 |
| Andrea Bocelli | Romanza | 1997 |