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The world's best-selling album cannot be listed officially, since there is no international body to count global record sales. Historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries are also incomplete. Information is also lacking for non-English language albums.
Albums are listed in alphabetical order of the artists name, rather than albums sold. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks. Entries marked with an asterisk (*) are double albums, but they are counted once for each sale. Multiple entries from the same artist are listed in chronological order:
Album(s) claimed to have sold at least 100 million copies
Artist Album Year of release Genre Source Michael Jackson Thriller 1982 R&B/Pop/Rock
Albums claimed to have sold at least 40 million copies
Artist Album Year of release Genre Source AC/DC Back in Black 1980 Hard Rock The Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) 1976 Classic Rock Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon 1973 Progressive rock Various Artists/Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever 1977 Disco
Albums claimed to have sold at least 30 million copies
Artist Album Year of release Genre Source Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill 1995 Light Rock Backstreet Boys Millennium 1999 Pop Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys 1997 Pop The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967 Rock Boyz II Men II 1994 R&B Céline Dion Falling Into You 1996 Pop Céline Dion Let's Talk About Love 1997 Pop Dire Straits Brothers in Arms 1985 Rock Fleetwood Mac Rumours 1977 Rock James Horner Titanic (soundtrack) 1997 Classic Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV 1971 Hard Rock Mariah Carey Music Box 1993 Pop/R&B Meat Loaf Bat out of Hell 1977 Wagnerian Rock Michael Jackson Bad 1987 Pop/R&B Michael Jackson Dangerous 1991 Pop/R&B Shania Twain Come on Over 1997 Country Various Artists / Whitney Houston The Bodyguard (soundtrack) 1992 Pop/Soul/R&B Various Artists Dirty Dancing (soundtrack) 1987 Pop
Albums claimed to have sold at least 25 million copies
Artist Album Year of release Genre Source 2Pac The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory 1996 Rap ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits 1992 Pop The Beatles Abbey Road 1969 Rock The Beatles 1 2000 Rock/Pop The Eagles Hotel California 1976 Rock Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet 1986 Rock Britney Spears ...Baby One More Time 1999 Pop Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction 1987 Hard Rock Mariah Carey Daydream 1995 Pop/R&B Nirvana Nevermind 1991 Rock (Grunge) Queen Greatest Hits 1981 Rock Santana Supernatural 1999 Rock Simon & Garfunkel Bridge over Troubled Water 1970 Folk/Rock Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. 1984 Rock Various Artists Grease (soundtrack) 1978 Pop
Albums claimed to have sold at least 20 million copies
Albums claimed to have sold at least 15 million copies
See also
- Best-selling music artist
- List of Best Selling Singles Worldwide
- List of best selling remix album worldwide
- United World Chart
- List of best-selling albums in the United States