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This is a list of the world's best-selling albums. The criteria are that the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies worldwide. Most albums have conflicting estimates of sales figures. In this list the highest sales figure reported for an album is added to the list. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 100 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–29 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold and thereafter by the artist's first name. This list can contain any type of album, including studio, greatest hits, compilation, various artists, soundtrack and remix.

A number of issues make exact figures difficult to calculate, as historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries is incomplete. Additionally, fans, record companies and the media are prone to exaggerating sales figures to boost the image of the relevant act. The list also does not take into account the resale of used albums, as well as the emergence of illegal downloading of digital music in the 2000s.

Michael Jackson's Thriller is the best selling album of all time; though sales figures for the album vary, the album is cited as selling as many as 110 million copies worldwide.

Legend

Over 50 million copies

Artist	Album	Released	Genre	Sales (millions)	Source
Michael Jackson	Thriller	1982	Pop / R&B / Rock	<110

40–49 million copies

Artist	Album	Released	Genre	Sales (millions)	Source
AC/DC /	Back in Black	1980	Hard rock / Heavy metal	49
Pink Floyd	The Dark Side of the Moon	1973	Progressive rock	45
Whitney Houston / Various artists	The Bodyguard	1992	Soundtrack	44
Meat Loaf	Bat Out of Hell	1977	Rock	43
Eagles	Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975)	1976	Rock	42
Various artists	Dirty Dancing	1987	Dance / Pop	42
Backstreet Boys	Millennium	1999	Pop	40
Bee Gees / Various artists	Saturday Night Fever	1977	Disco	40
Fleetwood Mac	Rumours	1977	Rock	40

30–39 million copies

Artist	Album	Released	Genre	Sales (millions)	Source
Shania Twain	Come On Over	1997	Country / Pop	39
Led Zeppelin	Led Zeppelin IV	1971	Hard rock / Heavy metal	37
Alanis Morissette	Jagged Little Pill	1995	Rock	33
The Beatles	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band	1967	Rock	32
Celine Dion	Falling into You	1996	Pop	32
Michael Jackson	Dangerous	1991	Pop / R&B / New jack swing	32
The Beatles	1	2000	Rock	31
Celine Dion	Let's Talk About Love	1997	Pop	31
Bee Gees	Spirits Having Flown	1979	Disco / Pop	30
Bruce Springsteen	Born in the U.S.A.	1984	Rock	30
Dire Straits	Brothers in Arms	1985	Rock	30
James Horner	Titanic	1997	Soundtrack	30
Madonna	The Immaculate Collection	1990	Pop / Dance	30
Michael Jackson	Bad	1987	Pop / R&B	30
Pink Floyd	The Wall	1979	Progressive rock	30

20–29 million copies

Artist	Album	Released	Genre	Sales (millions)	Source
ABBA	ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits	1992	Pop	28
Backstreet Boys	Backstreet's Back	1997	Rock	28
Bon Jovi	Slippery When Wet	1986	Hard rock	28
Guns N' Roses	Appetite for Destruction	1987	Hard rock / Heavy metal	28
Mariah Carey	Music Box	1993	Pop / R&B	28
Various artists	Grease	1978	Pop	28
Santana	Supernatural	1999	Rock	27
Nirvana	Nevermind	1991	Grunge / Alternative rock	26
Britney Spears	...Baby One More Time	1999	Pop	25
Carole King	Tapestry	1971	Pop	25
Iron Butterfly	In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida	1968	Rock	25
Mariah Carey	Daydream	1995	Pop / R&B	25
Queen	Greatest Hits	1981	Rock	25
Simon & Garfunkel	Bridge over Troubled Water	1970	Folk Rock	25
U2	The Joshua Tree	1987	Rock	25
Whitney Houston	Whitney Houston	1985	Pop / R&B	25
Backstreet Boys	Black & Blue	2000	Pop	24
Linkin Park	Hybrid Theory	2000	Nu metal / Rap metal / Alternative rock	24
Madonna	True Blue	1986	Pop	24
Eminem	The Marshall Mathers LP	2000	Hip Hop	23
Ace of Base	Happy Nation/The Sign	1994	Pop	23
Spice Girls	Spice	1996	Pop	23
Oasis	(What's the Story) Morning Glory?	1995	Britpop / Rock	22
Dido	No Angel	1999	Pop	21
Madonna	Like A Virgin	1984	Pop / Dance	21
Billy Ray Cyrus	Some Gave All	1992	Country	20
Bob Marley & The Wailers	Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers	1984	Reggae	20
Blondie	Parallel Lines	1978	Rock	20
Bon Jovi	Cross Road	1994	Rock	20
Britney Spears	Oops!...I Did It Again	2000	Pop	20
Cher	Believe	1999	Pop	20
Def Leppard	Hysteria	1987	Rock	20
George Michael	Faith	1987	Pop / R&B	20
Janet Jackson	janet.	1993	Pop / R&B	20
Madonna	Ray of Light	1998	Pop / Electronic	20
Michael Jackson	HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I	1995	Pop/Rock/R&B	20
Michael Jackson	Off the Wall	1979	Pop/Disco/R&B	20
Norah Jones	Come Away with Me	2002	Jazz	20
Prince & the Revolution	Purple Rain	1984	Rock	20
Spice Girls	Spiceworld	1997	Pop	20
Tina Turner	Private Dancer	1984	Rock	20
Usher	Confessions	2004	R&B	20

Sales records worldwide

This article or section possibly contains synthesis of material that does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (March 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Best-selling albums by country

• Argentina
• Australia
• Brazil
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Taiwan

See also

• List of best-selling music artists
• List of best-selling singles worldwide
• List of best-selling remix albums worldwide
• RIAA certification
• Record company
• Record industry

References

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64. "Usher". EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
65. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblDiamond

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