List of best-selling albums of the 21st century (Redirected from List of best-selling albums of the 2000s (century))
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.
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 |
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 | |
2002 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | United States | 27.0 | |
2015 | 25 | Adele | United Kingdom | 23.0 |
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 | |
2003 | Fallen | Evanescence | United States | 17.0 | |
2002 | A Rush of Blood to the Head | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 17.0 | |
2002 | Let Go | Avril Lavigne | Canada | 16.0 | |
2003 | Meteora | Linkin Park | United States | 16.0 | |
2006 | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse | United Kingdom | 16.0 | |
2004 | Confessions | Usher | United States | 15.0 | |
2004 | American Idiot | Green Day | United States | 15.0 | |
2001 | Aaliyah | Aaliyah | United States | 13.0 | |
2001 | Laundry Service | Shakira | Colombia | 13.0 | |
2001 | Missundaztood | Pink | United States | 13.0 | |
2005 | X&Y | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 13.0 | |
2005 | Curtain Call: The Hits | Eminem | United States | 13.0 |
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 | |
2002 | A New Day Has Come | Celine Dion | Canada | 12.0 | |
2002 | Stripped | Christina Aguilera | United States | 12.0 | |
2003 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' | 50 Cent | United States | 12.0 | |
2003 | Life for Rent | Dido | United Kingdom | 12.0 | |
2004 | Feels like Home | Norah Jones | United States | 12.0 | |
2004 | Breakaway | Kelly Clarkson | United States | 12.0 | |
2008 | Fearless | Taylor Swift | United States | 12.0 | |
2011 | Christmas | Michael Bublé | Canada / Italy | 12.0 | |
2003 | Dangerously in Love | Beyoncé | United States | 11.0 | |
2004 | Back to Bedlam | James Blunt | United Kingdom | 11.0 | |
2004 | Encore | Eminem | United States | 11.0 | |
2005 | All the Right Reasons | Nickelback | Canada | 11.0 | |
2001 | Survivor | Destiny's Child | United States | 10.0 | |
2006 | Loose | Nelly Furtado | Canada | 10.0 | |
2005 | The Emancipation of Mimi | Mariah Carey | United States | 10.0 | |
2005 | Confessions on a Dance Floor | Madonna | United States | 10.0 | |
2004 | Under My Skin | Avril Lavigne | Canada | 10.0 | |
2001 | Silver Side Up | Nickelback | Canada | 10.0 | |
2001 | Britney | Britney Spears | United States | 10.0 | |
2002 | Songs About Jane | Maroon 5 | United States | 10.0 | |
2002 | Justified | Justin Timberlake | United States | 10.0 | |
2003 | Number Ones | Michael Jackson | United States | 10.0 | |
2006 | FutureSex/LoveSounds | Justin Timberlake | United States | 10.0 | |
2008 | I Am... Sasha Fierce | Beyoncé | United States | 10.0 | |
2008 | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 10.0 | |
2009 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle | United Kingdom | 10.0 | |
2010 | Recovery | Eminem | United States | 10.0 | |
2014 | 1989 | Taylor Swift | United States | 10.0 | |
2014 | Frozen | Various Artists | — | 10.0 |
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.
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.
Year | Album | Artist/s | Nationality | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Hybrid Theory | Linkin Park | United States | 8.5 | |
2002 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | United States | 13.9 | |
2003 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | United States | 13.0 | |
2004 | Confessions | Usher | United States | 12.0 | |
2005 | X&Y | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 8.3 | |
2006 | High School Musical | Various Artists | — | 7.0 | |
2007 | High School Musical 2 | — | 6.0 | ||
2008 | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 6.8 | |
2009 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle | United Kingdom | 6.4 | |
2010 | Recovery | Eminem | United States | 5.2 | |
2011 | 21 | Adele | United Kingdom | 18.1 | |
2012 | 8.3 | ||||
2013 | Midnight Memories | One Direction | United Kingdom/Ireland | 4.0 | |
2014 | Frozen | Various Artists | — | 10.0 | |
2015 | 25 | Adele | United Kingdom | 17.4 | |
2016 | Lemonade | Beyoncé | United States | 2.5 | |
2017 | ÷ | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | 6.1 | |
2018 | The Greatest Showman | Hugh Jackman & Various Artists | — | 3.5 | |
2019 | 5x20 All the Best!! 1999–2019 | Arashi | Japan | 3.3 | |
2020 | Map of the Soul: 7 | BTS | South Korea | 4.8 | |
2021 | 30 | Adele | United Kingdom | 4.6 | |
2022 | Greatest Works of Art | Jay Chou | Taiwan | 7.2 |
See also
- List of best-selling albums
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
- List of best-selling albums by country
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling singles
- List of best-selling albums in the United States of the Nielsen SoundScan era
- List of best-selling albums by year in the United States
- List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
- IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year