The King of Pop’s ‘Thriller’ is undoubtedly one of the top selling albums of all time (US and worldwide sales). Read on to go through a list of the top selling albums as of now…
It is believed that there are certain determinants for including an album in the list of top selling albums of all time. The criteria are that the number of album sales need to be published by a trusted source, and should have sold a minimum of 20 million copies all over the world. Note that along with albums from original artists and musicians; the list may even contain compilations, remixes, greatest hits, and other kinds of albums. If you are thinking about the top selling albums ever (US or worldwide sales), Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is not to be missed at all, as this is the record making one with around 110 million copies sold the world over. Those wanting to know about the top selling albums (UK sales), ‘Greatest Hits’ by Queen tops the list.
List of Top Selling Albums of All Time
In the following list, those with album sales of over 20 million are included. Note that the album sale numbers are approximate figures. Artists like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Meat Loaf, and Pink Floyd are considered to be the best selling artists in the history of the music industry.
| Artist / Band | Album | Sales Figures |
| Michael Jackson | Thriller | 110 million |
| AC/DC | Back in Black | 49 million |
| Meat Loaf | Bat Out of Hell | 43 million |
| Eagles | Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) | 42 million |
| Pink Floyd | The Dark Side of the Moon | 45 million |
| Backstreet Boys | Millennium | 40 million |
| Bee Gees and Various Artists | Saturday Night Fever | 40 million |
| Shania Twain | Come On Over | 39 million |
| The Beatles | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band | 32 million |
| Michael Jackson | Dangerous | 32 million |
| Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 31 million |
| Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 30 million |
| Whitney Houston and Various Artists | The Bodyguard | 44 million |
| Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 37 million |
| Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 33 million |
| Celine Dion | Falling into You | 32 million |
| Mariah Carey | Music Box | 32 million |
| Bee Gees | Spirits Having Flown | 30 million |
| Celine Dion | Let’s Talk About Love | 31 million |
| Dire Straits | Brothers in Arms | 30 million |
| Madonna | The Immaculate Collection | 30 million |
| Pink Floyd | The Wall | 30 million |
| Michael Jackson | Bad | 30 million |
| Guns N’ Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 28 million |
| Britney Spears | …Baby One More Time | 25 million |
| Mariah Carey | Daydream | 25 million |
| Queen | Greatest Hits | 25 million |
| Backstreet Boys | Black & Blue | 24 million |
| Madonna | True Blue | 24 million |
| ABBA | ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits | 28 million |
| Bon Jovi | Slippery When Wet | 28 million |
| Santana | Supernatural | 27 million |
| Nirvana | Nevermind | 26 million |
| U2 | The Joshua Tree | 25 million |
| Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | 25 million |
| Spice Girls | Spice | 23 million |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | Some Gave All | 20 million |
| Britney Spears | Oops!…I Did It Again | 20 million |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | Legend: The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers | 20 million |
| George Michael | Faith | 20 million |
| Janet Jackson | Janet | 20 million |
| Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | 20 million |
| Prince & The Revolution | Purple Rain | 20 million |
| Usher | Confessions | 20 million |
| Def Leppard | Hysteria | 20 million |
| Tina Turner | Private Dancer | 20 million |
| Linkin Park | Hybrid Theory | 24 million |
| Ace of Base | Happy Nation/The Sign | 23 million |
| Oasis | (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? | 22 million |
| Cher | Believe | 20 million |
You must be recognizing most of the artists in the listed table of the top selling albums. There are many professional magazines and websites which are reliable sources for determining the current standing of album sales; few of which are Billboard and Apple iTunes. One of the top selling albums of all time (Billboard 200 rankings) is ‘The Gift’ by Susan Boyle. Remember that the rankings on Billboard 200 charts change weekly.
