These Are The Top-Selling Albums Of The 21st Century

The music industry is a rapidly changing space, with new formats like digital streaming surpassing physical formats like CDs.

Regardless, album sales – both physical and digital – are still a key measure of popularity, especially for certain genres and fan bases that prioritize album purchases.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, shows the top-selling album of the year from 2001 to 2023 by number of units sold. Units sold include all physical formats (vinyl, cassette, CD) and paid full album downloads.

The figures come from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and are updated as of August 2024.

Top Albums by Units Sold, 2001 to 2023

Below, we list the top-selling album each year from 2001 to 2023, showing how Adele is the most dominant musician on this front over the past 23 years.

Year
Album
Artist
Units sold*
2023
SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album ‘FML’
SEVENTEEN
6,400,000
2022
Greatest Works of Art
Jay Chou
7,500,000
2021
30
Adele
4,700,000
2020
MAP OF THE SOUL 7
BTS
4,800,000
2019
5×20 All the BEST!! 1999-2019
ARASHI
3,300,000
2018
The Greatest Showman OST
Various Artists
3,500,000
2017
÷
Ed Sheeran
6,100,000
2016
Lemonade
Beyoncé
2,500,000
2015
25
Adele
17,400,000
2014
Frozen
Various Artists
10,000,000
2013
Midnight Memories
One Direction
4,000,000
2012
21
Adele
8,300,000
2011
21
Adele
18,100,000
2010
Recovery
Eminem
6,000,000
2009
I Dreamed A Dream
Susan Boyle
8,300,000
2008
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Coldplay
6,800,000
2007
High School Musical 2
Various Artists
6,300,000
2006
High School Musical
Various Artists
5,300,000
2005
X & Y
Coldplay
8,300,000
2004
Confessions
Usher
12,000,000
2003
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
10,500,000
2002
The Eminem Show
Eminem
13,900,000
2001
HYBRID THEORY
LINKIN PARK
8,800,000

*Includes CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and paid full album downloads.

British singer-songwriter Adele is one of the best-selling artists in the past two decades, with her past three albums: 21, 25, and 30, each top-sellers worldwide in their respective release years.

Her top-selling album, 21–with hit singles like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You”–won two years in a row. It is the best-selling album of all-time in the United Kingdom.

In recent years, album sales have become increasingly global, with Taiwanese (Jay Chou), Korean (Seventeen, BTS), and Japanese (ARASHI) artists recording top-selling albums.

In 2023, 19 of the top 20 albums on the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart came from South Korean acts. The only non-Korean album among the top 20 was Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

South Korea’s album sales are driven by the popularity of K-pop albums, which feature extensive photobooks, posters, photocards, and other collectible content, making physical copies highly sought after due to their innovative packaging and exclusive keepsake value.

Additionally, popular films have also produced highly successful soundtrack albums, such as High School Musical, Frozen, and The Greatest Showman.

To learn more about the music industry, check out this graphic that shows the world’s largest music streaming platforms globally, by market share as of 2023.