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.
