The Top Selling Albums of All Time
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States since 1952.
A. Sales are based on Album Sales.
B. 1,500 streams of an album = 1 album sale..
C. 10 song downloads = 1 album sale.
Release Year: 1976 Eagles Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), Rhino Records, 38 Million (RIAA certified in 2018)
Release Year: 1982 Michael Jackson Thriller, Epic Records, 33 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1976 Eagles Hotel California, Rhino Records, 26 Million (RIAA certified in 2018)
Release Year: 1985 Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II, Columbia Records, 23 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 1971 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV, Atlantic Records, 23 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1979 Pink Floyd The Wall, Columbia Records, 23 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1980 AC/DC Back in Black, Epic Records, 22 Million (RIAA certified in 2007)
Release Year: 1998 Garth Brooks Double Live, Capitol/Nashville Records, /Nashville Records, 21 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1994 Hootie & the Blowfish Cracked Rear View, Rhino Records, 21 Million (RIAA certified in 2018)
Release Year: 1977 Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Warner Brothers Records, 20 Million (RIAA certified in 2014)
Release Year: 1997 Shania Twain Come On Over, Mercury/Nashville Records, 20 Million (RIAA certified in 2004)
Release Year: 1968 The Beatles The Beatles, Apple Records, 19 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1987 Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction, Geffen Records, 18 Million (RIAA certified in 2008)
Release Year: 1992 Whitney Houston The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, RCA Records, 18 Million (RIAA certified in 2017 Album)
Release Year: 1976 Boston Boston, Epic Records, 17 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1974 Elton John Greatest Hits, Island Records, 17 Million (RIAA certified in 2016)
Release Year: 1990 Garth Brooks No Fences, Capitol Records, 17 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1973 The Beatles 1967-1970, EMI Records, 17 Million (RIAA certified in 2010)
Release Year: 1995 Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill, Maverick Records, 16 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1977 Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track, Capitol Records, 16 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1975 Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti, Swan Song Records, 16 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1991 Metallica Metallica, Atlantic Records, /Elektra 16 Million (RIAA certified in 2012)
Release Year: 1984 Bob Marley & The Wailers Legend, Island Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 2014)
Release Year: 1984 Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A., Columbia Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 1995)
Release Year: 1988 Journey Greatest Hits, Columbia Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 1973 Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon, Harvest Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1999 Santana Supernatural, Arista Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1973 The Beatles 1962-1966, Apple Records, 15 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 2011 Adele 21, Columbia Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2016)
Release Year: 1997 Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys, Jive Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1999 Britney Spears …Baby One More Time, Jive Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2004)
Release Year: 1991 Garth Brooks Ropin’ the Wind, Capitol Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1977 Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell, Epic Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1972 Simon & Garfunkel Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits, Columbia Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1978 Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits 1974-78, Capitol Records, 14 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1999 Backstreet Boys Millennium, Jive Records, 13 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1986 Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975–85, Columbia Records, 13 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1991 Pearl Jam Ten, Epic Records, 13 Million (RIAA certified in 2009)
Release Year: 1984 Prince and The Revolution Purple Rain, Warner Brothers Records, 13 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1985 Whitney Houston Whitney Houston, Arista Records, 13 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1986 Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet, Mercury Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1995)
Release Year: 1994 Boyz II Men II, Motown Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1987 Def Leppard Hysteria, Mercury Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1998 Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces, Monument Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1995 Jewel Pieces of You, Atlantic Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1992 Kenny G Breathless, Arista Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1980 Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits, Liberty Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1997)
Release Year: 1969 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1996 Matchbox Twenty Yourself or Someone Like You, Atlantic Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1985 Phil Collins No Jacket Required, Atlantic Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1995 Shania Twain The Woman in Me, Mercury/Nashville Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2000)
Release Year: 1994 Soundtrack Forrest Gump, Epic Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2000)
Release Year: 1969 The Beatles Abbey Road, Apple Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1971 The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-1971, London Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2002)
Release Year: 1993 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits, Interscope Records, 12 Million (RIAA certified in 2015)
Release Year: 2000 *NSYNC No Strings Attached, Jive Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 2015 Adele 25, Columbia Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1980 Aerosmith Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits, Columbia Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2007)
Release Year: 1996 Celine Dion Falling Into You, 550 Music Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1999 Creed Human Clay, Wind-up Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2004)
Release Year: 1982 Eagles Eagles Greatest Hits, Volume 2, Asylum Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2002)
Release Year: 1976 James Taylor Greatest Hits,Warner Brothers Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1998 Kid Rock Devil Without a Cause, Lava Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1973 Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy, Atlantic Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 2000 Linkin Park Hybrid Theory, Warner Brothers Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1997 Notorious B.I.G. Life After Death, Bad Boy/Rhino Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2018)
Release Year: 2003 Outkast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, So So Def Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 2002 Shania Twain Up!, Mercury/Nashville Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2004)
Release Year: 1987 Soundtrack Dirty Dancing, RCA Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 1994 Album)
Release Year: 1997 Soundtrack Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture, Sony/Classical Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2000 Album (Soundtrack)
Release Year: 1967 The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Capitol Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 1997)
Release Year: 2000 The Beatles 1, Capitol Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 2010)
Release Year: 1994 TLC CrazySexyCool, LaFace Records, 11 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1998 *NSYNC *NSYNC, RCA Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2000)
Release Year: 1998 2Pac Greatest Hits, Interscope Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 1996 2Pac All Eyez On Me, Death Row/Interscope Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2014)
Release Year: 1986 Beastie Boys Licensed To Ill, Def Jam Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2015)
Release Year: 1977 Billy Joel The Stranger, Columbia Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2003)
Release Year: 1994 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Greatest Hits, Capitol Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 2000 Britney Spears Oops!… I Did It Again, Jive Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2005)
Release Year: 1971 Carole King Tapestry, Ode Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1995)
Release Year: 1997 Celine Dion Let’s Talk About Love, 550 Music/Epic Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1985 Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, Fantasy Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2016)
Release Year: 1983 Def Leppard Pyromania, Mercury Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2004)
Release Year: 1999 Dixie Chicks Fly, Monument Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2002)
Release Year: 1976 Doobie Brothers Best of The Doobies, Warner Brothers Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1970 Elvis Presley Elvis’ Christmas Album, RCA Records Camden/Pickwick, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 2000 Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP, Aftermath/Interscope Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 2002 Eminem The Eminem Show, Aftermath/Interscope Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2011)
Release Year: 1992 Eric Clapton Unplugged, Reprise Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 2007 Garth Brooks The Ultimate Hits, Pearl Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2016)
Release Year: 1997 Garth Brooks Sevens, Capitol/Nashville Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1989 Garth Brooks Garth Brooks, Capitol Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1994 Garth Brooks The Hits, Liberty Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1987 George Michael Faith, Columbia Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1994 Green Day Dookie, Reprise Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1990 MC Hammer Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, Capitol Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1991)
Release Year: 1990 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin Box Set, Atlantic Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2006)
Release Year: 1983 Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down, Motown Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1985)
Release Year: 1984 Madonna Like a Virgin, Sire Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1990 Madonna The Immaculate Collection, Sire Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2001)
Release Year: 1995 Mariah Carey Daydream, Columbia Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1998)
Release Year: 1993 Mariah Carey Music Box, Columbia Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1997)
Release Year: 1987 Michael Jackson Bad, Epic/Legacy Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 2000 Nelly Country Grammar, Republic Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2016)
Release Year: 2005 Nickelback All the Right Reasons, Roadrunner Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1991 Nirvana Nevermind, DGC Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1995 No Doubt Tragic Kingdom, Trauma/Interscope Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 2002 Norah Jones Come Away With Me, Blue Note Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2005)
Release Year: 1967 Patsy Cline Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits, MCA Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2005)
Release Year: 1980 R.E.O. Speedwagon Hi Infidelity, Epic/Legacy Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1995 Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Virgin Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2012)
Release Year: 1994 The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Disneyland Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1995)
Release Year: 1976 Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life, Motown Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2005)
Release Year: 2008 Taylor Swift Fearless, Big Machine Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2017)
Release Year: 1985 The Doors The Best of The Doors, Elektra Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2007)
Release Year: 1987 U2 The Joshua Tree, Island Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1995)
Release Year: 2004 Usher Confessions, So So Def Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 2008)
Release Year: 1978 Van Halen Van Halen,Warner Brothers Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Release Year: 1984 Van Halen 1984, Warner Brothers Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1999)
Release Year: 1983 ZZ Top Eliminator, Warner Brothers Records, 10 Million (RIAA certified in 1996)
Where is Elvis?
1. The RIAA didn’t start tracking Elvis Presley until 1958.
2. Elvis sold more singles than albums.
3. There were dozens of Elvis Presley compilation and greatest hits albums, which probably diluted sales. His record label claims 600 Million album sales in the US alone.
4. You can see a breakdwon here.
