The 50 best-selling albums of all time (2024)

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Travis Clark

Updated

2021-09-22T18:18:07Z

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (1)

Insider broke down the top 50 best-selling albums in US history based on the Record Industry Association of America's data (measured in "certified units" sold).
In 2018, The Eagles' 1976 greatest hits album surpassed Michael Jackson's 1982 hit "Thriller" for the top spot on the list.
Garth Brooks, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin appear three times on the list.

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In 2018, The Eagles' greatest hits album, released in 1976, surpassed Michael Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" to take the top spot on the Record Industry Association of America's (RIAA) list of the top selling albums of all time in the US.

The Eagles have the first and third best-selling albums of all time, with the band's "Hotel California" following "Thriller."

Other notable artists on the list include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Garth Brooks, who are all featured three times in the top 50.

Below is the list based on RIAA's datafor the best-selling albums in US history (measured in "certified units" sold).

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John Lynch contributed to a previous version of this post.

Check out the 50 best-selling albums of all time:

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50. Led Zeppelin —"Led Zeppelin II"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (5)

Certified units: 12million

Buy it here >>

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49. Kenny Rogers — "Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (6)

Certified units: 12million

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48. Kenny G — "Breathless"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (7)

Certified units: 12million

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47. Jewel — "Pieces of You"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (8)

Certified units: 12million

Buy it here >>

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46. Def Leppard — "Hysteria"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (9)

Certified units: 12million

Buy it here >>

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45. Celine Dion — "Falling Into You"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (10)

Certified units: 12million

Buy it here >>

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44. Boyz II Men —"II"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (11)

Certified units: 12million

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43. Bon Jovi — "Slippery When Wet"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (12)

Certified units: 12million

Buy it here >>

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42. Whitney Houston — "Whitney Houston"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (13)

Certified units: 13million

Buy it here >>

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41. The Chicks — "Wide Open Spaces"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (14)

Certified units: 13 million

Buy it here >>

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40. Prince & The Revolution — "Purple Rain"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (15)

Certified units: 13million

Buy it here >>

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39. Pearl Jam — "Ten"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (16)

Certified units: 13million

Buy it here >>

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38. Carole King — "Tapestry"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (17)

Certified units: 13 million

Buy it here >>

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37. Bruce Springsteen — "Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975-'85"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (18)

Certified units: 13million

Buy it here >>

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36. Backstreet Boys — "Millennium"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (19)

Certified units: 13million

Buy it here >>

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35. Steve Miller Band —"Greatest Hits 1974-1978"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (20)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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34. Simon & Garfunkel —"Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (21)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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33. Meat Loaf — "Bat Out of Hell"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (22)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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32. Garth Brooks — "Ropin' The Wind"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (23)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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31. Britney Spears — "...Baby One More Time"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (24)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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30. Backstreet Boys — "Backstreet Boys"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (25)

Certified units: 14million

Buy it here >>

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29. Adele — "21"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (26)

Certified units: 14 million

Buy it here >>

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28. The Beatles —"The Beatles 1962-1966"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (27)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

See Also

The Mountain Goats: Jenny From Thebes CD

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27. Santana — "Supernatural"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (28)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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26. Pink Floyd — "Dark Side of the Moon"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (29)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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25. Journey — "Greatest Hits"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (30)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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24. Bruce Springsteen —"Born In The U.S.A."

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (31)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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23. Bob Marley & The Wailers — "Legend"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (32)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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22. Metallica — "Metallica"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (33)

Certified units: 16million

Buy it here >>

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21. Led Zeppelin — "Physical Graffiti"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (34)

Certified units: 16million

Buy it here >>

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20. Bee Gees — "Saturday Night Fever" (Soundtrack)

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (35)

Certified units: 15million

Buy it here >>

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19. Alanis Morisette — "Jagged Little Pill"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (36)

Certified units: 16million

Buy it here >>

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18. The Beatles — "The Beatles 1967-1970"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (37)

Certified units: 17million

Buy it here >>

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17. Elton John — "Greatest Hits"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (38)

Certified units: 17million

Buy it here >>

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16. Boston — "Boston"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (39)

Certified units: 17million

Buy it here >>

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15. Whitney Houston – "The Bodyguard" (Soundtrack)

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (40)

Certified units: 18million

Buy it here >>

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14. Guns N' Roses — "Appetite for Destruction"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (41)

Certified units: 18million

Buy it here >>

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13. Garth Brooks — "No Fences"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (42)

Certified units: 18 million

Buy it here >>

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12. Shania Twain — "Come On Over"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (43)

Certified units: 20million

Buy it here >>

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11. Fleetwood Mac — "Rumours"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (44)

Certified units: 20million

Buy it here >>

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10. Hootie & The Blowfish — "Cracked Rear View"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (45)

Certified units: 21million

Buy it here >>

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9. Garth Brooks — "Double Live"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (46)

Certified units: 21million

Buy it here >>

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8. Pink Floyd — "The Wall"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (47)

Certified units: 23million

Buy it here >>

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7. Led Zeppelin — "Led Zeppelin IV"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (48)

Certified units: 23million

Buy it here >>

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6. Billy Joel — "Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (49)

Certified units: 23million

Buy it here >>

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5. The Beatles — "The Beatles" ("The White Album")

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (50)

Certified units: 24 million

Buy it here >>

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4. AC/DC — "Back In Black"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (51)

Certified units: 25 million

Buy it here >>

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3. Eagles — "Hotel California"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (52)

Certified units: 26million

Buy it here >>

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2. Michael Jackson — "Thriller"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (53)

Certified units:34 million

Buy it here >>

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1. Eagles — "Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)"

The 50 best-selling albums of all time (54)

Certified units:38 million

Buy it here >>

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The 50 best-selling albums of all time (2024)

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