The Top 100 Best Selling Albums of All Time

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Photo Credit: Clay Banks

What’s the best selling album of all time? The answer might surprise you, based on certified sales by the RIAA.

In 2018, The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971—1975) surpassed Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the best selling album of all time in the United States. Since that point, the lead has only widened. The Eagles album has now sold more than 38 million copies according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), thanks in part to continued touring across the United States and sustained interest on streaming platforms like Spotify.

Their Greatest Hits (1971—1975) debuted in 1976 and included many of the group’s classics like “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman.” These sales figures compiled by the RIAA include disc and streaming sales.

Thriller briefly overtook the Eagles compilation as the best selling album of all time in 2009 after Jackson’s death caused a surge in sales. But recent accusations against Jackson involving sexual assault may have softened sales for the pop superstar.

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Best-Selling Albums of All-Time in the US

1. 1. Eagles — Their Greatest Hits 1971 — 1975 — 38 million
   2. Michael Jackson — Thriller — 33 million
   3. Eagles — Hotel California — 26 million
   4. AC/DC — Back in Black — 25 million
   5. The Beatles — The Beatles — 24 million
   6. Billy Joel — Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II — 23 million
   7. Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin IV — 23 million
   8. Pink Floyd — The Wall — 23 million
   9. Garth Brooks — Double Live — 21 million
   10. Hootie & the Blowfish — Cracked Rear View — 21 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (11—20)

• • Fleetwood Mac — Rumours — 20 million
  • Shania Twain — Come On Over — 20 million
  • Garth Brooks — No Fences — 18 million
  • Guns N’ Roses — Appetite for Destruction — 18 million
  • Whitney Houston — The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) — 18 million
  • Boston — Boston — 17 million
  • Elton John — Greatest Hits — 17 million
  • The Beatles — The Beatles 1967 — 1970 — 17 million
  • Alanis Morissette — Jagged Little Pill — 16 million
  • Bee Gees — Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack) — 16 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (21—30)

• • Led Zeppelin — Physical Graffiti — 16 million
  • Metallica — Metallica — 16 million
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers — Legend — 15 million
  • Bruce Springsteen — Born in the U.S.A. — 15 million
  • Journey — Greatest Hits — 15 million
  • Pink Floyd — Dark Side of the Moon — 15 million
  • Santana — Supernatural — 15 million
  • The Beatles —  The Beatles 1962—1966 — 15 million
  • Adele — 21 — 14 million
  • Backstreet Boys — Backstreet Boys — 14 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (31—40)

• • Britney Spears — Baby One More Time — 14 million
  • Garth Brooks — Ropin’ in the Wind — 14 million
  • Meat Loaf — Bat Out of Hell — 14 million
  • Simon & Garfunkel — Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits — 14 million
  • Steve Miller Band — Greatest Hits 1974 — 1978 — 14 million
  • Backstreet Boys — Millennium — 13 million
  • Bruce Springsteen — Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975 — ’85 — 13 million
  • Carole King — Tapestry — 13 million
  • Pearl Jam — Ten — 13 million
  • Prince & The Revolution — Purple Rain (Soundtrack) — 13 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (41—50)

• • The Chicks — Wide Open Spaces — 13 million
  • Whitney Houston — Whitney Houston — 13 million
  • Bon Jovi — Slippery When Wet — 12 million
  • Boyz II Men — II — 12 million
  • Celine Dion — Falling Into You — 12 million
  • Def Leppard — Hysteria — 12 million
  • Jewel — Pieces of You — 12 million
  • Kenny G — Breathless — 12 million
  • Kenny Rogers — Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits — 12 million
  • Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin II — 12 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (51—60)

• • Linkin Park — Hybrid Theory — 12 million
  • Matchbox Twenty — Yourself or Someone Like You — 12 million
  • Phil Collins — No Jacket Required — 12 million
  • Shania Twain — The Woman in Me — 12 million
  • Soundtrack — Forrest Gump — 12 million
  • The Beatles — Abbey Road — 12 million
  • The Rolling Stones — Hot Rocks — 12 million
  • TLC — CrazySexyCool — 12 million
  • Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — Greatest Hits — 12 million
  • Adele — 25 — 11 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (61—70)

• • Aerosmith — Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits — 11 million
  • Creed — Human Clay — 11 million
  • Eagles — Eagles Greatest Hits Volume II — 11 million
  • James Taylor — James Taylor’s Greatest Hits — 11 million
  • Kid Rock — Devil Without A Cause — 11 million
  • Led Zeppelin — Houses of the Holy — 11 million
  • N’SYNC — No Strings Attached — 11 million
  • Notorious B.I.G. — Life After Death — 11 million
  • Outkast — Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below — 11 million
  • Shania Twain — Up! — 11 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (71—80)

• • Soundtrack — Dirty Dancing — 11 million
  • Soundtrack — Titanic — 11 million
  • The Beatles — 1 — 11 million
  • The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — 11 million
  • The Chicks — Fly — 11 million
  • 2 Pac — Greatest Hits — 10 million
  • 2 Pac — All Eyez On Me — 10 million
  • Beastie Boys — Licensed To Ill — 10 million
  • Billy Joel — The Stranger — 10 million
  • Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band — Greatest Hits — 10 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (81—90)

• • Britney Spears — Oops! ..I Did It Again — 10 million
  • Celine Dion — Let’s Talk About Love — 10 million
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival — Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits — 10 million
  • Def Leppard — Pyromania — 10 million
  • Doobie Brothers — Best of the Doobies — 10 million
  • Elvis Presley — Elvis’ Christmas Album — 10 million
  • Eminem — The Marshall Mathers LP — 10 million
  • Eminem — The Eminem Show — 10 million
  • Eric Clapton — Unplugged — 10 million
  • Garth Brooks — The Ultimate Hits — 10 million

Best-Selling Albums of All-Time (91—100)

• • Garth Brooks — Sevens — 10 million
  • Garth Brooks — The Chase — 10 million
  • Garth Brooks — Garth Brooks — 10 million
  • Garth Brooks — In Pieces — 10 million
  • Garth Brooks — The Hits — 10 million
  • George Michael — Faith — 10 million
  • Green Day — Dookie — 10 million
  • Hammer — Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em — 10 million
  • Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — 10 million
  • Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin— 10 million