List of best-selling albums of the 21st century in the United Kingdom

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With sales of 6 million copies, Adele's 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. She is also the only artist on this list to have all her released albums included, with 25 at number three and 19 at number 31.

The UK Albums Chart is a music chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Initially based solely on the sales of albums in the vinyl and CD formats, digital albums began being included from April 2006.[2] Since March 2015, the chart has also been based on audio streaming figures,[3] however the OCC still compiles a 'sales' (only) chart and still quotes these traditional sales figures in its features and articles.[4]

This is a list of the 50 best-selling albums in the UK from 1 January 2000 onwards, as compiled by the OCC (sales that occurred before 2000 are not included). Of these, only two were originally released before the year 2000: White Ladder (1998) by David Gray and Gold: Greatest Hits (1992) by ABBA.[4]

Back to Bedlam by James Blunt, which was the best-selling album of the 2000s decade,[5] was also the best-selling album of the 21st century until August 2011 when it was passed in sales by Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, following Winehouse's death the previous month.[6] Less than four months later, however, Back to Black was itself overtaken by Adele's 21.[7] As of 2024, 21 remains the biggest-selling album in the UK since 2000 (and second best-selling ever), having sold 6 million copies.[8][9] Adele is also the only artist to have all her studio albums released appear on the list.

Best-selling albums since 2000[edit]

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Sales figures from the OCC on the date given in the reference. The OCC differentiate 'chart sales' (which include streaming) from 'sales' (which are downloads and physical purchases and are quoted below).[3]

No. Title Artist Peak
position 		Year of
release 		Copies sold
(where available) 		No. of times
Platinum[a]
1 21 Adele 1 2011 5,400,000[11] 18×
2 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 1 2006 4,200,000[12] 14×
3 25 Adele 1 2015 3,560,000[9] 11×
4 1 The Beatles 1 2000 3,230,000[13]
5 x Ed Sheeran 1 2014 3,380,000[12]
6 Back to Bedlam James Blunt 1 2004 3,370,000[9]
7 ÷ Ed Sheeran 1 2017 3,300,000[12]
8 Spirit Leona Lewis 1 2007 3,180,000[9] 10×
9 Crazy Love Michael Bublé 1 2009 3,150,000[9]
10 No Angel Dido 1 2000 3,090,000[9]
11 White Ladder David Gray 1 1998†
2000 (re-release) 		3,040,000[9]
12 The Fame Lady Gaga 1 2008 3,000,000[12]
13 Only by the Night Kings of Leon 1 2008 3,000,000[12]
14 A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay 1 2002 3,000,000
15 Number Ones Michael Jackson 1 2003 3,000,000[14]
16 Life for Rent Dido 1 2003 2,900,000[12] 9×
17 Beautiful World Take That 1 2006 2,880,000[12]
18 Gold: Greatest Hits ABBA 1 1992† 2,569,600
19 Hopes and Fears Keane 1 2004 2,860,000[12]
20 X&Y Coldplay 1 2005 2,800,000[15]
21 Christmas Michael Bublé 1 2011 2,780,000
22 Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters 1 2004 2,760,000[12]
23 Parachutes Coldplay 1 2000 2,740,000[16]
24 Come Away with Me Norah Jones 1 2002 2,540,000 8×
25 The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem 1 2000 2,440,000
26 In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith 1 2014 2,400,095
27 + Ed Sheeran 1 2011 2,400,000[17]
28 Greatest Hits Robbie Williams 1 2004 2,320,000[13]
29 Eyes Open Snow Patrol 1 2004 2,418,438[18]
30 Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection Take That 2 2005 2,360,000[13]
31 19 Adele 1 2008 2,450,000[9]
32 Swing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 1 2001 2,430,000[19]
33 Progress Take That 1 2010 2,375,300[20]
34 Our Version of Events Emeli Sandé 1 2012 2,260,000[21]
35 Hot Fuss The Killers 1 2004 2,153,500[22] 7×
36 American Idiot Green Day 1 2004 2,150,000[23]
37 Rockferry Duffy 1 2008 2,220,000[24]
38 The Circus Take That 1 2008 2,210,000
39 Sing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 1 2000 2,203,321[25]
40 Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Arctic Monkeys 1 2006 2,100,000 [26]
41 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem 1 2005 2,100,000[27]
42 Greatest Hits Guns N' Roses 1 2004 1,947,000
43 Escapology Robbie Williams 1 2002 2,075,441[28] 6×
44 Employment Kaiser Chiefs 1 2005 2,048,500[29]
45 Songs About Jane Maroon 5 1 2004 2,081,000[30]
46 Loud Rihanna 1 2010 2,060,064
47 Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna 1 2007 2,021,000
48 By the Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 2002 2,020,000
49 The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac 1 2002 2,032,000
50 Justified Justin Timberlake 1 2002 1,975,000
51 Stripped Christina Aguilera 2 2002 1,980,000
52 The Greatest Hits Texas 1 2000 1,974,890[31]
53 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle 1 2009 1,938,305[32]
54 Born to Do It Craig David 1 2000 1,860,000[33]
55 The Platinum Collection Queen 2 2000 1,831,000
56 ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits Elvis Presley 1 2004 1,861,800[34]
57 Call Off the Search Katie Melua 1 2004 1,900,000[35]
58 Legend Bob Marley and the Wailers 1 1984† 1,825,000
59 Sunny Side Up Paolo Nutini 1 2009† 1,824,000
60 Unbreakable – The Greatest Hits Volume 1 Westlife 1 2002 1,896,765[36]
61 Demon Days Gorillaz 1 2005 1,894,803[37]
62 AM Arctic Monkeys 1 2013 1,800,000

†Originally released before 2000; position based on sales since 2000

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The certifications are those given by the BPI as of July 2023.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  2. ^ West, Dave (9 April 2006). "Album chart allows downloads from Sunday". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b Copsey, Rob (11 February 2015). "UK's Official Albums Chart to include streaming data for first time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b Moss, Liv (19 March 2015). "Official Biggest Selling Albums of the Millennium so far revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  5. ^ "James Blunt records the biggest selling album of decade". BBC News. BBC. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' becomes UK's biggest-selling album of the 21st century". NME. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. ^ Piedak, Alex (5 December 2011). "Adele's 21 tops Amy Winehouse for biggest selling album of 21st century". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  8. ^ Ainsley, Helen (8 March 2021). "National Album Day: Adele named UK's best-selling female album artist of 21st Century". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h White, Jack (12 October 2019). "The UK's Official Top 40 biggest studio albums of the 21st Century". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Brit Certified – Certification Levels – Albums". British Phonographic Industry. n.d. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). "The UK's Top 40 biggest studio albums of time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  13. ^ a b c Myers, Justin (12 July 2016). "Greatest of the greatest? The Top 10 biggest hits collections revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Award".
  15. ^ Griffiths, George (19 October 2021). "Coldplay's Official biggest albums in the UK revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  16. ^ Copsey, Rob (13 July 2020). "Coldplay's Parachutes: 20 incredible chart facts on the album's 20th anniversary". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  17. ^ Copsey, Rob (2 March 2017). "The incredible numbers behind Ed Sheeran's first two albums revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  18. ^ Jones, Alan (1 June 2018). "Charts analysis: Greatest Showman holds on at albums summit". Music Week. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Albums turning 20 years old in 2021". Official Charts Company. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  20. ^ Jones, Alan (31 July 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Chemical Brothers claim sixth No.1 album with Born in the Echoes". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  21. ^ White, Jack (16 September 2016). "Emeli Sandé announces details of her second album, called Long Live the Angels". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  22. ^ Jones, Alan (25 May 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Brandon Flowers scores sixth No.1 with The Desired Effect". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  23. ^ Copsey, Rob (10 August 2016). "Green Day's biggest selling singles is the ultimate punk-rock playlist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  24. ^ Forde, Eamon (9 July 2014). "From Robin Thicke to Mariah and Mick: five blockbuster albums that bombed". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  25. ^ Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  26. ^ "Prince, Come, Album". BPI. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  27. ^ Copsey, Rob (5 September 2018). "Eminem's Top 10 biggest albums on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  28. ^ Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  29. ^ Jones, Alan (7 April 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Kaiser Chiefs almost double previous album's sales to hit No.1". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  30. ^ Copsey, Rob (14 January 2019). "Maroon 5's biggest singles on the Official Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  31. ^ Jones, Alan (28 April 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran makes it eight weeks on top of the albums chart". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  32. ^ Jones, Alan (2 December 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Little Mix hold No.1 spot with Glory Days". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  33. ^ Myers, Justin (9 April 2015). "Number 1 today in 2000: Craig David scores a debut chart-topper". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  34. ^ Jones, Alan (27 October 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Elvis tops the albums chart again". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  35. ^ Barstein, Brand (15 January 2013). "The biggest selling Easy Listening albums of the millennium revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  36. ^ Jones, Alan (22 November 2019). "Charts analysis: Westlife reach summit with first album in nine years". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  37. ^ Paine, Andre (26 March 2021). "Gorillaz mark 20th anniversary with clothing line, toys, NFTs and album reissues". Music Week. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
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