List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

This is a list of the best-selling albums of the 21st century to date based on IFPI certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album must have shipped at least 10 million units starting from January 1, 2001. Units sold include physical copies and digital downloads.

From 2022, IFPI reported three formats of sales chart, newly created Global vinyl album chart, combination of physical copies and digital downloads as Global album sales chart and Global all format chart for totaling of all sales.

Legend

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

Colors
	Studio albums
	Greatest hits and compilations
	Soundtracks

20 million copies or more

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

Release year	Album	Artist/s	Nationality	Worldwide sales (in millions)	Ref.
2011	21	Adele	United Kingdom	31
2002	The Eminem Show	Eminem	United States	27
2002	Come Away with Me	Norah Jones	United States	27
2015	25	Adele	United Kingdom	22
2006	Back to Black	Amy Winehouse	United Kingdom	20

13–19 million copies

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

<table><thead><tr><th>Release year</th><th>Album</th><th>Artist/s</th><th>Nationality</th><th>Worldwide sales (in millions)</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2003</td><td>Fallen</td><td>Evanescence</td><td>United States</td><td>17</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>American Idiot</td><td>Green Day</td><td>United States</td><td>16</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Let Go</td><td>Avril Lavigne</td><td>Canada</td><td>16</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Meteora</td><td>Linkin Park</td><td>United States</td><td>16</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Confessions</td><td>Usher</td><td>United States</td><td>15</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>1989</td><td>Taylor Swift</td><td>United States</td><td>14</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Laundry Service</td><td>Shakira</td><td>Colombia</td><td>13</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Missundaztood</td><td>Pink</td><td>United States</td><td>13</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends</td><td>Coldplay</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>13</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>X&Y</td><td>Coldplay</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>13</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>Curtain Call: The Hits</td><td>Eminem</td><td>United States</td><td>13</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

10–12 million copies

List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

<table><thead><tr><th>Release year</th><th>Album</th><th>Artist/s</th><th>Nationality</th><th>Worldwide sales (in millions)</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2001</td><td>Songs in A Minor</td><td>Alicia Keys</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>A New Day Has Come</td><td>Celine Dion</td><td>Canada</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Stripped</td><td>Christina Aguilera</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Get Rich or Die Tryin'</td><td>50 Cent</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Life for Rent</td><td>Dido</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Feels like Home</td><td>Norah Jones</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Breakaway</td><td>Kelly Clarkson</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Fearless</td><td>Taylor Swift</td><td>United States</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Christmas</td><td>Michael Bublé</td><td>Canada / Italy</td><td>12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Dangerously in Love</td><td>Beyoncé</td><td>United States</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Back to Bedlam</td><td>James Blunt</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Encore</td><td>Eminem</td><td>United States</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>All the Right Reasons</td><td>Nickelback</td><td>Canada</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>The E.N.D.</td><td>Black Eyed Peas</td><td>United States</td><td>11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>The Emancipation of Mimi</td><td>Mariah Carey</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Survivor</td><td>Destiny's Child</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>Loose</td><td>Nelly Furtado</td><td>Canada</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>Confessions on a Dance Floor</td><td>Madonna</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Under My Skin</td><td>Avril Lavigne</td><td>Canada</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Silver Side Up</td><td>Nickelback</td><td>Canada</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Britney</td><td>Britney Spears</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Songs About Jane</td><td>Maroon 5</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Justified</td><td>Justin Timberlake</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Number Ones</td><td>Michael Jackson</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>FutureSex/LoveSounds</td><td>Justin Timberlake</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>I Am... Sasha Fierce</td><td>Beyoncé</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>I Dreamed a Dream</td><td>Susan Boyle</td><td>United Kingdom</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>Recovery</td><td>Eminem</td><td>United States</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Frozen</td><td>Various Artists</td><td>—</td><td>10</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>