List of best-selling albums of the 2000s (century) in the United Kingdom

With sales of over 5 million, Adele's album 21 is the best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK, more than 1.3 million copies ahead of the next biggest seller, Amy Winehouse's Back to Black.

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 July 2016, 21 remains the biggest-selling album in the UK since 2000 (and fourth best-selling ever), having sold over 4,940,000 copies.[8]

Best-selling albums since 2000

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[lower-alpha 1]
1 21 Adele 1 2011 5,000,000[8] 17×
2 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 1 2006 3,900,000 13×
3 25 Adele 1 2015 3,343,055[10] 11×
4 Back To Bedlam James Blunt 1 2004 3,338,000[11]
5 x Ed Sheeran 1 2014 3,300,000
6 1 Beatles 1 2000 3,230,000[12]
7 Spirit Leona Lewis 1 2007 3,138,700[13] 10×
8 Crazy Love Michael Bublé 1 2009 3,095,145[14]
9 No Angel Dido 1 2000 3,088,700[13]
10 White Ladder David Gray 1 1998dagger
2000 (re-release)		 3,008,786[15][16]
11 ÷ Ed Sheeran 1 2017 3,000,000
12 The Fame Lady Gaga 1 2008 2,990,000[17] 9×
13 A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay 1 2002 2,925,000
14 Only by the Night Kings of Leon 1 2008 2,916,779[18]
15 Life for Rent Dido 1 2003 2,881,400[13]
16 Beautiful World Take That 1 2006 2,850,000[19]
17 Hopes and Fears Keane 1 2004 2,833,752[20]
18 Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters 1 2004 2,760,000
19 X&Y Coldplay 1 2005 2,743,000[21]
20 Parachutes 1 2000 2,700,000
21 Gold: Greatest Hits ABBA 1 1992dagger (original release) 2,569,600 8×
22 Come Away with Me Norah Jones 1 2002 2,540,000
23 The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem 1 2000 2,440,000
24 Christmas Michael Bublé 1 2011 2,400,000
25 Number Ones Michael Jackson 1 2003 2,400,000
25 19 Adele 1 2008 2,400,000
26 Swing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 1 2001 2,385,673[22] 7×
25 Progress Take That 1 2010 2,375,300[23]
26 Eyes Open Snow Patrol 1 2004 2,370,000
30 Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection Take That 2 2005 2,360,000[12]
31 Greatest Hits Robbie Williams 1 2004 2,320,000[12]
32 Our Version of Events Emeli Sandé 1 2012 2,260,000[24]
33 Rockferry Duffy 1 2008 2,220,000[25]
34 The Circus Take That 1 2008 2,210,000
35 Sing When You're Winning Robbie Williams 1 2000 2,203,321[22]
36 In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith 1 2014 2,188,095
37 Hot Fuss The Killers 1 2004 2,153,500[26]
38 American Idiot Green Day 1 2004 2,150,000[27]
39 + Ed Sheeran 1 2011 2,158,000[28]
40 Escapology Robbie Williams 1 2002 2,075,441[22] 6×
41 Employment Kaiser Chiefs 1 2005 2,048,500[29]
42 Songs About Jane Maroon 5 1 2004 2,064,955[30]
43 By the Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 2002 2,020,000
44 Stripped Christina Aguilera 2 2002 1,980,000
45 Justified Justin Timberlake 1 2002 1,975,000
46 The Greatest Hits Texas 1 2000 1,974,890[31]
47 Loud Rihanna 1 2010 1,950,864[32]
48 Greatest Hits Guns N' Roses 1 2004 1,947,000
49 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle 1 2009 1,938,305[33]
50 Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna 1 2007 1,904,347[32]
51 Call Off the Search Katie Melua 1 2004 1,900,000[34]
52 Born to Do It Craig David 1 2000 1,860,000[35]
53 Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 Westlife 1 2002 1,860,000
54 ELV1S Elvis Presley 1 2004 1,843,000
55 Missundaztood Pink 1 2001 1,840,000
56 The Platinum Collection Queen 2 2000 1,831,000
57 Songbird Eva Cassidy 1 1998 1,825,000
58 Sunny Side Up Paolo Nutini 1 2009 1,824,000
59 Play Moby 1 1999 1,810,000
60 Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem 1 2005 1,800,000

daggerOriginally released before 2000; position based on sales since 2000

Notes

  1. ↑ The certifications are those given by the BPI as of March 2017.[9]

See also

References

  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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "Adele's 21 breaks 5 Million barrier in UK". Music Week.
  9. ↑ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  10. ↑ Jones, Alan (3 February 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: La La Land hits top of the album chart". Music Week.
  11. ↑ Myers, Justin (26 November 2016). "Adele's 25 one year on: 14 incredible chart facts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 Myers, Justin (12 July 2016). "Greatest of the greatest? The Top 10 biggest hits collections revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (1 July 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Adele's 25 back on top as sales surge 231%". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 2 July 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (27 October 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Elvis tops the albums chart again". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 27 October 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  15. ↑ Jones, Alan (7 July 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Grande's Problem tops singles with 113k sales - 7k from streaming". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Jones, Alan (4 November 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: James Arthur tops albums chart with Back from the Edge". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 26 November 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  17. ↑ Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). Official Charts Company https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-biggest-studio-albums-of-all-time__24431/. Retrieved 13 October 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ Jones, Alan (21 October 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Kings of Leon score fifth No.1 album". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 26 November 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  19. ↑ Myers, Justin (7 July 2016). "Flashback: Take That's comeback album Beautiful World is 10 years old". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  20. ↑ Hanley, James (12 October 2016). "Tom Chaplin: "I thought I was about to drop dead"". Music Week. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  21. ↑ Jones, Alan (26 May 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Coldplay LP sells 168k to set 2014 pace". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  22. 1 2 3 Sutherland, Mark (9 May 2016). "By the numbers: inside Robbie Williams' albums career". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  23. ↑ 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. (Subscription required (help)).
  24. ↑ 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.
  25. ↑ Forde, Eamon (9 July 2014). "From Robin Thicke to Mariah and Mick: five blockbuster albums that bombed". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  26. ↑ 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. (Subscription required (help)).
  27. ↑ Copsey, Rob (10 August 2016). "Green Day's biggest selling singles is the ultimate punk-rock playlist". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  28. ↑ Copsey, Rob (2 March 2017). "The incredible numbers behind Ed Sheeran's first two albums revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  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. (Subscription required (help)).
  30. ↑ Jones, Alan (10 November 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Sam Smith debuts at No.1 just short of 100,000 sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 17 September 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  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. (Subscription required (help)).
  32. 1 2 Jones, Alan (5 February 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Bowie scores consecutive No.1 albums". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 7 February 2016. (Subscription required (help)).
  33. ↑ 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. (Subscription required (help)).
  34. ↑ Barstein, Brand (15 January 2013). "The biggest selling Easy Listening albums of the millennium revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  35. ↑ Myers, Justin (9 April 2015). "Number 1 today in 2000: Craig David scores a debut chart-topper". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
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