The Bestselling Albums of All Time

Music defines certain time periods — but some albums live on longer than others. The bestselling albums of all time might’ve debuted 20, 30 or 40 years ago, but they’re still significant today.

No doubt, there are plenty of songs that immediately take you back in time at the first beat. Whether they elicit a special memory or offer a flashback to a bygone era, these songs remain special because so many people feel a connection to them.

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Some albums topped the bestseller lists upon their debut and continue to reign today. Decades of holding court at the top prove they will never be unseated.

Curious if any of your favorite albums are among the all-time bestsellers? Keep reading to find out which iconic records have the highest sales numbers, along with some interesting facts about the album.

• Release year: 1975
• Units sold: 16 million
• Label: Swan Song

• Release year: 1977
• Units sold: 16 million
• Label: Capitol

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• Release year: 1995
• Units sold: 16 million
• Label: Maverick

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• Release year: 1973
• Units sold: 17 million
• Label: EMI

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• Release year: 1974
• Units sold: 17 million
• Label: Island

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• Release year: 1976
• Units sold: 17 million
• Label: Epic Records

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• Release year: 1992
• Units sold: 18 million
• Label: RCA Records

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• Release year: 1987
• Units sold: 18 million
• Label: Geffen

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• Release year: 1990
• Units sold: 18 million
• Label: Pearl Records, Inc.

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• Release year: 1997
• Units sold: 20 million
• Label: Mercury Nashville

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• Release year: 1977
• Units sold: 20 million
• Label: Warner Bros.

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• Release year: 1994
• Units sold: 21 million
• Label: Rhino

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• Release year: 1998
• Units sold: 21 million
• Label: Capitol Nashville

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• Release year: 1979
• Units sold: 23 million
• Label: Columbia

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• Release year: 1971
• Units sold: 23 million
• Label: Atlantic

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• Release year: 1985
• Units sold: 23 million
• Label: Columbia

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• Release year: 1968
• Units sold: 24 million
• Label: Apple

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• Release year: 1980
• Units sold: 25 million
• Label: Columbia

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• Release year: 1976
• Units sold: 26 million
• Label: Rhino

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• Release year: 1982
• Units sold: 33 million
• Label: Epic Records

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• Release year: 1976
• Units sold: 38 million
• Label: Rhino

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Methodology: GOBankingRates used RIAA certification data to find the 20 bestselling albums of all time, in terms of units (albums) sold. For each album, GOBankingRates found (1) the name of the artist; (2) album title; (3) year released; (4) label originally released on; and (5) units sold, which was cut off at 13 million. All data was collected on and up to date as of Jan. 6, 2021.