Michael Jackson reigns on the all-time list of the best-selling albums, and it’s unlikely that any album will top “Thriller” anytime in the near future. The King of Pop reigns on the all-time list of best-selling albums.
Released in 1982, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” currently boasts a sales mark that no album is likely to touch anytime in the near or distant future.
We compiled the RIAA’s data for the best-selling albums in U.S. history (measured in “certified units” sold), and it’s fascinating to see some of the names that appear in the top 50 — including a recent entry from Adele’s “21.”
Check out the best-selling albums of all time:
50. Phil Collins — “No Jacket Required”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
49. Matchbox Twenty — “Yourself or Someone Like You”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
48. Led Zeppelin — “Led Zeppelin II”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
47. Kenny Rogers — “Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
46. Kenny G — “Breathless”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
45. Jewel — “Pieces of You”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
44. Dixie Chicks — “Wide Open Spaces”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
43. Def Leppard — “Hysteria”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
42. Boyz II Men — “II”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
41. Bon Jovi — “Slippery When Wet”
Certified units: 12 million Buy it here >>
40. Whitney Houston — “Whitney Houston”
Certified units: 13 million Buy it here >>
39. Prince & The Revolution — “Purple Rain”
Certified units: 13 million Buy it here >>
38. Pearl Jam — “Ten”
Certified units: 13 million Buy it here >>
37. Bruce Springsteen — “Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band Live 1975-’85”
Certified units: 13 million Buy it here >>
36. Backstreet Boys — “Millennium”
Certified units: 13 million Buy it here >>
35. Steve Miller Band — “Greatest Hits 1974-1978”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
34. Simon & Garfunkel — “Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
33. Meat Loaf — “Bat Out of Hell”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
32. Garth Brooks — “Ropin’ The Wind”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
31. Britney Spears — “…Baby One More Time”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
30. Backstreet Boys — “Backstreet Boys”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
29. Adele — “21”
Certified units: 14 million Buy it here >>
28. The Beatles — “The Beatles 1962-1966”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
27. Santana — “Supernatural”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
26. Pink Floyd — “Dark Side of the Moon”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
25. Journey — “Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
24. Bruce Springsteen — “Born In The U.S.A.”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
23. Bob Marley & The Wailers — “Legend”
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
22. Metallica — “Metallica”
Certified units: 16 million Buy it here >>
21. Led Zeppelin — “Physical Graffiti”
Certified units: 16 million Buy it here >>
20. Hootie & The Blowfish — “Cracked Rear View”
Certified units: 16 million Buy it here >>
19. Eagles — “Hotel California”
Certified units: 16 million Buy it here >>
18. Bee Gees — “Saturday Night Fever” (Soundtrack)
Certified units: 15 million Buy it here >>
17. Alanis Morisette — “Jagged Little Pill”
Certified units: 16 million Buy it here >>
16. The Beatles — “The Beatles 1967-1970”
Certified units: 17 million Buy it here >>
15. Garth Brooks — “No Fences”
Certified units: 17 million Buy it here >>
14. Elton John — “Greatest Hits”
Certified units: 17 million Buy it here >>
13. Boston — “Boston”
Certified units: 17 million Buy it here >>
12. Whitney Houston – “The Bodyguard” (Soundtrack)
Certified units: 18 million Buy it here >>
11. Guns N’ Roses — “Appetite for Destruction”
Certified units: 18 million Buy it here >>
10. The Beatles — “The Beatles” (“The White Album”)
Certified units: 19 million Buy it here >>
9. Shania Twain — “Come On Over”
Certified units: 20 million Buy it here >>
8. Fleetwood Mac — “Rumours”
Certified units: 20 million Buy it here >>
7. Garth Brooks — “Double Live”
Certified units: 21 million Buy it here >>
6. AC/DC — “Back In Black”
Certified units: 22 million Buy it here >>
5. Pink Floyd — “The Wall”
Certified units: 23 million Buy it here >>
4. Led Zeppelin — “Led Zeppelin IV”
Certified units: 23 million Buy it here >>
3. Billy Joel — “Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2”
Certified units: 23 million Buy it here >>
2. Eagles — “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)”
Certified units: 29 million Buy it here >>
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Tech: The 50 best-selling albums of all time
