# List of European number-one hits of 1988

This is a list of the European Hot 100 Singles and European Top 100 Albums number ones of 1988, as published by Music & Media magazine.

## Chart history

Key :
| † | Indicates best-performing single and album of 1988 |
| Issue date | Song | Artist | Album | Artist | Ref. |
| 9 January | "Always on My Mind" | Pet Shop Boys | Whenever You Need Somebody | Rick Astley | |
| 16 January | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published |
| 23 January | "Always on My Mind" | Pet Shop Boys | Whenever You Need Somebody | Rick Astley | |
| 30 January | "Always on My Mind" | Pet Shop Boys | Whenever You Need Somebody | Rick Astley | |
| 6 February | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | Belinda Carlisle | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 13 February | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | Belinda Carlisle | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 20 February | "Always on My Mind" | Pet Shop Boys | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 27 February | "Always on My Mind" | Pet Shop Boys | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 5 March | "Tell It to My Heart" | Taylor Dayne | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 12 March | "Tell It to My Heart" | Taylor Dayne | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 19 March | "Together Forever" | Rick Astley | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 26 March | "I Should Be So Lucky" † | Kylie Minogue | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby | |
| 2 April | "I Should Be So Lucky" † | Kylie Minogue | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 9 April | "Tell It to My Heart" | Taylor Dayne | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 16 April | "I Should Be So Lucky" † | Kylie Minogue | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 23 April | "I Should Be So Lucky" † | Kylie Minogue | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 30 April | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 7 May | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 14 May | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 21 May | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Dirty Dancing | Soundtrack | |
| 28 May | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 4 June | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | Lovesexy | Prince | |
| 11 June | "Theme from S-Express" | S-Express | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 18 June | "Theme from S-Express" | S-Express | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 25 June | "Yéké Yéké" | Mory Kanté | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 2 July | "Yéké Yéké" | Mory Kanté | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 9 July | "Yéké Yéké" | Mory Kanté | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 16 July | "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" | Glenn Medeiros | Stronger Than Pride | Sade | |
| 23 July | "Dirty Diana" | Michael Jackson | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 30 July | "Dirty Diana" | Michael Jackson | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 6 August | "Dirty Diana" | Michael Jackson | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 13 August | "Im Nin'alu" | Ofra Haza | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 20 August | "Im Nin'alu" | Ofra Haza | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 27 August | "The Loco-Motion" | Kylie Minogue | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 3 September | "The Loco-Motion" | Kylie Minogue | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 10 September | "The Loco-Motion" | Kylie Minogue | Bad † | Michael Jackson | |
| 17 September | "The Only Way Is Up" | Yazz and the Plastic Population | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 24 September | "The Only Way Is Up" | Yazz and the Plastic Population | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 1 October | "The Only Way Is Up" | Yazz and the Plastic Population | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 8 October | "A Groovy Kind of Love" | Phil Collins | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 15 October | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney Houston | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 22 October | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney Houston | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | |
| 29 October | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney Houston | Rattle and Hum | U2 | |
| 5 November | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney Houston | Rattle and Hum | U2 | |
| 12 November | "One Moment in Time" | Whitney Houston | Rattle and Hum | U2 | |
| 19 November | "Girl You Know It's True" | Milli Vanilli | Rattle and Hum | U2 | |
| 26 November | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | Bobby McFerrin | Rattle and Hum | U2 | |
| 3 December | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | Bobby McFerrin | Money for Nothing | Dire Straits | |
| 10 December | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | Bobby McFerrin | Money for Nothing | Dire Straits | |
| 17 December | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | Bobby McFerrin | Money for Nothing | Dire Straits | |
| 24 December | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published |
| 31 December | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published | No chart published |