# List of best-selling albums by year in the United Kingdom

This is a list of the best-selling albums in the United Kingdom each year. The sales figures given are only within that year, but each album has sold more copies overall.

## Best-selling albums by year

| Year | Album | Artist | Number sold |
| 1956 | Carousel | Original soundtrack | |
| 1957 | The King and I | Original soundtrack | |
| 1958 | My Fair Lady | Broadway Cast recording | |
| 1959 | South Pacific | Original soundtrack | |
| 1960 | South Pacific | Original soundtrack | |
| 1961 | G.I. Blues | Elvis Presley | |
| 1962 | West Side Story | Original soundtrack | |
| 1963 | With the Beatles | The Beatles | |
| 1964 | Beatles for Sale | The Beatles | |
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Original soundtrack | |
| 1966 | The Sound of Music | Original soundtrack | |
| 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | 751,000 |
| 1968 | The Sound of Music | Original soundtrack | |
| 1969 | Abbey Road | The Beatles | |
| 1970 | Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon and Garfunkel | |
| 1971 | Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon and Garfunkel | |
| 1972 | 20 Dynamic Hits | Various Artists | |
| 1973 | Aladdin Sane | David Bowie | |
| 1974 | The Singles: 1969–1973 | The Carpenters | |
| 1975 | The Best of the Stylistics | The Stylistics | |
| 1976 | Greatest Hits | ABBA | |
| 1977 | Arrival | ABBA | |
| 1978 | Saturday Night Fever | Original soundtrack | |
| 1979 | Parallel Lines | Blondie | |
| 1980 | Super Trouper | ABBA | |
| 1981 | Kings of the Wild Frontier | Adam and the Ants | |
| 1982 | Love Songs | Barbra Streisand | |
| 1983 | Thriller | Michael Jackson | |
| 1984 | Can't Slow Down | Lionel Richie | |
| 1985 | Brothers in Arms | Dire Straits | |
| 1986 | True Blue | Madonna | |
| 1987 | Bad | Michael Jackson | |
| 1988 | Kylie | Kylie Minogue | |
| 1989 | Ten Good Reasons | Jason Donovan | |
| 1990 | ...But Seriously | Phil Collins | |
| 1991 | Stars | Simply Red | |
| 1992 | Stars | Simply Red | |
| 1993 | Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell | Meat Loaf | |
| 1994 | Cross Road | Bon Jovi | |
| 1995 | Robson & Jerome | Robson & Jerome | 2,040,000 |
| 1996 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | 1,627,000 |
| 1997 | Be Here Now | Oasis | 1,740,000 |
| 1998 | Talk on Corners | The Corrs | 1,676,439 |
| 1999 | Come On Over | Shania Twain | 2,201,842 |
| 2000 | 1 | The Beatles | 1,850,101 |
| 2001 | No Angel | Dido | 1,920,167 |
| 2002 | Escapology | Robbie Williams | 1,410,931 |
| 2003 | Life for Rent | Dido | 2,168,302 |
| 2004 | Scissor Sisters | Scissor Sisters | 1,594,259 |
| 2005 | Back to Bedlam | James Blunt | 2,367,758 |
| 2006 | Eyes Open | Snow Patrol | 1,514,554 |
| 2007 | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse | 1,883,897 |
| 2008 | Rockferry | Duffy | 1,685,000 |
| 2009 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle | 1,632,732 |
| 2010 | Progress | Take That | 1,841,148 |
| 2011 | 21 | Adele | 3,772,346 |
| 2012 | Our Version of Events | Emeli Sandé | 1,393,000 |
| 2013 | Midnight Memories | One Direction | 685,000 |
| 2014 | x | Ed Sheeran | 1,689,000 |
| 2015 | 25 | Adele | 2,496,000 |
| 2016 | 25 | Adele | 753,000 |
| 2017 | ÷ | Ed Sheeran | 2,700,000 |
| 2018 | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Original soundtrack | 1,600,000 |
| 2019 | Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent | Lewis Capaldi | 641,000 |
| 2020 | Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent | Lewis Capaldi | 456,000 |
| 2021 | 30 | Adele | 600,000 |
| 2022 | Harry's House | Harry Styles | 460,000 |
| 2023 | The Highlights | The Weeknd | 391,000 |
| 2024 | The Tortured Poets Department | Taylor Swift | 783,800 |

## Best-selling albums by decade

| Decade | Album | Artist(s) | Number sold |
| 1950s | South Pacific | Original soundtrack | |
| 1960s | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | |
| 1970s | Bridge over Troubled Water | Simon & Garfunkel | |
| 1980s | Brothers in Arms | Dire Straits | |
| 1990s | (What's the Story) Morning Glory? | Oasis | 3,000,000 |
| 2000s | Back to Bedlam | James Blunt | 3,200,000 |
| 2010s | 21 | Adele | 5,170,000 |