# List of best-selling albums of the 21st century

This is a list of the best-selling albums of the 21st century to date based on IFPI certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the album must have shipped at least 10 million units starting from January 1, 2001. Units sold include physical copies and digital downloads.
From 2022, IFPI reported three formats of sales chart, newly created Global vinyl album chart, combination of physical copies and digital downloads as Global album sales chart and Global all format chart for totaling of all sales.

## Legend

Colors :
* Studio albums
* Greatest hits and compilations
* Soundtracks

## 30 million copies or more

| Release year | Album | Artist/s | Nationality | Worldwide sales (in millions) | Ref(s) |
| 2011 | 21 | Adele | United Kingdom | 31.0 | |

## 20–29 million copies

| Release year | Album | Artist/s | Nationality | Worldwide sales (in millions) |
| 2002 | The Eminem Show | Eminem | United States | 27.0 |
| 2002 | Come Away with Me | Norah Jones | United States | 27.0 |
| 2015 | 25 | Adele | United Kingdom | 23.0 |

## 13–19 million copies

| Release year | Album | Artist/s | Nationality | Worldwide sales (in millions) |
| 2008 | The Fame | Lady Gaga | United States | 18.0 |
| 2003 | Fallen | Evanescence | United States | 17.0 |
| 2002 | A Rush of Blood to the Head | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 17.0 |
| 2002 | Let Go | Avril Lavigne | Canada | 16.0 |
| 2001 | A Day Without Rain | Enya | Ireland | 16.0 |
| 2003 | Meteora | Linkin Park | United States | 16.0 |
| 2006 | Back to Black | Amy Winehouse | United Kingdom | 16.0 |
| 2004 | Confessions | Usher | United States | 15.0 |
| 2004 | American Idiot | Green Day | United States | 15.0 |
| 2014 | 1989 | Taylor Swift | United States | 14.0 |
| 2001 | Laundry Service | Shakira | Colombia | 13.0 |
| 2001 | Missundaztood | Pink | United States | 13.0 |
| 2005 | X&Y | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 13.0 |
| 2005 | Curtain Call: The Hits | Eminem | United States | 13.0 |

## 10–12 million copies

| Release year | Album | Artist/s | Nationality | Worldwide sales (in millions) |
| 2001 | Songs in A Minor | Alicia Keys | United States | 12.0 |
| 2002 | A New Day Has Come | Celine Dion | Canada | 12.0 |
| 2002 | Stripped | Christina Aguilera | United States | 12.0 |
| 2003 | Get Rich or Die Tryin' | 50 Cent | United States | 12.0 |
| 2003 | Life for Rent | Dido | United Kingdom | 12.0 |
| 2004 | Feels like Home | Norah Jones | United States | 12.0 |
| 2004 | Breakaway | Kelly Clarkson | United States | 12.0 |
| 2008 | Fearless | Taylor Swift | United States | 12.0 |
| 2011 | Christmas | Michael Bublé | Canada / Italy | 12.0 |
| 2003 | Dangerously in Love | Beyoncé | United States | 11.0 |
| 2004 | Back to Bedlam | James Blunt | United Kingdom | 11.0 |
| 2004 | Encore | Eminem | United States | 11.0 |
| 2005 | All the Right Reasons | Nickelback | Canada | 11.0 |
| 2001 | Survivor | Destiny's Child | United States | 10.0 |
| 2006 | Loose | Nelly Furtado | Canada | 10.0 |
| 2005 | The Emancipation of Mimi | Mariah Carey | United States | 10.0 |
| 2005 | Confessions on a Dance Floor | Madonna | United States | 10.0 |
| 2001 | Invincible | Michael Jackson | United States | 10.0 |
| 2004 | Under My Skin | Avril Lavigne | Canada | 10.0 |
| 2001 | Silver Side Up | Nickelback | Canada | 10.0 |
| 2001 | Britney | Britney Spears | United States | 10.0 |
| 2002 | Songs About Jane | Maroon 5 | United States | 10.0 |
| 2002 | Justified | Justin Timberlake | United States | 10.0 |
| 2003 | Number Ones | Michael Jackson | United States | 10.0 |
| 2006 | FutureSex/LoveSounds | Justin Timberlake | United States | 10.0 |
| 2008 | I Am... Sasha Fierce | Beyoncé | United States | 10.0 |
| 2008 | Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Coldplay | United Kingdom | 10.0 |
| 2009 | I Dreamed a Dream | Susan Boyle | United Kingdom | 10.0 |
| 2010 | Recovery | Eminem | United States | 10.0 |
| 2014 | Frozen | Various Artists | — | 10.0 |