List of best-selling music artists

Table columns:
Artist
Country / Market
Period active
Release year of first charted record
Genre
Total certified units (from available markets)[b]
Claimed sales

Table rows:
cells: The Beatles
United Kingdom
1960–1970[10]
1962[10]
Rock / Pop[10]
Total available certified units: 271.1 million [show] US: 212.250 million[11] JPN: 4.950 million[b][12] UK: 18.045 million[b][13] GER: 8 million[b][14] FRA: 3.890 million[b][15][16] CAN: 14.455 million[b][17] AUS: 3.060 million[b][18][19] ITA: 355,000[b][20] BRA: 550,000[b][21] SWE 485,000[b][22] SPA: 1.250 million[b][23][24] SWI: 350,000[b][25] BEL: 265,000[b][26][27] ARG: 1.606 million[b][28][29] DEN: 270,000[b][30][31] AUT: 500,000[b][32] POL: 175,000[b][33] NZ: 660,000[b][34][35]
600 million[36][37] 500 million[38]
cells: Elvis Presley
United States
1954–1977[39]
1954[39]
Rock and roll / Pop / Country[39]
Total available certified units: 212.4 million [show] US: 188.650 million[11] JPN: 300,000[b][12] UK: 13.145 million[b][13] GER: 1.2 million[b][14] FRA: 2.590 million[b][15][16] CAN: 2.925 million[b][17] AUS: 1.587 million[b][18] ITA: 105,000[b][20] BRA: 125,000[b][21] SWE 380,000[b][22] SPA: 300,000[b][23][40][41] MEX: 105,000[b][42][43] SWI: 185,000[b][25] BEL: 115,000[b][26][27] ARG: 110,000[b][28] DEN: 120,000[b][44][45][46] AUT: 205,000[b][32] FIN: 213,945[b][47] NZ: 117,500[b][34][35]
600 million[48][49] 500 million[50]
cells: Michael Jackson
United States
1964–2009[51]
1971[51]
Pop / Rock / Dance / Soul / R&B[51]
Total available certified units: 184.6 million [show] US: 104.5 million[11] JPN: 4.650 million[b][12][52] UK: 27.545 million[13] GER: 11.275 million[14] FRA: 11.375 million[15][16][53] CAN: 4.670 million[17] AUS: 6.670 million[b][18][19][54][55][56] ITA: 1.170 million[b][20] BRA: 280,000[b][21] SWE: 1.230 million[b][22][57] SPA: 1.995 million[b][23][24][40][41][58] MEX: 3.670 million[b][42] SWI: 910,000[b][25] BEL: 365,000[b][26][27] ARG: 124,000[b][28][29] DEN: 1.224 million[b][59][60][61] AUT: 1.197 million[b][32] POL: 530,000[b][33] FIN: 384,127[47] NZ: 902,500[34][35]
350 million[62][63] 300 million[64][65]
cells: Madonna
United States
1979–present[66]
1982[66]
Pop / Dance / Electronica[66]
Total available certified units: 170.6 million [show] US: 85.675 million[11] JPN: 6.450 million [b][12][52] UK: 28.845 million[13] GER: 12.4 million[14] FRA: 12.795 million[15][16][53] CAN: 6.030 million[17] AUS: 4.717 million[b][18][67][68] ITA: 465,000[b][20] BRA: 3.440 million[b][21] SWE: 1.070 million[b][22][57] SPA: 2.815 million[23][24][40][41][58] MEX: 510,000[b][42] SWI: 1.080 million[b][25] BEL: 690,000[b][26][27] ARG: 1.098[28][29] DEN: 407,000[b][59][60][69][70][71][72] AUT: 602,500[b][32] POL: 530,000[b][33] FIN: 652,686[47] NZ: 417,500[34][35]
300 million[73][74] 275 million[75]
cells: Elton John
United Kingdom
1964–present[76]
1969[76]
Pop / Rock[76]
Total available certified units: 169 million [show] US: 117.850 million[11] JPN: 1.1 million [b][12] UK: 22.395 million[b][13] GER: 7.9 million[b][14] FRA: 4.825 million[b][15][16][53] CAN: 5.975 million[b][17] AUS: 2.837 million[b][18] BRA: 835,000[b][21] SWE: 740,000[b][22] SPA: 1.2 million[b][23][24][41][58] MEX: 100,000[b][42] SWI: 1.313 million[b][25] BEL: 390,000[b][26][27] ARG: 128,000[28][29] DEN: 150,000[b][45][60][77] AUT: 765,000[b][32] POL: 150,000[b][33] FIN: 163,481[47] NZ: 255,000[b][34][35]
300 million[78][79] 250 million[80][81]
cells: Led Zeppelin
United Kingdom
1968–1980[82]
1969[82]
Hard rock / Blues rock / Folk rock[82]
Total available certified units: 139.7 million [show] US: 114.1 million[11] JPN: 400,000 [b][12] UK: 9.330 million[b][13] GER: 3.775 million[b][14] FRA: 2.310 million[b][15][16][83] CAN: 4.710 million[17] AUS: 2.8 million[b][18][84][85] ITA: 345,000[b][20] BRA: 820,000[b][21] SPA: 450,000[b][24][41][58] SWI: 211,000[b][25] ARG: 360,000[b][28] POL: 120,000[b][33]
300 million[86][87] 200 million[88][89]
cells: Pink Floyd
United Kingdom
1965–1996, 2014[90][91]
1967[90]
Progressive rock / Psychedelic rock[90]
Total available certified units: 118.9 million [show] US: 78 million[11] JPN: 100,000[b][92] UK: 11.320 million[b][13] GER: 7.5 million[b][14] FRA: 6.360 million[b][15][16][53] CAN: 6.790 million[b][17] AUS: 2.932 million[b][18][19] ITA: 1.685 million[b][20] BRA: 540,000[b][21] SWE: 220,000[b][22][57] SPA: 625,000[b][23][24][40][58] SWI: 390,000[b][25] BEL: 115,000[b][26][27] ARG: 582,000[b][28][29] AUT: 460,000[b][32] POL: 590,000[b][33] NZ: 787,500[b][34][35]
250 million[93][94] 200 million[95][96]

Questions about this table:
originalText: who has sold the most albums worldwide ever
answer: answerTexts: The Beatles