The Official Charts Company compiled a list of the U.K.’s 40 biggest studio albums released since January 1, 2000, based on sales, streams and downloads. Adele’s album 21 is number one. It’s also the best-selling album of all time by a solo artist, having been certified 17 times platinum.
Adele’s 2015 album 25 is number three on the ranking; her debut album, 19, is #26.
The second biggest album of the century is Amy Winehouse‘s Back to Black. Ed Sheeran’s 2014 album X (Multiply) is number four, and his 2017 release ÷ (Divide) is number five.
The rest of the U.K.’s top 10 biggest albums of this century are:
6. James Blunt Back to Bedlam
7. Leona Lewis, Spirit
8. Michael Bublé, Crazy Love
9. Dido, No Angel
10. David Gray, White Ladder
Among the artists who just missed the top 10: Lady Gaga and Coldplay.
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
XL Recordings/Columbia RecordsYou probably know that Adele and Ed Sheeran‘s albums have sold millions worldwide, but now the U.K.’s Official Charts Company has officially declared them among the best-selling releases of the entire 21st century.