With the release of blockbuster albums like Beyonce's "Lemonade" and Rihanna's "ANTI" and Drake's "Views," 2016 was a big year for the music industry. But are any of those recent hits on their way to being among the top-selling albums of all time? To help answer that question, PrettyFamous, an entertainment data site, looked back at the most popular albums in music history.
Based on information from the Recording Industry Association of America database of album sales/certification, the following is a ranking of albums by the total number of certified units sold. Overall, 117 albums have reached diamond certification, meaning they have sold more than 10 million units.
Country star Garth Brooks has more diamond certified albums than any other artist. The Beatles come in second. But neither of those artists have an album in the top five. At 33 million certified units sold, the best-selling album of all time has achieved triple-diamond status — the only album to do so.
Here's a look at the albums that have sold 16 million copies or more.
Note: Ties are broken first on the number of years between an album's initial release and diamond certification date, and then by the release year.
