This is a list of the world's best-selling albums. The criteria are that the figure must have been published by a reliable source and the album must have sold at least 20 million copies worldwide. Most albums have conflicting estimates of sales figures. In this list the highest sales figure reported for an album is added to the list. Groupings are based on different sales benchmarks, the highest being for claims of at least 100 million copies, and the lowest being for claims of 20–29 million copies. Albums are listed in order of number of copies sold and thereafter by the artist's first name. This list can contain any type of album, including studio, greatest hits, compilation, various artists, soundtrack and remix.
A number of issues make exact figures difficult to calculate, as historical data before the 1980s and from developing countries is incomplete. Additionally, fans, record companies and the media are prone to exaggerating sales figures to boost the image of the relevant act. The list also does not take into account the resale of used albums, as well as the emergence of illegal downloading of digital music in the 2000s.
Michael Jackson's Thriller is the best selling album of all time; though sales figures for the album vary, the album is cited as selling as many as 110 million copies worldwide.[1]
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