The 46 Best-Selling Female Artists with Over 50 Million Equivalent Album Sales

Who are the best-selling female artists of all time? Plenty of lists are available online. They often share two problems: they are highly inaccurate, and grossly incomplete. It’s time to fix that!

In fact, through the years many divas reached millions of listeners all over the world. Looking at the biggest names from the main markets like the US and the UK only provides partial results. On top of that, different music formats are rarely weighted consistently, which gives an unfair advantage to artists whose labels emphasize singles sales equivalents in their reporting. It creates pointless lists like the infamous best-selling artists’ page from Wikipedia.

This list ranks the 46 female artists who have sold over 50 million equivalent album sales (EAS), factoring in physical formats, digital downloads, and streaming. The diversity of eras and styles in this ranking spans pop icons, rock pioneers, R&B legends, and international superstars, giving a broad commercial view of female success in music history.

Reaching this threshold is an extraordinary achievement. Some huge names didn’t make the cut. Artists like Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez, Toni Braxton, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Sia, Kelly Clarkson, and Cardi B, despite chart-topping hits and awards, haven’t crossed the 50 million mark in total EAS. Even widely celebrated vocalists like Carole King, Bette Midler, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Cyndi Lauper fall short, often due to shorter solo catalogs or limited streaming traction. Various local legends also miss the list despite amazing sales in their home countries, including Mina (Italy), Namie Amuro (Japan) or Xuxa (Brazil).

This underscores just how high the bar is for inclusion: sustained success across formats, markets, and decades is essential to break into this elite list. From legends of the vinyl age to streaming-age powerhouses, here is the bottom-to-top countdown based on their total EAS figures!

Best-selling female artists ranking

#46 Mary J. Blige – 50.3 million EAS

Mary J. Blige, known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, kicks this ranking. Her first 8 albums, issued between 1992 and 2007, surpassed Platinum (1,000,000) status in the US. Her legacy includes Grammy-winning records like My Life and No More Drama, but also crossover hits like Family Affair and Be Without You.

Overall, she moved 35.5 million studio albums, 11.5 million physical singles and 10 million digital units, en route for 50 million EAS in total.

#45 Janis Joplin – 50.4 million EAS

A counterculture icon of the 1960s, Janis Joplin’s catalog includes just a handful of albums, but her impact was monumental. Her rise was rapid, and tragically short. The Texas native passed away at just 27, but not before leading Big Brother and the Holding Company to superstardom, topping the US album chart for two months with Cheap Thrills, and recording the posthumous classic Pearl.

Her raw voice drove classics like Piece of My Heart and Me and Bobby McGee to enduring relevance, both with over 250 million streams on Spotify, while her Greatest Hits album is among the best-selling female albums of the 1970s with sales north of 15 million.

#44 Yumi Matsutoya – 50.4 million EAS

One of Japan’s best-selling female artists, ranking 3rd, Yumi Matsutoya (formerly Yumi Arai) has moved 32.25 million copies from studio albums and 12 million from physical singles. Her influence in J-pop stretches back to the 1970s. In fact, her four albums issued as Yumi Arai chart #2, #3, #5, and #8 among the most streamed Japanese albums from the 1970s.

She retained an outstanding popularity for many years. 1990’s The Gates of Heaven became the first album certified for over 2 million sales in Japan, later on she climbed to 2.5 million sales with 1994’s The Dancing Sun. She registered the incredible record of 18 consecutive years with at least one #1 album. It’s no surprise that we see her among these all time greats with over 50 million EAS.

#43 Avril Lavigne – 51.0 million EAS

Bursting onto the scene in 2002 with Let Go, Avril Lavigne captured the early 2000s pop-punk wave. Monumental sales in every continent, especially in Asia where she had no competition for several years among international artists, helped drive her debut album. It became the 8th biggest female album of the 2000s.

Hits like Complicated and Girlfriend remained huge for many years, explaining in part her good results with digital singles, at 46 million sales. Recent years have not been as kind for her, but history has shown us that we should never rule out comebacks with skilled hit makers.

#42 Hikaru Utada – 51.1 million EAS

A little disclaimer here – Hikaru Utada describes herself as she/they on Instagram. As she broke many female records through the years in Japan, it would feel wrong not to recognize her success in this ranking.

Utada was barely 16 when she took her homeland by storm in 1999. Born and raised in New York, she arrived in Tokyo in 1997. After an unsuccessful first album under the stage name Cubic U, she issued her proper debut First Love in March 1999. In just eight weeks, it destroyed the previous 5-million sales record in Japan, climbing to 8 million units in a mere six months. Follow-up Distance sold just over 3 million units at retail in its first week, making it not only the biggest debut ever in Japan, but globally.

After many more successes, the 2007 single Flavor of Life went on to sell over 7 million digital units in Japan during the calendar year, another all-time record for the singer.

#41 Tracy Chapman – 53.7 million EAS

Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut brought socially conscious lyrics into mainstream pop, earning her 4 Grammy wins. Her studio albums, led by the aforementioned debut but also Crossroads and New Beginning, combine for 44 million sales.

Evergreen hit Fast Car experienced multiple download and streaming resurgences in the 2010s and 2020s, thanks to covers on TV shows as well as on record, as recently illustrated by country star Luke Combs.

#40 Norah Jones – 54.9 million EAS

With her jazz-infused pop sound, Norah Jones was on top of global charts from 2003 to 2005. Her debut, Come Away With Me, a slow-burner turned blockbuster, sold 24 million pure copies. Follow-up Feels Like Home was impressive as well at 11.5 million.

The artist also netted multiple Grammys on top of her massive crossover appeal. With career sales of 55 million EAS, long gone are the days when the critically acclaimed singer was described as the daughter of legendary Indian composer Ravi Shankar.

#39 Nana Mouskouri – 55.2 million EAS

Greek singer Nana Mouskouri’s global multilingual career saw both praise and mockery from music fans. As some media outlets claimed 300 million album sales for her—more than Madonna—people keen to believe bold claims were impressed, while doubters turned the “unknown” claims into ridicule.

Known for her opera-inflected pop and vocal prowess, the fact is that Nana Mouskouri did wonders in many markets. In France, she nears 10 million album sales, while in Germany she is over 7 million, putting her among the all-time best international performers in both places. Her success is possibly even bigger in South Korea, where her 2002 Greatest Hits competed with The Beatles 1 for many years, selling over 350,000 units. In Latin America, she reached multi-platinum levels in the late ’80s/early ’90s while being nearly 60. Born in 1934, Mouskouri recently turned 90. While she doesn’t compete with the biggest names globally, her unique skill of feeling local in so many distinct places made her one of the top-selling non-English recording artists ever with over 55 million EAS.

#38 Alla Pugacheva – 55.3 million EAS

The best-selling Russian artist on this list, Alla Pugacheva sold 32 million copies of her studio albums. The two volumes of 1977’s Zerkalo dushi topped 8 million sales combined, while her fifth Kak trevozhen etot put topped 6 million, also with two vinyls selling about equal numbers. She also sold an incredible total of 34 million singles, plus an additional 10 million that are regarded as EPs.

Her dominance in the Soviet-era music market and lasting presence across decades, as shown by the 2008 chart-topping album Priglasheniye na zakat, reflect the cultural force she is in Russian-speaking regions.

#37 Lana Del Rey – 56.5 million EAS

Lana Del Rey recently topped 50 million EAS, and she is now already claiming over 56 million. That includes 38.8 million EAS from streaming alone, an incredible number from the once one-album wonder.

From Born to Die to Norman Fucking Rockwell, her lush cinematic style and internet cult following turned her into an humongous figure among Gen Z. She is poised to continue climbing the ladder over the coming years.

#36 Alicia Keys – 57.6 million EAS

Her blend of R&B and classical piano instantly made Alicia Keys a pop culture favorite. Her 2001 debut single Fallin established her as a major new voice in music. with her 2001 breakout debut single Fallin. The discreet American singer somehow managed to drop one massive hit single with almost all her albums for over a decade – Fallin (from Songs in A Minor), If I Ain’t Got You (The Diary of Alicia Keys), No One (As I Am), and Girl on Fire (Girl on Fire) were all unexpected smashes amidst various underperforming songs.

She also contributed to groundbreaking hits like Gangsta Lovin’ with Eve, My Boo with Usher, and Empire State of Mind with Jay-Z. Then, following that period, she entered a drought that has persisted since 2013, unable to reach the Hot 100 top 40 despite releasing gems like 2016’s In Common. Still, with 33 million studio album sales and 58 million digital sales, she belongs among the biggest artists of her generation.

#35 Alanis Morissette – 59.2 million EAS

The raw emotional punch of Jagged Little Pill alone brought Alanis Morissette 43 million EAS, making it the 8th best- selling era from the 1990s. Her distinct vocal style and alt-rock edge shoot her to the top of charts, with You Oughta Know becoming a cultural lightning rod.

It was nearly impossible to reproduce such a success, especially as Morissette was hardly seeking the spotlight, and indeed, she did no miracle. Nevertheless, her career powers a very solid tally of 59 million.

#34 Christina Aguilera – 59.9 million EAS

Launching her career alongside the teen pop boom with her 13-million-selling eponymous debut, Christina Aguilera transitioned into R&B (Stripped), Latin (Mi Reflejo), Holiday (My Kind of Christmas), and even Jazz (Burlesque) genres with success. Early hits like Genie in a Bottle and Beautiful remain widely recognized across generations.

In addition to her own catalog, Aguilera, despite recording a limited number of features, was extremely successful with her contributions on tracks like Moves Like Jagger, Say Something, Feel This Moment, and Lady Marmalade. These titles, among others, explain her impressive showing on digital sales at 70 million. Overall, she is on her way to surpass 60 million EAS.

#33 Nicki Minaj – 60.1 million EAS

The highest-ranking female rapper, Nicki Minaj collected over 133 million in digital single sales and 38.9 million EAS from streams, driven by massive hits like Super Bass, FEFE, and Anaconda. With minimal physical releases, her sales rely heavily on her dominant digital presence – a sign of the times, but also of her core audience’s habits.

She is also a safe bet on features, as shown by the success of Tusa, Side to Side, Bang Bang, Swalla, Beauty and a Beat, Hey Mama, and many more. Her traction remains strong, making her likely to enter the Top 30 best-selling female artists of all time in the near future.

#32 Reba McEntire – 62.3 million EAS

A country powerhouse, Reba McEntire sold 42 million studio albums and 17 million copies from her compilations, live sets, and videos. Known for hits like Fancy, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, and Consider Me Gone, her multi-decade career in both music and television helped her cross genre boundaries into pop culture familiarity in North America.

Among her most impressive achievements, she issued a streak of 20 consecutive studio albums, spanning the years 1984 to 2009, that reached at least Gold (500,000 sales) status in the US.

#31 Ayumi Hamasaki – 62.6 million EAS

Often dubbed the Empress of J-Pop, Ayumi Hamasaki is the highest-selling female artist of all time in Japan. She has incredible numbers in every metric, with 22 million studio albums sold, 19 million from compilations and videos, 46 million digital single sales, and 26 million from physical singles.

Her fashion influence and concert tours also contributed to an almost unmatched dominance in Japanese music in the early 2000s. Her chart rivalry with Hikaru Utada made headlines for many years, culminating when the latter’s Distance faced Ayumi’s A Best upon their shared release date, March 28, 2001. This duel concluded with one of the most insane chart facts ever: Despite having the second fastest-selling album of all time globally—with 2,874,870 sales at retail in Japan alone—A Best had to settle for a #2 debut. It eventually climbed to the top spot the following week. on Japanese weekly charts.

Thanks to her higher productivity, Ayumi had the last word in this friendly match, ranking at #31 on this list with over 62 million EAS.

#30 Diana Ross – 63.4 million EAS

We enter the Top 30 with the iconic Motown singer Diana Ross. After enjoying incredible years with The Supremes, the highest-selling female group of all time, Ross embarked on an equally successful solo career.

Her ability to release chart-toppers as a solo artist continued for multiple decades after her 1960s debut with The Supremes, lasting well into the 1990s, with songs like Touch Me In The Morning, Upside Down, Endless Love, and Chain Reaction contributing to her 39 million physical singles sales. During decades of cultural shifts she peaked with her 1980 LP Diana, and left behind her LGBTQ+ anthem I’m Coming Out, which still shines on streaming platforms.

#29 Dolly Parton – 63.7 million EAS

We previously mentioned some surprising chart facts; country legend Dolly Parton is no stranger to them. Her rise to the top was unusually slow. She needed 9 singles to first enter Billboard’s country singles chart, and 19 to reach the top 10. Her first dent into the main Hot 100 came on her 29th solo release (1973’s classic Jolene, #60 hit), while her 42nd made the top 10 (Here You Come Again, #3 in 1977). Ultimately, she got her first chart topper with her 57th single, 9 to 5, in 1980. She made the top again with the massive crossover hit Islands in the Stream, a duet with Kenny Rogers in 1983.

Of course, country records were largely deflated by Billboard charts before the SoundScan era that debuted in 1991. Still, the slow rise of Dolly Parton perfectly summarizes her career: as years pass, she keeps getting more and more popular. Her last, 49th (!!) studio album Rockstar from 2023 debuted and peaked at #3 in the US, the highest for any Dolly Parton album, some 64 years after her first single release.

The one who used to be seen in many parts of the world as the unknown singer who wrote and performed the original version of I Will Always Love You, made famous by Whitney Houston, is now a pop culture powerhouse on her own, as illustrated by her 64 million EAS. This score keeps increasing fast in our streaming age, with artists like Post Malone, Beyoncé, and Sabrina Carpenter eager to secure her feature on their songs.

#28 Billie Eilish – 64.2 million EAS

We make a big gap, as the #28 placed female singer on this ranking, Billie Eilish, had the world at her feet when she was barely 17. After the very promising Don’t Smile at Me, she released her proper debut album in 2019 with When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.

Her minimalist, eerie pop was a huge slap on the face of music fans, instantly defining the late 2010s Gen Z landscape, crushing charts worldwide and stealing the show at the Grammys awards. With 2021’s Happier than Ever and 2024’s Hit Me Hard and Soft she confirmed that she was here to stay. Still only 23, her catalog is already stacked with hits like Ocean Eyes, Lovely, When the Party’s Over, Everything I Wanted and Birds of a Feather. Eilish, currently at 64 million EAS, is a safe bet to hit 100 million in the future, only time will tell how much higher she can go as right now sky is the limit for her.

#27 Donna Summer – 65.3 million EAS

The undisputed Queen of Disco, Donna Summer was an outstanding hit maker in late 1970s, scoring huge successes with Love to Love You Baby, Hot Stuff, I Feel Love, Bad Girls, Last Dance, No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) and many more songs. Her singles moved more than 43.5 million physical copies, and became a strong inspiration for dance music globally. They continue to live through extensive sampling and remixes.

During her hey-days, the American singer who passed away in 2012 was also a selling force in the album front, having secured nearly 50 million sales from her studio albums (27 million) and compilations (22.5 million).

#26 Olivia Newton-John – 65.9 million EAS

Another flagship of the disco era with a stunning legacy of huge hits, we pursue this ranking with British and Australian girl Olivia Newton-John. Before starring in Grease, the lovely young star had been steadily building her career. She was first a hit in Australia, hitting #1 with 1971’s Banks of the Ohio. Her country renditions like Let Me Be There were popular in the US, where she got back to back chart topping albums with If You Love Me Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). From 1973 to 1975, she also issued five consecutive million selling singles in the US, the biggest being I Honestly Love You.

In the UK, her pop tunes were favored. She represented her country in the Eurovision contest in 1974, finishing 4th the year that saw a Swede group named ABBA bring the title home. After a weaker period in 1976/1977, her performance on Grease made her bigger than ever thanks to monstrous hits You’re the One that I Want, Summer Nights and Hopelessly Devoted to You.

1980s songs like Magic, Xanadu and Physical continued her hot streak, with the latter becoming Billboard’s biggest single of the entire decade, with a then record 10-weeks at #1. That era was also her last one as a global star, even through she had successful albums until the end of her career in Australia. She passed away in 2022 during a third bout with breast cancer.

#25 Miley Cyrus – 67.2 million EAS

From Hannah Montana to Party in the U.S.A. to Wrecking Ball to Flowers, Miley Cyrus has been able to build a significant catalog, always coming back stronger after various controversies. With 70.5 million digital singles sales and 30.8 million EAS from streams, her evolution from teen pop to rock-infused adult records keeps her commercially relevant across shifting eras.

A child star at first, even though she has been around forever Miley Cyrus is still only 32, so she will have plenty of time to increase her profile after the success of Flowers, winner of the Record of the Year Grammy in 2024. She’s planned to do just that with her ninth album Something Beautiful coming out next month, on May 30. As of now, she ranks 25th among the best-selling female artists ever.

#24 Ella Fitzgerald – 67.9 million EAS

Ella Fitzgerald may come as a shocker in this ranking. She is the owner of only one Gold album in the US, and only one Platinum disc in the UK, the First Lady of Song has been racking up millions of sales off the radar for decades.

Her jazz standards and collaborations with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong made her one of the highest-selling jazz artists ever. With a catalog made of over 2,000 releases according to Discogs, her albums total 52 million sales, while she moved 35 million units with her physical singles. These include various hits in the 1930s and the 1940s, like US chart toppers A-Tisket, A Tasket and I’m Making Believe. Nowadays, her signature song on streaming platforms, where she does wonders with over 3 billion streams on Spotify alone, is Dream A Little Dream Of Me.

#23 Linda Ronstadt – 68.8 million EAS

Crossing into country, rock, and Latin genres, Linda Ronstadt was likely the strongest female singer in the US from mid-1970s until the explosion of Madonna. From the #1 album Heart Like A Wheel, she released a string of super successful albums, with peaks with 1977’s Simple Dreams, 1983’s What’s New and 1989’s Cry Like a Rainstorm, each of them passing 3 million sales in her homeland.

Her vocal versatility accompanied a large part of these years’ mainstream music with hits like You’re No Good, Blue Bayou and Don’t Know Much. After an impressive run, she fell completely out of fashion from the 1990s, and retired after her final album Adieu False Heart in 2006. That doesn’t prevent her from being the most successful female singer to break over the main audience during the 1970s.

#22 Gloria Estefan – 68.9 million EAS

Gloria Estefan became the face of Latin pop in the late 1980s, fronting the Miami Sound Machine before transitioning into a successful solo career. With over 51 million studio album sales and 15.5 million physical singles sold overall, her energetic, crossover-friendly tracks like Conga, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, and Anything for You became international hits. During the 1990s, she maintained consistent sales, breaking records in Latin markets with 1993’s Mi Tierra.

While her mainstream visibility waned after the 90s, her music kept selling decently across Latin America and Europe. Estefan was among the first female Latin artists to achieve global success in English, paving the way for acts like Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. She remains the best-selling female Latin artist of the 1980s and ranks #22 in this overall female list.

#21 Katy Perry – 74.9 million EAS

Katy Perry took the digital era by storm with Teenage Dream, an album that tied Michael Jackson’s Bad with five Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits. Songs like I Kissed A Girl, Firework, Roar, and Dark Horse quickly became pop culture anthems. Her total of 135.4 million digital single sales is among the highest ever for a female artist, while her 38.1 million EAS from streaming are huge as well.

Despite the commercial decline of her recent projects, Perry’s early 2010s run was so dominant that her place in the top 25 remains secured, even more with her strong recurring streams. Actually, she’s more likely to inch into the top 20 in the near future.

#20 Cher – 75.1 million EAS

Cher‘s extraordinary longevity spans six decades of music history. In a career made of ups and downs, she’s the definitive female phoenix. From the near 3 million seller I Got You Babe in the 60s to gigantic 7 million seller Believe in the late 90s, she consistently returned to the charts, adapting her sound to the times while amassing no less than 46 million physical singles sales despite long periods of draughts. Her albums and compilations moved over 56 million units.

Notably, Believe popularized the use of auto-tune in pop music. Before that, she piled successes like Bang Bang, Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Half-Breed, Dark Lady and If I Could Turn Back Time. Her career, music, and reinventions have made her a pop culture icon, and, as we can see, one of the 20 best-selling female artists of all time.

#19 Tina Turner – 75.4 million EAS

In the late 1960s, Tina Turner as part of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue with hits like Proud Mary and Nutbush City Limits, but it was her solo comeback in the 1980s that sealed her place among music royalty. Her 1984 album Private Dancer became a juggernaut, selling over 15 million copies worldwide and spawning hits like What’s Love Got to Do with It, a Billboard Hot 100 #1 and her signature track. Known for her electric stage presence and raspy powerhouse vocals, Turner successfully bridged soul, rock, and pop across decades.

Despite a rocky start to her solo career and a period of personal turmoil, she roared back into the spotlight with consistent hits through the ’80s and early ’90s. Following Private Dancer, Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair (14 million combined) were also great sellers, especially in Europe. In total, she moved 38.7 million studio album, 25.7 million from compilations, and a solid 21.5 million in physical singles. While her streaming numbers are naturally lower, her catalog continues to generate steady interest, with a career total now in excess of 75 million EAS.

#18 Janet Jackson – 79.2 million EAS

Janet Jackson’s rise in the mid-1980s was a masterclass in timing, talent, and reinvention. With the 9-million selling breakthrough album Control, she shook off her family’s shadow and redefined herself as an assertive, genre-blending pop force. Rhythm Nation 1814 raised the bar to 11 million, and made her the first artist to score seven top 5 singles from one album. Her choreography-driven performances and bold visuals made her a star of the pop culture in the MTV era. 1993’s Janet, 1997’s The Velvet Rope and 2001’s All For You continued her huge success for a lengthy period.

Cracking 50 million sales with her studio albums and a massive 40 million physical singles sold, she was the strongest R&B performer of her era. With a total of 79.2 million EAS, she ranks #18 in this all-time list, standing as the fifth biggest female artists to emerge from the 1980s.

#17 Aretha Franklin – 82.9 million EAS

The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin dominated the late 1960s and early 1970s with a voice that could move mountains and stir revolutions. Her gospel-trained delivery and commanding stage presence turned songs like Respect, Chain of Fools, I Say a Little Prayer, and Think into cultural cornerstones. Aretha became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and remained a benchmark for vocal excellence across genres.

With 29.7 million studio album sales, a staggering 30.8 million from compilations and live albums, and 51.3 million physical singles, her total reflects a towering physical era legacy. Her streaming numbers are solid for a 1960s artists, with both Respect and I Say A Little Prayer claiming 700 million streams on Spotify. A foundational figure in Black cultural achievement, Aretha Franklin is the 17th best-selling female artist ever, and the first among artists debuting before the 1960s. She passed away in 2018, aged 76.

#16 Shania Twain – 84.9 million EAS

Shania Twain became a global superstar with her mix of country roots with pop production powered by her then husband Robert Mutt Lunge. She broke through with 1995’s The Woman in Me and personified crossover success with 1997’s Come On Over which sold 33.5 million copies pure. Known for her empowered lyrics and catchy hooks, songs like You’re Still the One, That Don’t Impress Me Much, and Man! I Feel Like a Woman! dominated charts across continents and rejuvinated the image of country music in the mainstream.

Her commercial breakdown is heavily weighted toward physical sales, with 63.2 million EAS from studio albums and an additional 13.1 million from physical singles. While her digital and streaming numbers – 10.7 million digital singles and 4.9 million EAS respectively – are modest compared to younger acts, they’re strong for a 90s country artist. After a lengthy hiatus, she returned with new material and a Vegas residency in the 2010s.

#15 P!nk – 85.3 million EAS

P!nk exploded onto the scene in 2000 with Can’t Take Me Home, but it was 2001’s M!ssundaztood that launched her into global pop-rock stardom. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, she built a loyal fanbase through her anthemic songwriting, powerful vocals, and rebellious image. Tracks like Get the Party Started, Just Like a Pill, So What, and Just Give Me a Reason became huge hits. Her authenticity mainstream appeal helped her quietly amass one of the most consistent chart runs of the 21st century. She made it even bigger in Australia where several of her albums were historical blockbusters.

Her digital footprint is strong, with 85.6 million digital singles sales and 16.9 million EAS from streams, outpacing many of her early-2000s peers. P!nk also moved over 41.9 million units from studio albums and 7.7 million from physical singles.

#14 Ariana Grande – 87.2 million EAS

Ariana Grande transitioned from Nickelodeon star to pop powerhouse with her 2013 debut Yours Truly. Her vocal range quickly drew comparisons to Mariah Carey, while albums like My Everything, Dangerous Woman, and Thank U, Next made her a streaming-era juggernaut. With smash singles like Problem, Into You, No Tears Left to Cry, and 7 Rings, she became a defining voice of late-2010s and early-2020s pop.

Her commercial profile is dominated by new-generation metrics: she has a staggering 68.9 million EAS from streaming, being the 5th most streamed artist ever on Spotify. Her digital sales are up to 58 million, despite her debut when they were already on their way down. Her last studio album to date, Eternal Sunshine, currently ranks as the 5th biggest 2024 album across all metrics, proving that Grande still has plenty of gas to keep climbing up this list.

#13 Shakira – 88.9 million EAS

Shakira rose to prominence in Latin America in the 1990s before making a global breakthrough with Laundry Service in 2001, thanks to the out-of-the-blue smash Whenever, Wherever, followed by Underneath Your Clothes. Her fusion of Latin pop, rock, and Middle Eastern influences set her apart from peers. She made it again with 2006’s Hips Don’t Lie, and once again delivered a global anthem with Waka Waka, the official 2010 FIFA World Cup song.

Managing to remain a premium seller in both English and Spanish for many years, her career totals got more and more impressive. She’s now up to 36.6 million studio album sales, 7.4 million sales from compilations and live sets, 9.2 million from physical singles, and a strong 62.6 million in digital singles. On streaming platforms, she adds 32.8 million EAS, a massive number for an artists who’s discography starts in early 1990s. The Colombian superstar is up to 89 million EAS, with an eye on the magical 100 million barrier for the upcoming years.

#12 Enya – 91.0 million EAS

Enya built an extraordinary career far from the usual pop spotlight. Her breakthrough came with Watermark in 1988, led by the ethereal hit Orinoco Flow. Specializing in Celtic-influenced, multi-layered ambient music, she created a niche of her own, achieving massive worldwide success without tours or traditional promotion. Albums like Shepherd Moons, The Memory of Trees, and A Day Without Rain turned her into one of the best-selling artists of the 1990s and 2000s.

Despite rarely appearing in media, Enya sold 83 million albums, her catalog sales climb to 91 million with singles’ formats. With modest but consistent streaming numbers totaling 5.4 million EAS, her catalog remains a favorite in relaxation playlists and holiday rotations. Her quiet dominance in the industry has made her one of the most successful female solo artists in history.

#11 Lady Gaga – 95.7 million EAS

Lady Gaga made one of the most explosive debuts of the 21st century with The Fame in 2008, quickly becoming a pop sensation with hits like Just Dance, Poker Face, and Bad Romance. The hype surrounding the release of each of her new music videos among teenagers was surreal. With fantastic numbers in every avenue, The Fame and its reissue The Fame Monster shifted 43 million EAS to date, making it the biggest era of the 2000s.

After several ups and down with the releases of Born This Way, ARTPOP and Joanne, her 2018 role in A Star Is Born and its lead single Shallow brought her both Oscar and Grammy acclaim. 2020’s Chromatica and 2025’s Mayhem came with their share of success, including the global #1 smash with Bruno Mars, Die With A Smile. A testament of her notable reach, she broke the record among female artists for the highest monthly listeners peak on Spotify.

Along 36 million album sales, Lady Gaga has also amassed a massive 129 million in digital singles and 39.4 million EAS from streaming. While her releases have occasionally polarized audiences, she remains a chart fixture with high replay value and global recognition. She ranks #11 among the best-selling female artists of all time, although the top 10 remains quite far away for now. Instead, the 100-million barrier is within striking distance.

#10 Beyoncé – 109.0 million EAS

We enter the all time top 10 best-selling female artists with no other than Beyoncé. The American diva rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child before launching her solo career with Dangerously in Love in 2003. Crazy in Love was an instant smash, a success soon confirmed with Baby Boy. Over time, she pushed artistic boundaries with visual albums such as Beyoncé and Lemonade, exploring pop, R&B, hip hop, and soul. Her commanding performances, cultural presence and critical acclaim made her one of the most influential singers of her generation.

Her commercial totals include 44 million album sales, and a massive 164 million digital singles. On streaming platforms, she’s accumulated over 40.6 million EAS, driven by a strong catalog that spans over two decades. While her recent releases have leaned more conceptual and less commercial, her impact remains impressive.

#9 Adele – 116.2 million EAS

The success of Adele‘s debut album 19 was lovely, with good sales in her native UK, and great promises abroad especially in the Netherlands where it topped charts for 8 weeks. It was impossible to imagine what was coming next though. Her sophomore album 21 transformed her into a global icon. Featuring modern classics like Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, and Set Fire to the Rain, the album dominated charts in a way unseen since Michael Jackson‘s Thriller. It almost naturally won Album of the Year at the Grammys. Up to nearly 55 million EAS, it’s the most successful album of the last 30 years (filter years 1993-2025).

Follow-up releases 25 and 30 continued her streak of blockbuster first-week sales thanks to their strong lead singles Hello and Easy On Me. Even if the latter failed to have as much legs as its predecessors, it sold a lot still.

With a mere four studio albums in 17 years, Adele claims 116 million EAS, including 67 million album sales, 100 million digital units, and 33 million EAS from streaming. With 33.4 million EAS from streaming, Adele’s consistency in both critical and commercial terms is unmatched.

#8 Britney Spears – 122.5 million EAS

Britney Spears became a pop phenomenon in 1999 with …Baby One More Time, breaking over the main audience all over the world and across generations in a few months only. The album launched one of the most iconic teen pop careers in history, followed by a series of hits like Oops!… I Did It Again, Toxic, and Womanizer. Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, she was a mainstay on radio, charts, and tabloid headlines, helping to define the TRL era and modern pop stardom.

Her commercial breakdown includes 81 million album sales, 18.6 million physical singles, and an impressive 83 million digital singles. Streaming adds another 23.3 million EAS to her tally. Despite personal and legal struggles that slowed her output – her last album, Glory, came out in 2016, her legacy remains highly visible thanks to fan loyalty and cultural reappraisal.

#7 Rihanna – 127.7 million EAS

Rihanna took off in 2005 with Pon de Replay and quickly became the most prolific hitmaker of the digital era. Albums like Good Girl Gone Bad, Loud, Talk That Talk, and Anti produced massive global hits including Umbrella, We Found Love, Diamonds, and Work. Known for her edgy image and vocal versatility, she spent nearly a decade as a fixture atop charts worldwide, before pivoting to fashion and beauty with her Fenty empire. Just like Britney Spears, her last album ANTI dates back to 2016.

While her album sales are solid at 15 million, Rihanna‘s heydays perfectly matched iTunes’ heydays, leading to an unbelievable 258 million digital sales. She is far and away the highest selling artist ever in downloads plus ringtones. Despite her near empty discography since the streaming boom, her catalog is so valuable that she also racked up 58.2 million EAS from streaming platforms. This continuous success pushed her to the #7 position in this list, with a massive 128 million sales.

#6 Barbra Streisand – 154.0 million EAS

Barbra Streisand began her recording career in the early 1960s and became a defining voice of the era with her mix of Broadway, traditional pop, and adult contemporary music. Her vocal precision and theatrical style earned her massive acclaim, making her perhaps the original diva. Her popularity has endured for many years. She remains the only artist with number-one albums in six different decades. Landmark records like Guilty, The Way We Were, A Star Is Born, The Broadway Album highlighted her crossover success between stage, screen, and the charts.

Her catalog of studio albums moved 91.4 million units, plus a remarkable 49.7 million from other LPs such as live albums and compilations. She also moved 35.3 million physical singles, with digital and streaming contributions at 2.3 million combined – low by modern standards, but again consistent with her physical-era dominance. She is one of the six female singers that surpass 150 million EAS.

#5 Whitney Houston – 161.3 million EAS

Whitney Houston became one of the biggest breakout stars of the 1980s, following the footsteps of Madonna in setting a new generation of super popular divas. She did so with her self-titled debut album and its chart-topping hits like How Will I Know and Saving All My Love for You. Her follow up Whitney was just as massive thanks to the smash I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Her powerful and clear voice brought even more success in the 1990s when she recorded Dolly Parton‘s I Will Always Love You for the The Bodyguard soundtrack, which became one of the best-selling singles in history. At 56 million EAS, the soundtrack remains the best-selling female album of all time.

Her 161 million EAS units includes 113.6 million from studio albums and 17.2 million from compilations. Her physical singles sales are massive at near 50 million. She also added 34 million from digital singles, sadly boosted by her passing in 2012, and 10.5 million from streaming. Even posthumously, her catalog continues to perform strongly across platforms and generations. Whitney Houston ranks #5 among the best-selling female artists of all time.

#4 Mariah Carey – 196.5 million EAS

Debuting in 1990 with her self-titled album, Mariah Carey revealed her vocal prowesses right from the start, creating a fan following early on. Her mainstream success was impressive too, as illustrated by her record five consecutive number-one singles out of the gate. She went on to become a dominant force during the 1990s with albums like Music Box, Daydream, and Butterfly. To her immaculate resume, she added the seasonal hit All I Want for Christmas Is You, an evergreen juggernaut ever since it came out, and now bigger than ever since streaming opened up the global market to this genre.

Her commercial footprint includes 122 million studio album sales, 34.3 million from compilations, 40.6 million in physical singles, 81.5 million in digital singles, and 15.8 million in streaming EAS. She is the only female artist to secure over 15 million sales across each of these five sales metrics, the trademark of a catalog that has been going very strong for many decades.

#3 Céline Dion – 201.9 million EAS

Céline Dion gained international fame in the early 1990s, bolstered by the success of The Colour of My Love and Falling Into You. Her ability to deliver grand pop ballads with crystal-clear power made her a global phenomenon. Let’s Talk About Love, released in 1997, featured My Heart Will Go On, the Titanic theme song that became quite simply the most successful song of all time.

The Quebec native has also been able to pursue in parallel an incredibly successful career in French language, with 1994’s D’Eux becoming the highest selling album ever in France. Her 1990s success was so immense that we almost forgot that she won the Eurovision contest in 1988 representing Switzerland with the song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, which remains the last French-language song to claim the trophy.

Health and personal life issues reduced severely her pace of release lately. Her aura remains very strong, as shown by the universal acclaim for her rendition of Edith Piaf‘s Hymne A L’Amour at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Her totals include 136.2 million studio album sales, 40.4 million from other LPs, and 39.3 million physical singles. She also added 26.7 million digital sales and 9.5 million from streaming platforms. Céline Dion is the 3rd best-selling female artist ever, with an overall total in excess of 200 million EAS.

#2 Taylor Swift – 237.9 million EAS

When the Big 4 (Madonna, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Céline Dion) crushed charts during the 1990s and into the 2000s, it felt like they would forever be the four best-selling female artists. Taylor Swift had other plans though. The American superstar began her career as a teenage country singer with Taylor Swift (2006), but it was Fearless (2008) that propelled her into mainstream pop-country stardom. Her shift to full pop with 1989 (2014) resulted in one of the biggest eras of the digital age, thanks to hits like Shake It Off and Blank Space.

Her recent projects – including Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, The Tortured Poets Department and the Taylor’s Version re-recordings – densified her catalog in no time. With each of these releases selling bucketloads, she distanced herself from her contemporaries to join the all-time greats in terms of total sales.

Breaking down her results, her studio albums are up to 65 million sales, an unbelievable tally in this day and age, and this doesn’t account for the 16 million sales from her re-recordings (Taylor’s Versions) and side sales avenues like legal Chinese downloads. Her digital sales of 165 million are equally massive, while her 133 million EAS from streams are just mind-blowing. Overall, she is up to 238 million EAS, now second only to the queen.

#1 Madonna – 252.0 million EAS

Madonna launched her career in the early 1980s and quickly became the face of female pop for decades. From Like a Virgin and True Blue to Ray of Light and Confessions on a Dance Floor, she constantly reinvented herself musically and visually, setting trends while dominating global charts. For 40 years, she has been the ubiquitous leader among female stars.

Her total includes 146.5 million sales from studio albums, 64.4 million from compilations, lives and videos, and a huge 75.2 million physical singles. Among female artists, she is the top seller in each of these three categories. She also earned 42.1 million digital singles and 12.2 million from streaming – solid for an artist whose peak was in the 1980s. With 252 million EAS units in total, Madonna stands at the very top, ranking #1 among the best-selling female artists of all time. While her reign may come to an end soon, her journey has nonetheless been extraordinary.

The best-selling artists list, updated

After following the music industry for over 20 years, one thing that I’ve learned is that all-time lists evolve rather quickly through the years. If we take a step back and look at more names, we notice that singers like Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat or Anitta to name a few may reach this ranking in the near future.

Our sortable and filterable list of the best-selling artists of all time is the perfect way to keep track of this ranking, and the sales and streams evolution of artists. If you want to dig deeper into one artist statistics, head to his Artist Dashboard page, as shown by this Madonna‘s example.

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