Top album – Yearly #1s

This list is about the number 1 most successful album per release year (understand “which have generated the most sales”).

Please keep in mind that some artists are missing, because their analysis has not been done yet. Here is the complete list of covered artists.

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Top album – Equivalent album sales (EAS) – Yearly #1s

Year		Album	EAS
1946		The Voice of Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra	2,163,000
1948		Christmas Songs by Sinatra Frank Sinatra	10,849,000
1954		Songs for Young Lovers Frank Sinatra	4,969,000
1955		In the Wee Small Hours Frank Sinatra	3,927,000
1956		Songs for Swingin' Lovers Frank Sinatra	18,860,000
1957		Elvis' Christmas Album Elvis Presley	36,223,000
1958		Come Fly with Me Frank Sinatra	11,766,000
1959		Come Dance with Me! Frank Sinatra	4,781,000
1960		G.I. Blues Elvis Presley	4,394,000
1961		Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley	30,420,000
1962		Surfin' Safari The Beach Boys	4,861,000
1963		Please Please Me The Beatles	31,124,000
1964		A Hard Day's Night The Beatles	28,776,000
1965		Help! The Beatles	34,576,000
1966		Pet Sounds The Beach Boys	27,591,000
1967		The Doors The Doors	39,911,000
1968		The Beatles (White Album) The Beatles	30,027,000
1969		Abbey Road The Beatles	46,013,000
1970		Bridge over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel	46,218,000
1971		Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin	58,890,000
1972		Machine Head Deep Purple	35,585,000
1973		The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd	58,222,000
1974		The Way We Were Barbra Streisand	14,886,000
1975		A Night at the Opera Queen	42,978,000
1976		Hotel California Eagles	72,694,000
1977		Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees & Various Artists	70,277,000
1978		Grease Various Artists	53,836,000
1979		The Wall Pink Floyd	53,577,000
1980		Back in Black AC/DC	61,951,000
1981		Escape Journey	34,522,000
1982		Thriller Michael Jackson	121,372,000
1983		Synchronicity The Police	38,095,000
1984		Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen	49,264,000
1985		Brothers in Arms Dire Straits	47,302,000
1986		Slippery When Wet Bon Jovi	52,885,000
1987		Bad Michael Jackson	65,675,000
1988		Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman	28,240,000
1989		...But Seriously Phil Collins	30,585,000
1990		No Fences Garth Brooks	34,014,000
1991		Nevermind Nirvana	58,879,000
1992		The Bodyguard Whitney Houston	55,420,000
1993		Music Box Mariah Carey	34,730,000
1994		Dookie Green Day	27,870,000
1995		Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette	42,574,000
1996		Falling Into You Céline Dion	42,863,000
1997		Let's Talk About Love Céline Dion	47,035,000
1998		Ray Of Light Madonna	21,501,000
1999		...Baby One More Time Britney Spears	32,802,000
2000		Hybrid Theory Linkin Park	36,047,000
2001		Laundry Service Shakira	18,066,000
2002		The Eminem Show Eminem	37,851,000
2003		Fallen Evanescence	24,581,000
2004		American Idiot Green Day	23,481,000
2005		All the Right Reasons Nickelback	19,261,000
2006		Back To Black Amy Winehouse	25,305,000
2007		Good Girl Gone Bad Rihanna	23,820,000
2008		The Fame / The Fame Monster Lady Gaga	39,538,000
2009		The E.N.D. Black Eyed Peas	20,488,000
2010		Doo-Wops & Hooligans Bruno Mars	26,996,000
2011		21 Adele	51,686,000
2012		Red Taylor Swift	24,350,000
2013		Frozen Various Artists	21,800,000
2014		1989 Taylor Swift	32,683,000
2015		25 Adele	32,108,000
2016		Starboy The Weeknd	17,060,000
2017		Divide (÷) Ed Sheeran	33,417,000
2018		Beerbongs & Bentleys Post Malone	17,409,000
2019		Hollywood's Bleeding Post Malone	18,196,000
2020		After Hours The Weeknd	15,582,000
2021		Sour Olivia Rodrigo	15,419,000
2022		Un Verano Sin Ti Bad Bunny	16,768,000
2023		One Thing at a Time Morgan Wallen	5,797,000

We have more for you

… and all of our cross-format and pure sales tops: