This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in global recorded music. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and all sales must have occurred in the first week of release. This list may include any type of album, including studio albums, extended plays, greatest hits, compilations, soundtracks and remixes. Market order within the article is ranked alphabetically. Albums within each table are listed in order of the number of copies sold and thereafter by the artist's first name.
Be Here Now (1997) by Oasis debuted at number one based on three-day sales of 696,000 copies, while its first full week actually totaled 813,000 copies.[87]
25 (2015) by Adele sold 439,000 copies in its second week of availability,[92] followed by 450,000 in its fifth.[93]
↑The Hanteo chart provides real-time daily, weekly, and monthly sales updates, but only accounts for data received from affiliated stores and therefore does not reflect the total sales of a given release. The Circle Album Chart (formerly Gaon), counts albums shipped to all stores regardless of affiliation, so there is always a noticeable difference between its figures and Hanteo's. Gaon, however, only began providing realtime data from 2019. Given this article's scope, and the limitations of existing sources, Hanteo's numbers alone are used.
↑Denotes sales from The Eminem Show's second week of availability, which was its first full week of activity. In its opening week, only one day of sales—284,000 copies—was recorded as the album's release date was pushed up due to bootlegging. That totals to 1.606 million copies in its first eight days of availability.[95]
↑Denotes sales from The Massacre's first four days of availability as the album was unconventionally released in the middle of an ongoing tracking week.[95]
↑The following albums predate the introduction of Nielsen SoundScan and their sales figures are possibly subject to manipulation as sales were self-reported by record labels.[100]
↑"U2: MUSICA un rock de excepción". Ciudad Nueva, Editorial y Cultural (in Spanish): 10. 1987. Retrieved May 19, 2026. The Joshua Tree disco del conjunto irlandés " U2 " ( 50.000 copias vendidas en la primera semana en Argentina )
↑"Rápidas" (in Breton). Correio de Notícias. June 14, 1987. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
↑"Crooning to the Top". The Globe and Mail. January 1, 2007. Archived from the original on March 1, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
↑"Coldplay Burns Up Album Charts". Jam! Showbiz. Canoe. June 15, 2005. Archived from the original on March 14, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
↑"2000 con Warner Music". Qué Pasa (in Spanish). 1995. p.83. Retrieved April 20, 2024. el año pasado -apenas 12 horas después de su lanzamiento- Segundo Romance ya había vendido en Chile 50.000 unidades
↑"Disco de Platino para "Vivo" en menos de 24 horas". El Diario (in Spanish). October 14, 2000. Disco de Platino para "Vivo". El Nuevo álbum de Luis Miguel superó en menos de 24 horas las 25.000 mil copias vendidas tan sólo en Chile.
↑"¡Arrasador!". La Nación (in Spanish). August 30, 1997. Retrieved January 14, 2023. Disco de platino en Colombia son 60.000 unidades, pero, en el primer día de ventas, Carlos salió con séxtuple disco de platino
↑Martinez, Liliana Angelica; Londoño, Juan Guillermo (September 9, 2001). "El disco en aprietos". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved May 19, 2026. Una estrella como Luis Miguel se pudo dar el lujo de colocar en el mercado colombiano 70 mil copias de sus Romances, en su primera semana de lanzamiento
↑"Lanzó Luis Miguel Su Álbum Nada Es Igual"[Luis Miguel Releases His Album Nada Es Igual]. El Siglo del Torreón (in Spanish). August 25, 1996. p.66. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
↑del Amo, Carlos (May 21, 2000). "Gloria Estefan une el ritmo del Caribe". La Tribuna. p.11. Retrieved March 3, 2024. En tan sólo dos días, Gloria Estefan vendió en España más de 150.000 copias de este Alma Caribeña
↑Jang, Woo-young (October 30, 2023). 세븐틴, K팝 아티스트 최초 초동 500만 돌파…펜타 밀리언셀러[Seventeen becomes the first K-pop artist to surpass 5 million initial sales... Penta Million Seller]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
12Jang, Seul-gi (June 9, 2023). 스트레이키즈, 놀라운 음반 파워…'461만장' K팝 초동판매량 신기록[Stray Kids, Amazing Album Power… '4.61 Million Copies' K-Pop Record in Initial Chodong Sales]. Raon News (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
↑Lee, Yoo-min (July 24, 2023). NCT 드림, 3번째 트리플 밀리언셀러 직행[NCT Dream's 3rd triple million seller]. Sports Khan (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
↑Park, Se-yeon (February 28, 2020). 방탄소년단, '맵 오브 더 소울:7' 첫 주에만 337만장 팔았다[BTS sold 3.37 million copies in the first week of Map of the Soul: 7]. Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020– via Naver.
↑Kang, Seo-jeong (May 8, 2024). 세븐틴, 음반만? 음원도 강하다..美 빌보드 주요차트 진입 성공[Seventeen, just the album? The sound source is strong, too. Successfully entered the U.S. Billboard major charts]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
↑Lee, Seul (June 17, 2022). 방탄소년단 'Proof', 초동 275만장 돌파…올해 국내 앨범 판매량 1위[BTS' 'Proof' surpasses 2.75 million copies in the first week... No. 1 album sales in Korea this year]. Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
12Kang, Da-yoon (November 10, 2023). 방탄소년단 정국, '골든' 초동 243만장 돌파…역대 K-팝 솔로 1위 [공식][BTS Jungkook's 'Golden' album exceeds 2.43 million copies in the first week... No. 1 K-Pop Solo of All Time [Official]]. My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
12Yoon, Hye-young (November 27, 2020). "어나더레벨" 방탄소년단, 'BE' 초동만으로 매출 890억 잭팟 [ST이슈][[ST Issue] "Another level" BTS, an 89 billion jackpot just from the initial sales of 'BE']. Sports Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
12Park, Dong-je (October 20, 2023). 투모로우바이투게더, 정규 3집 225만장 돌파..2연속 초동 '더블 밀리언셀러'[Tomorrow X Together has surpassed 2.25 million copies of its third full-length album..2nd consecutive initial "Double Million Seller"]. Break News (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
↑Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2, illustrateded.). Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN0-214-20480-4. this LP reached advance orders of 270,000 in Great Britain (a record then) and sold 530,000 copies within 1 week after release
↑Ingham, Chris (2006). The Rough Guide to the Beatles. London: Rough Guides/Penguin. p.51. ISBN978-1-84836-525-4. [The Beatles] made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest-selling album ever—almost two million in one week.
↑Campbell, Mary (December 27, 1986). "A look back at the year's events in music". The Sumter Daily Item. Retrieved March 7, 2018– via Google News Archive. Bruce Springsteen put out the blockbuster record album of 1986, "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Live 1975–85," a 40-song, five record set. It sold out its first shipment of 1.5 million copies in 10 days.
↑Gross, Mike (January 15, 1966). "Show Albums Win Longevity Sweepstakes". Billboard. Vol.78, no.3. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p.36. ISSN0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021– via Google Books. (Note: Click/tap "About magazine" to view issue details.)
↑Tilli, Robbert (June 3, 1995). "The World Waits for Michael Jackson's HIStory". Music & Media. Retrieved December 27, 2024. European Record History is being re-written, Three Million advance shipments of Michael Jackson's History
↑Mayfield, Geoff (July 5, 1995). "Between the Bullets - Geoff Mayfield". Billboard. "Of the 2.3 Million units of HIStory that were shipped, more than 1.6 Million of them were CD Sets" (Billboard Magazine - USA Sales watch)
↑Watts, Peter; Dimery, Rob (September 27, 2002). Guinness World Records 2003. Guinness World Records. p.188. ISBN978-0-85112-147-5. The Beatles ' 1, a compilation of all the British band's No.1 singles in the USA and UK, sold 3.6 million on its first day, 13 November 2000, and 13.5 million copies around the world in its first month in the stores
↑"40 Anos de Michael, Prince e Madonna"[40 Years of Michael, Prince and Madonna]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). August 7, 1998. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
↑Park, Se-yeon (February 3, 2023). 투모로우바이투게더 초동 218만장…BTS 이어 역대 초동 4위 등극[TXT sold 2.18 million copies in the first week… Ranked 4th in Initial Chodong history after BTS]. Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.