We have seen many artists come and go over the decades. Breaking into the music industry is never easy, let alone becoming one of the greatest of all time and someone who continues to inspire generation after generation of listeners. That's why artists like The Beatles, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Madonna are definitely one of a kind.
With this list, we're diving deep into the top ten highest-selling pop artists of all time according to how many units or copies of their album sold worldwide (not only in the U.S.). Since the days of purchasing physical albums is nearly gone, album downloads, song downloads, and song streams all contribute toward the unit count. It's also worth noting that we're only covering the pop genre or its crossovers; hence we won't see other artists like Eminem (hip-hop) or Led Zeppelin (rock) here.
10 Celine Dion (170-200 Million Units)
Celine Dion has two diamond-certificated albums in her discography: Falling Into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997), with the latter featuring the infamous Titanic soundtrack, My Heart Will Go On. Throughout her career, Dion has amassed approximately 200 million unit sales.
A diamond-certified album means that the record has shipped over ten million copies. If an album is "double-diamond-certified," that means the album was sold over 20 million times, and so on.
9 Whitney Houston (170-200 Million Units)
The late Whitney Houston was an iconic figure. Her breakthrough and rise to international fame in the 1980s opened the doors for many African-American women, allowing them to follow her path.
Her debut self-titled album has been certified platinum at least 13 times, making it one of the highest-selling albums of all time. Unfortunately, Houston passed away in 2012, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
8 Mariah Carey (Around 200 Million Units)
To say Mariah Carey only makes bank from shopping malls who play All I Want For Christmas Is You during the holiday season is undoubtedly wrong. Before artists like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears rose to fame, Carey treated the 1990s as her playground by having six platinum-certificated albums. Music Box (1993), Merry Christmas (1994), and Daydream (1995) achieved back-to-back success.
7 Taylor Swift (Around 200 Million Units)
Taylor Swift's amazing songwriting skill is one of a kind. She was only 17 when she burst into the country music scene with her self-titled debut album, and after that, she hasn't stop venturing from one genre to the next.Albums like pop-driven 1989 and trap-influenced Reputation are the living proofs of that. In addition, the singer hasn't stopped with her 200 million units figure, either, as she's just released her ninth album, Evermore.
6 Rihanna (Around 200 Million Units)
Although it feels like it's been forever since Rihanna released new music, with her latest album Anti released in 2016, she's still one of the most bonafide pop stars out there.
Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006) helped propel her status into one of the most popular "sex symbols" in the music industry. Besides music, Bad Gal RiRi has a great presence in the beauty industry with her cosmetic brand and fashion line, "Fenty Beauty."
5 Madonna (275-300 Million Units)
It's safe to say Madonna is one of the only artists to have successfully crossed over decades. The 1958-born powerhouse singer made her debut in 1983 with Madonna: The First Album, and her latest, Madame X, was released in 2019.
Madonna often draws controversies for incorporating taboo topics, including social and religious themes into her albums, which makes her one of the most outspoken artists out there.
4 Elton John (250-300 Million Units)
Sir Elton John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin have recorded a total of 13 albums from Empty Sky (1969) to Wonderful Crazy Night (2016). Together, the two amassed approximately 300 million unit sales within their multi-decade career.
John has been so influential in the British music industry that, in 1998, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for "services to music and charitable services."
3 Michael Jackson (300-350 Million Units)
It would be impossible to leave the King of Pop off this list. Until his sudden death in 2009, the Michael Jackson amassed approximately 350 million claimed sales for his ten studio albums. His sixth LP, Thriller, is pop music at its finest, as he managed to break down racial barriers.
2 Elvis Presley (Around 600 Million Units)
Elvis Presley is another superstar taken from us too soon. Dubbed as the 'King of Rock and Roll,' Elvis was the biggest pop culture phenomenon the world has ever seen. His influence successfully crossed races, especially at the height of racial tension in the U.S. during the 1960s. Elvis has at least 24 albums in his discography, ranging from the self-titled debut in 1956 and ending with Moody Blue in 1977.
1 The Beatles (Around 600 Million Units)
And last, we have the Liverpool-based band, The Beatles, which holds the highest claimed sales ever with 600 - 500 million unit sales. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison were a part of the 'British Invasion' cultural phenomenon in the 1960s, where English media and culture became popular in the U.S. and impacted American music. Until its disbandment, the band had a total of 13 studio albums from their 1963 debut, Baby Please Me, to their final, Past Masters, in 1988.