![÷ (DIVIDE) cover art](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music122/v4/18/3c/81/183c8163-7541-7043-2f0c-e55c23b265f5/190295851286.jpg/80x80bb.jpg)
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![X cover art](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music2/v4/b0/75/ec/b075ec42-a102-cde1-132b-9cddbc0d3496/825646285891.jpg/80x80bb.jpg)
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![IN THE LONELY HOUR cover art](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music115/v4/80/74/b6/8074b6bc-387f-6cc9-5ede-92b76396ad5f/13UAEIM58958.rgb.jpg/80x80bb.jpg)
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![1989 cover art](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music114/v4/69/32/41/69324127-ac8b-eca6-c749-a93b34692eb6/00602537993765.rgb.jpg/80x80bb.jpg)
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Official Charts crowns Ed Sheeran's ÷ (Divide) the UK's biggest album of the past 10 years (July 2014-present), since streaming was first introduced to the Official Chart.
The Official Albums Chart first began accepting audio streams in March 2015, with video streams counting from January 2023. Today, we can exclusively reveal Ed's third studio album, released in March 2017, is officially the biggest LP of the past ten years, taking into account physical sales, digital downloads and combined audio and video streams.
The former chart-topper, which includes lead single Shape Of You, officially the biggest song of the the past decade, has shifted 4.26 million UK chart units since July 2014, made up of 1.98 million physical, just shy of 500,000 UK downloads and 1.79 million streaming sales equivalent.
Divide famously saw Ed 'break' the Official Chart on its release, causing a change in chart rules forever.
The album completely dominated the Official Singles Chart in its opening week, with all 16 of its tracks present in the Top 20.
With the release of high-streaming albums beginning to impact the Singles Chart, the Official Charts Company introduced a three-track cap in July 2017, meaning artists would now be limited to three tracks that could simultaneously chart in the Top 100 of the Official Singles Chart; a rule that's still very much in place today.
Divide is the first of five Ed albums to make the list. He also sees X (3), = (28), No.6 Collaborations Project (32) and + (37) inside the Top 100.
At Number 2, we have Adele's third studio LP 25.
Released in 2015, 25 holds the record for the biggest opening week of any album in the UK, having shifted an incredible 800,300 copies in its first chart week. While Oasis's 1997 album Be Here Now sold 813,000 in its first seven days of sales, it's chart eligibility weeks that count toward the record books, meaning Adele's out in front.
Adele also sees two further LPs inside the Top 100: 30 (50) and 21 (53).
Elsewhere in the Top 5, The Greatest Showman soundtrack lands at Number 4 and is the second most-streamed album on the list, its total made up of 2.8 million UK chart unit total made up of 1.12 million physical sales, 331,000 downloads and 1.35 million streaming sales equivalent.
Sam Smith's debut In The Lonely Hour comes in at Number 5, boasting the title of biggest debut LP of the past 10 years.
In The Lonely Hour was the first-ever Official Number 1 album to have its streams contribute to its total back in 2014, and went on to enjoy six separate spells at the top, logging eight non-consecutive weeks at Number 1.
British acts as a whole prove big beneficiaries of the streaming era, with six artists present inside the Top 10, including Lewis Capaldi with Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (7), George Ezra with Wanted On Voyage (8) and Jess Glynne's hit-filled I Cry When I Laugh (9).
Another characteristic of the streaming era is music fans delving deep into artists' catalogue, as a result many classic greatest hits compilations make it into the list; Eminem's 2005 release Curtain Call: The Hits places highest (10), closely followed by Elton John's Diamonds (11), ABBA's Gold: Greatest Hits (13) and Queen's Greatest Hits (14).
Inside the wider Top 40, we also see hits collections including Oasis's Time Flies... (1994-2009) (21), Fleetwood Mac's 50 Years - Don't Stop (22) and The Weeknd's The Highlights (30).
POS | TITLE | ARTIST |
1 | DIVIDE | ED SHEERAN |
2 | 25 | ADELE |
3 | X | ED SHEERAN |
4 | THE GREATEST SHOWMAN | MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING |
5 | IN THE LONELY HOUR | SAM SMITH |
6 | 1989 | TAYLOR SWIFT |
7 | DIVINELY UNINSPIRED TO A HELLISH EXTENT | LEWIS CAPALDI |
8 | WANTED ON VOYAGE | GEORGE EZRA |
9 | I CRY WHEN I LAUGH | JESS GLYNNE |
10 | CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS | EMINEM |
11 | DIAMONDS | ELTON JOHN |
12 | PURPOSE | JUSTIN BIEBER |
13 | GOLD - GREATEST HITS | ABBA |
14 | GREATEST HITS | QUEEN |
15 | RUMOURS | FLEETWOOD MAC |
16 | A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS | COLDPLAY |
17 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
18 | HUMAN | RAG'N'BONE MAN |
19 | CHRISTMAS | MICHAEL BUBLE |
20 | STAYING AT TAMARA'S | GEORGE EZRA |
21 | TIME FLIES - 1994-2009 | OASIS |
22 | 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP | FLEETWOOD MAC |
23 | IF I CAN DREAM | ELVIS PRESLEY |
24 | GLORY DAYS | LITTLE MIX |
25 | AM | ARCTIC MONKEYS |
26 | LEGEND | BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS |
27 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 89 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
28 | = | ED SHEERAN |
29 | WHAT'S THE STORY MORNING GLORY | OASIS |
30 | THE HIGHLIGHTS | WEEKND |
31 | DUA LIPA | DUA LIPA |
32 | NO 6 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT | ED SHEERAN |
33 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 95 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
34 | GET WEIRD | LITTLE MIX |
35 | NEVER BEEN BETTER | OLLY MURS |
36 | LEGACY | DAVID BOWIE |
37 | + | ED SHEERAN |
38 | SOUR | OLIVIA RODRIGO |
39 | CHAOS AND THE CALM | JAMES BAY |
40 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 92 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
41 | WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO | BILLIE EILISH |
42 | 1 | BEATLES |
43 | FINE LINE | HARRY STYLES |
44 | NUMBER ONES | MICHAEL JACKSON |
45 | FROZEN | ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK |
46 | MIDNIGHTS | TAYLOR SWIFT |
47 | BACK TO BLACK | AMY WINEHOUSE |
48 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL DISNEY | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
49 | REPUTATION | TAYLOR SWIFT |
50 | 30 | ADELE |
51 | FOUR | ONE DIRECTION |
52 | HOZIER | HOZIER |
53 | 21 | ADELE |
54 | VIEWS | DRAKE |
55 | WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM THAT'S WHAT I'M | ARCTIC MONKEYS |
56 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 93 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
57 | HARRY'S HOUSE | HARRY STYLES |
58 | ALL OVER THE WORLD - THE VERY BEST OF | ELO |
59 | TWENTY FIVE | GEORGE MICHAEL |
60 | THE THRILL OF IT ALL | SAM SMITH |
61 | DIRECT HITS | KILLERS |
62 | LOVER | TAYLOR SWIFT |
63 | GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - AWESOME MIX 1 | ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK |
64 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 90 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
65 | SINGLES | MAROON 5 |
66 | FUTURE NOSTALGIA | DUA LIPA |
67 | BEAUTY BEHIND THE MADNESS | WEEKND |
68 | STARBOY | WEEKND |
69 | GREATEST HITS | RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS |
70 | SCORPION | DRAKE |
71 | FOLKLORE | TAYLOR SWIFT |
72 | GREATEST HITS | FOO FIGHTERS |
73 | THE SINGLES | PHIL COLLINS |
74 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 98 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
75 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 88 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
76 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 94 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
77 | THE PLATINUM COLLECTION | QUEEN |
78 | NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 91 | VARIOUS ARTISTS |
79 | MADE IN THE AM | ONE DIRECTION |
80 | BEERBONGS & BENTLEYS | POST MALONE |
81 | DEFINITELY MAYBE | OASIS |
82 | A STAR IS BORN | MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING |
83 | MORE LIFE | DRAKE |
84 | ROYAL BLOOD | ROYAL BLOOD |
85 | MAMMA MIA - HERE WE GO AGAIN | MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING |
86 | MOANA | MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING |
87 | BORN TO DIE | LANA DEL REY |
88 | THE ESSENTIAL | MICHAEL JACKSON |
89 | TOGETHER | MICHAEL BALL & ALFIE BOE |
90 | NEVERMIND | NIRVANA |
91 | THE WONDER OF YOU | ELVIS PRESLEY |
92 | GREATEST HITS | GUNS N' ROSES |
93 | THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION | WHITNEY HOUSTON |
94 | DON'T SMILE AT ME | BILLIE EILISH |
95 | HAMILTON | ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST |
96 | 24K MAGIC | BRUNO MARS |
97 | THE STONE ROSES | STONE ROSES |
98 | GREATEST HITS - SO FAR | PINK |
99 | THE BALCONY | CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN |
100 | BEAUTIFUL TRAUMA | PINK |
© 2024 Official Charts Company
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M
mrstarling
Glad to see ed sheeran with a lot of albums there!