The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade 2010 - 2019
The UK's most popular albums of the 2010s, including big releases by Adele, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Rihanna.
The Top 100 biggest albums of the 2010s has been unveiled by the Official Charts Comapny, with Adele taking the Top 2 spots with 21 and 25.
The Tottenham-born singer’s second album 21 was a global phenomenon when it was released in January 2011, just ahead of that momentous BRITs performance of Someone Like You. In the UK, 21 debuted at Number 1 and logged a total of 23 weeks at the top of the Official Albums Chart. The collection took six weeks to sell one million copies. View Adele's full Official Chart history.
It's far and away the decade’s best seller, with 5.17 million chart sales - 1.6 million ahead of its closest competitor, herself, with follow-up release 25, on 3.58 million chart sales. The collection, which spent 13 weeks at the summit, is the UK’s fastest-selling album of all time, selling 800,307 copies in its first chart week, smashing a record previously held by Oasis’s Be Here Now.
Despite being released in 2008, Adele’s debut album 19 ranks as the UK’s 13th biggest record of the 2010s.
Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran claims spots 3 with x, 4 with Divide and 7 with his debut +. Ed, who has been crowned the UK's Official Number 1 artist of the decade, scored the fastest-selling album by a male soloist of all time with Divide after clearing a staggering 672,000 copies in its opening week. Ed also became the first and only act in chart history to log a whole year in the Top 10 with three different albums.
Canandian crooner Michael Bublé bags a Top 10 entry - 2011's festive-essential Christmas is the fifth biggest album of the decade with 2.95 million chart sales. Bublé’s 2010 album Crazy Love features at Number 12.
The biggest debut albums of the decade
Sam Smith claims the biggest debut album of the decade with 2014's In The Lonely Hour, placing sixth on 2.59m chart sales, followed by Ed's + at 7 and Emeli Sande’s Our Version of Events at 8 on 2.43m.
The biggest band albums
The biggest album of the decade by a group or band is Take That’s 2010 album Progess at Number 9 on 2.39m chart sales, just ahead of recent runaway success The Greatest Showman, which finishes as the decade’s tenth biggest album on 2.13m. The cast record spent a mammoth 28 weeks at the top across 2018-2019.
More band albums that feature further down include Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More at 16, Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto from 2011 at 17, Florence + The Machine's debut record Lungs at 24, and Arctic Monkeys' AM at 27.
Greatest hits
16 greatest hits album feature in the Top 100 of the decade rundown, led by Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits at Number 33. Released in 2010, the collection debuted at Number 2 and is regular feature in Top 100 Official Albums Chart. Others include Oasis' Time Flies 1994-2009 (37), Pink's Greatest Hits... So Far (38), ABBA's Gold (46) and Bob Marley's Legend (47).
The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade
POS | TITLE | ARTIST | PEAK | YEAR |
1 | 21 | ADELE | 1 | 2011 |
2 | 25 | ADELE | 1 | 2015 |
3 | X | ED SHEERAN | 1 | 2014 |
4 | DIVIDE | ED SHEERAN | 1 | 2017 |
5 | CHRISTMAS | MICHAEL BUBLE | 1 | 2011 |
6 | IN THE LONELY HOUR | SAM SMITH | 1 | 2014 |
7 | + | ED SHEERAN | 1 | 2011 |
8 | OUR VERSION OF EVENTS | EMELI SANDE | 1 | 2012 |
9 | PROGRESS | TAKE THAT | 1 | 2010 |
10 | THE GREATEST SHOWMAN | MOTION PICTURE CAST RECORDING | 1 | 2018 |
11 | LOUD | RIHANNA | 1 | 2010 |
12 | CRAZY LOVE | MICHAEL BUBLE | 1 | 2009 |
13 | 19 | ADELE | 1 | 2008 |
14 | DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS | BRUNO MARS | 1 | 2010 |
15 | THE FAME | LADY GAGA | 1 | 2009 |
16 | SIGH NO MORE | MUMFORD & SONS | 2 | 2009 |
17 | MYLO XYLOTO | COLDPLAY | 1 | 2011 |
18 | WANTED ON VOYAGE | GEORGE EZRA | 1 | 2014 |
19 | TEENAGE DREAM | KATY PERRY | 1 | 2010 |
20 | THE DEFAMATION OF STRICKLAND BANKS | PLAN B | 1 | 2010 |
21 | RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME | OLLY MURS | 1 | 2012 |
22 | WHO YOU ARE | JESSIE J | 2 | 2011 |
23 | PURPOSE | JUSTIN BIEBER | 2 | 2015 |
24 | LUNGS | FLORENCE & THE MACHINE | 1 | 2009 |
25 | 1989 | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 | 2014 |
26 | HALCYON | ELLIE GOULDING | 1 | 2012 |
27 | AM | ARCTIC MONKEYS | 1 | 2013 |
28 | A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS | COLDPLAY | 1 | 2015 |
29 | I CRY WHEN I LAUGH | JESS GLYNNE | 1 | 2015 |
30 | HUMAN | RAG'N'BONE MAN | 1 | 2017 |
31 | IF I CAN DREAM | ELVIS PRESLEY | 1 | 2015 |
32 | BABEL | MUMFORD & SONS | 1 | 2012 |
33 | GREATEST HITS | BON JOVI | 2 | 2010 |
34 | BORN TO DIE | LANA DEL REY | 1 | 2012 |
35 | UP ALL NIGHT | ONE DIRECTION | 2 | 2011 |
36 | IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW | OLLY MURS | 1 | 2011 |
37 | TIME FLIES - 1994-2009 | OASIS | 1 | 2010 |
38 | GREATEST HITS - SO FAR | PINK | 5 | 2010 |
39 | GLORY DAYS | LITTLE MIX | 1 | 2016 |
40 | SUNNY SIDE UP | PAOLO NUTINI | 1 | 2009 |
41 | TAKE ME HOME | ONE DIRECTION | 1 | 2012 |
42 | TALK THAT TALK | RIHANNA | 1 | 2011 |
43 | RECOVERY | EMINEM | 1 | 2010 |
44 | UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX | BRUNO MARS | 1 | 2012 |
45 | BORN THIS WAY | LADY GAGA | 1 | 2011 |
46 | GOLD - GREATEST HITS | ABBA | 1 | 1992 |
47 | LEGEND | BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS | 1 | 1984 |
48 | 18 MONTHS | CALVIN HARRIS | 1 | 2012 |
49 | STAYING AT TAMARA'S | GEORGE EZRA | 1 | 2018 |
50 | RUMOURS | FLEETWOOD MAC | 1 | 1977 |
51 | CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS | EMINEM | 1 | 2005 |
52 | THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION | WHITNEY HOUSTON | 3 | 2007 |
53 | GREATEST HITS | FOO FIGHTERS | 4 | 2009 |
54 | BACK TO BLACK | AMY WINEHOUSE | 1 | 2006 |
55 | BAD BLOOD | BASTILLE | 1 | 2013 |
56 | MIDNIGHT MEMORIES | ONE DIRECTION | 1 | 2013 |
57 | COME AROUND SUNDOWN | KINGS OF LEON | 1 | 2010 |
58 | NUMBER ONES | MICHAEL JACKSON | 1 | 2003 |
59 | THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE | PINK | 2 | 2012 |
60 | NOTHING BUT THE BEAT | DAVID GUETTA | 2 | 2011 |
61 | THE VERY BEST OF | FLEETWOOD MAC | 6 | 2002 |
62 | DISC-OVERY | TINIE TEMPAH | 1 | 2010 |
63 | THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM | ALICIA KEYS | 1 | 2009 |
64 | LIONESS - HIDDEN TREASURES | AMY WINEHOUSE | 1 | 2011 |
65 | NEVER BEEN BETTER | OLLY MURS | 1 | 2014 |
66 | ALL OVER THE WORLD - THE VERY BEST OF | ELO | 1 | 2005 |
67 | CEREMONIALS | FLORENCE & THE MACHINE | 1 | 2011 |
68 | CHAOS AND THE CALM | JAMES BAY | 1 | 2015 |
69 | NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS | NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING | 1 | 2011 |
70 | GET WEIRD | LITTLE MIX | 2 | 2015 |
71 | LIGHTS | ELLIE GOULDING | 1 | 2010 |
72 | OLLY MURS | OLLY MURS | 2 | 2010 |
73 | MY WORLD | JUSTIN BIEBER | 3 | 2010 |
74 | TO BE LOVED | MICHAEL BUBLE | 1 | 2013 |
75 | SCIENCE & FAITH | SCRIPT | 1 | 2010 |
76 | EVERY KINGDOM | BEN HOWARD | 4 | 2011 |
77 | JAKE BUGG | JAKE BUGG | 1 | 2012 |
78 | A PERFECT CONTRADICTION | PALOMA FAITH | 2 | 2014 |
79 | 4 | BEYONCE | 1 | 2011 |
80 | UNAPOLOGETIC | RIHANNA | 1 | 2012 |
81 | THE LADY KILLER | CEE LO GREEN | 3 | 2010 |
82 | NO MORE IDOLS | CHASE & STATUS | 2 | 2011 |
83 | THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP 2 | EMINEM | 1 | 2013 |
84 | ONLY BY THE NIGHT | KINGS OF LEON | 1 | 2008 |
85 | SWINGS BOTH WAYS | ROBBIE WILLIAMS | 1 | 2013 |
86 | BEST OF - DECADE IN THE SUN | STEREOPHONICS | 2 | 2008 |
87 | IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS - GREATEST | ROBBIE WILLIAMS | 1 | 2010 |
88 | FALL TO GRACE | PALOMA FAITH | 2 | 2012 |
89 | GREATEST HITS | QUEEN | 1 | 1981 |
90 | CAUSTIC LOVE | PAOLO NUTINI | 1 | 2014 |
91 | IF YOU WAIT | LONDON GRAMMAR | 2 | 2013 |
92 | SINCE I SAW YOU LAST | GARY BARLOW | 2 | 2013 |
93 | THE THRILL OF IT ALL | SAM SMITH | 1 | 2017 |
94 | GHOST STORIES | COLDPLAY | 1 | 2014 |
95 | GREATEST HITS | GUNS N' ROSES | 1 | 2004 |
96 | RED | TAYLOR SWIFT | 1 | 2012 |
97 | GREATEST HITS | WESTLIFE | 4 | 2011 |
98 | OUTTA THIS WORLD | JLS | 2 | 2010 |
99 | DIRECT HITS | KILLERS | 5 | 2013 |
100 | FOUR | ONE DIRECTION | 1 | 2014 |
©2019Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.
Article image: GHNASSIA/NMA2016/SIPA/Shutterstock
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Dneaeade
3 albums each for Ed Sheran, Adele & Olly Murs. They're all talented alright but in a Top 100, really ? isn't it a bit much ?
4 albums for One Direction, some albums of theirs were very successful alright, but all of them ?!
And only 1 Michael Jackson album : a greatests hits and no Madonna at all and no Kylie Minogue, no Britney Spears, yeah right.
Remko van Knippenberg
Where is Kylie Minogues Fever?
NG
Nuno Gouveia
This are TOP 100 best selling albums from 2010 to 2019.
Kylie Minogue "Fever" was released on the previous decade and did not sell enough this decade to be TOP 100 of the Decade.
Piran
Adele occupying first & second might be expected, but it's also very much deserved! :)
I also love 'The Greatest Showman' just about squeezing in a Top 10 placing.
Rob Parkinson
No surprise to see Adele and Ed Sheeran leading this chart. Always baffles me how OCC dont make a mention of the 1977 studio album, not even a greatest hits by Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. Surely it deserves some credit that after 33 years of release it can still hold up in the top 50 albums over a decade which will take it 42 years after release at the end of the decade. There are no other albums from the 70s, 80s or 90s (not including greatest hits) that even get in the top 100 and a scarce few from the 00s. Impressive if you ask me.
JC
Jake Cutler
To be fair to OCC not many people under the age of 40 probably know who they are, so they're just satisfying the demographic I guess. Shame really 😞