This is a list of the best-selling albums in the United Kingdom each year. The sales figures given are only within that year, but each album has sold more copies overall.
Best-selling albums by year YearAlbumArtistNumber soldRef1956 CarouselOriginal soundtrack1957 The King and I1958 My Fair Lady Broadway Cast recording1959 South Pacific Original soundtrack19601961 G.I. Blues Elvis Presley1962 West Side Story Original soundtrack1963 With the BeatlesThe Beatles1964 Beatles for Sale1965The Sound of MusicOriginal soundtrack19661967 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles 751,0001968 The Sound of Music Original soundtrack1969 Abbey Road The Beatles1970Bridge over Troubled WaterSimon and Garfunkel19711972 20 Dynamic Hits Various Artists1973 Aladdin Sane David Bowie1974 The Singles: 1969–1973 The Carpenters1975 The Best of the Stylistics The Stylistics1976 Greatest HitsABBA1977 Arrival1978 Saturday Night Fever Original soundtrack1979 Parallel Lines Blondie1980 Super Trouper ABBA1981 Kings of the Wild Frontier Adam and the Ants1982 Love Songs Barbra Streisand1983 Thriller Michael Jackson1984 Can't Slow Down Lionel Richie1985 Brothers in Arms Dire Straits1986 True Blue Madonna1987 Bad Michael Jackson1988 Kylie Kylie Minogue1989 Ten Good Reasons Jason Donovan1990 ...But Seriously Phil Collins1991StarsSimply Red19921993 Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell Meat Loaf1994 Cross Road Bon Jovi1995 Robson & Jerome Robson & Jerome 2,040,000 1996 Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette 1,627,000 1997 Be Here Now Oasis 1,740,000 1998 Talk on Corners The Corrs 1,676,439 Sales: Music Week (Best selling albums 1998–2008), pub. 17 January 20091999 Come On Over Shania Twain 2,201,8422000 1 The Beatles 1,850,1012001 No Angel Dido 1,920,1672002 Escapology Robbie Williams 1,410,9312003 Life for Rent Dido 2,168,302 2004 Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters 1,594,259 2005 Back to Bedlam James Blunt 2,367,758 2006 Eyes Open Snow Patrol 1,514,554 2007 Back to Black Amy Winehouse 1,883,8972008 Rockferry Duffy 1,685,000 2009 I Dreamed a Dream Susan Boyle 1,632,732 2010 Progress Take That 1,841,148 2011 21 Adele 3,772,346 2012 Our Version of Events 1,393,000 2013 Midnight Memories One Direction 685,000 2014 x 1,689,000 2015 25 Adele 2,496,000 2016 753,000 2017 ÷ Ed Sheeran 2,700,000 2018 The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Original soundtrack 1,600,000 2019Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish ExtentLewis Capaldi 641,000 2020456,000 202130Adele 600,000 2022Harry's HouseHarry Styles 460,000 2023The HighlightsThe Weeknd 391,000 2024The Tortured Poets DepartmentTaylor Swift 783,800 2025The Life of a Showgirl 642,000
Best-selling albums by decade DecadeAlbumArtist(s)Number soldRef1950sOriginal soundtrack1960sThe Beatles1970sSimon & Garfunkel1980sDire Straits1990sOasis3,000,000 2000sJames Blunt3,200,000 2010sAdele5,170,000
See also List of best-selling singles by year in the United Kingdom List of best-selling compilation albums by year in the United Kingdom
References