The highest-selling albums and EPs in the United States are ranked in the Billboard 200, which is published by Billboard magazine. The data are compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as on-demand streaming and digital sales of its individual tracks. In 2016, a total of 33 albums claimed the top position of the chart. One of which, English singer Adele's 25 started its peak issue dated December 12, 2015.

Canadian rapper Drake's fourth studio album, Views, became the second best-selling overall album with 1.04 million equivalent album units, selling 852,000 copies in its first week of release, and achieving over 245 million streams, more than previous record 115.2 million by Beyoncé's Lemonade. Lemonade is the third overall best-seller, incurring 485,000 copies in its first week (653,000 with additional album-equivalent units).

Chart history

+KeyIndicates best performing album of 2016 Issue date Album Artist(s) Album-equivalent units 25 Adele825,000 1,160,000 363,000 194,000 Blackstar 181,000 Death of a Bachelor Panic! at the Disco 190,000 25 Adele 116,000 Anti Rihanna 166,000 Evol Future 134,000 25 Adele151,000 100,000 I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It The 1975 108,000 Untitled Unmastered. 178,000 Anti Rihanna 54,000 This Is What the Truth Feels Like 84,000 Mind of Mine Zayn 157,000 The Life of Pablo 94,000 Cleopatra The Lumineers 125,000 The Very Best of Prince Prince 179,000 Lemonade Beyoncé 653,000 Views Drake 1,040,000 313,000 239,000 189,000 152,000 135,000 121,000 124,000 111,000 California Blink-182 186,000 Views Drake 92,000 89,000 85,000 Major Key DJ Khaled 95,000 Suicide Squad: The Album Soundtrack 182,000 93,000 Blonde 276,000 Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway 149,000 Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight 88,000 They Don't Know 138,000 Views Drake 53,000 Illuminate 145,000 A Seat at the Table Solange 72,000 Revolution Radio Green Day 95,000 Walls Kings of Leon 77,000 Joanne Lady Gaga 201,000 Trap or Die 3 Jeezy 89,000 This House Is Not for Sale Bon Jovi 129,000 We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service A Tribe Called Quest 135,000 Hardwired... to Self-Destruct Metallica 291,000 Starboy The Weeknd 348,000 The Hamilton Mixtape Various artists 187,000 4 Your Eyez Only 492,000

Number-one artists + List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one Weeks at No. 1 4 3 2 1

See also 2016 in American music List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 2016

References