Top 10 Highest Selling Albums in the World 2025

List of Top 10 Highest Selling Albums in the World 2025:

As of September 12, 2025, the music industry around the world is still doing well, thanks to a powerful mix of streaming, a return to vinyl, and smart deluxe versions that keep previous songs current. Billboard, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), and Luminate all say that the best-selling albums of 2025 show a wide range of styles. In the U.S., country and pop crossovers are the most popular, while hip-hop and R&B keep streaming strong around the world. The sales numbers above are based on equivalent album units (EAUs), which are made up of pure sales, track equivalent albums (TEA), and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). One album unit is equal to 1,500 premium streams. This list shows the best-selling albums in the world up until the middle of 2025. It takes into account physical sales (including vinyl booms), digital downloads, and streams. Morgan Wallen's "I'm the Problem" is at the top with over 2.5 million EAUs worldwide, thanks to huge sales in the U.S. and touring across the world. Based on early global streaming data from Spotify and Apple Music, the unconfirmed collaboration project $ome $exy $ongs 4 U by Drake and PartyNextDoor is close to making it into the top five, but formal certification is still coming. We will talk about each album's performance, background, and effect below.

1. I’m the Problem – Morgan Wallen:

Morgan Wallen's fourth studio album, I'm the Problem, came out on May 16, 2025, through Big Loud, Republic, and Mercury Records. It has sold an estimated 2.5 million EAUs globally, making it the best-selling record of the year. By July 7, it has sold 1.769 million units in the U.S. alone, including a record-breaking first week of 493,000 EAUs, the most in 2025. This number is made up of 133,000 pure sales (Wallen's best ever, including 48,000 on vinyl) plus 357,000 SEA units from 462.63 million streams. This was the highest streaming week for any country album since Wallen's own One Thing at a Time (2023). The album has 37 songs and guest spots from Tate McRae ("What I Want"), Eric Church, Hardy, Ernest, and Post Malone. It mixes traditional country with pop and trap influences and deals with themes of self-reflection, heartbreak, and redemption, which is ironic given the title. "Last Night," the lead single, kept Wallen at the top of the Hot 100, and the title tune and "Superman" got a lot of radio play. It reached the top of the charts in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland, making it Wallen's first No. 1 in a number of markets. Vinyl sales were boosted by physical versions (two-disc sets), which sold 48,000 copies in the first week alone. The album spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, but it came back to the top in August after a tour boost. Some critics said it was too long, but fans called it Wallen's best work, which helped him become the biggest artist in country music as the genre made a comeback.

2. Short N’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter:

Sabrina Carpenter's sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, came out on August 23, 2024, through Island Records. It kept going strong into 2025, with almost 2.2 million EAUs sold throughout the world by September. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for three weeks after selling 362,000 EAUs in the U.S. (184,000 of which were pure sales, including 105,000 vinyl records, which was the second-largest vinyl week of 2024). Sales jumped 616% when a deluxe edition with a Dolly Parton duet on "Please Please Please" and the bonus track "Busy Woman" came out on February 4, 2025. It went back to No. 1 on Top Album Sales with 120,000 copies sold.
Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Jack Antonoff made the 12-track pop record. It talks about romantic nihilism and dating problems in the 2020s. Some of the songs are "Espresso" (No. 3 on the Hot 100), "Please Please Please" (her first No. 1), and "Taste" (with Jenna Ortega in the video). Carpenter was the first woman to have three top-five Hot 100 hits at the same time since The Beatles. It was number one in Australia, Canada, and the UK, and by September 2024, it had gone platinum in the U.S. The Short n' Sweet Tour (2024–2025) and Grammy victories for Best Pop Vocal Album saw streams reach over 1 billion around the world in 2025. Critics praised the album's funny lyrics and upbeat sound. At 25, Carpenter has come a long way from being a Disney star to a pop powerhouse, and the album's long-lasting sales show that she can appeal to a wide range of people.

3. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan:

Roan Chappell The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Roan's first album, came out on September 22, 2023, through Amusement/Island Records. By mid-2025, it had sold almost 1.8 million EAUs globally, thanks to a viral hit in 2024 and continued success in 2025. After "Good Luck, Babe!" blew up, it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. A September 2024 anniversary edition pushed sales to 56,000 copies (up 328%, including 50,000 vinyl) for its first No. 1 on Top Album Sales. It spent 72 weeks on the UK Official Albums Chart by 2025, and after Roan's Reading Festival headline, it rose to No. 9.
The 14-track synth-pop album tells the story of Roan's journey to find herself as a queer person, drawing on her Missouri background and David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. Dan Nigro, who has worked with Olivia Rodrigo, made this album. It has aggressive songs like "HOT TO GO!" and "Pink Pony Club." It reached No. 1 in Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, and in 2025 it got over 1 million streams a week in the U.S. The Midwest Princess Tour (2023–2024) and festival spots (Coachella, Governors Ball) helped it reach more people. A 2025 deluxe edition with live recordings added 20% to sales. Pitchfork called it "bold and uproarious," and Roan's climb from YouTube covers to Grammy candidate shows how the album changed culture by mixing nostalgia with real emotion.

4. $ome $exy $ongs 4 U – Drake & PartyNextDoor (Unconfirmed):

The joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U (stylized $$$4U) by Drake and PartyNextDoor came out on February 14, 2025, through OVO Sound, Santa Anna, and Republic. It has sold about 1.7 million EAUs around the world, but full certification is still up in the air because of ongoing problems with Universal Music Group. In the U.S., it opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 246,000 EAUs, which included 287 million streams. This was the biggest streaming week of 2025. "Somebody Loves Me" and "Nokia" were in the top 10 of the Hot 100, and all 21 tunes made it onto the list. The 74-minute R&B-trap set, which contains guests including Yebba and Chino Pacas, is PartyNextDoor's first No. 1 and Drake's 14th, tying Taylor Swift and Jay-Z. It talks about love, nostalgia, and Drake's vulnerability after a fight. Made during Drake's feud with Kendrick Lamar, it goes back to the melancholy OVO vibes of So Far Gone. It was number one in Canada and the UK, and it had a lot of streams on Spotify (over 500 million in 2025). A crimson vinyl that was see-through contributed 50,000 sales in May 2025. Some critics said it was "desperate narcissism" (Pitchfork: 5.9/10), while fans loved how well the two worked together. Unconfirmed status comes from claims of plagiarism (like those from Freddie Gibbs), but its sales show that Drake is still on top.

5. So Close to What – Tate McRae:

So Close to What, Tate McRae's third studio album, came out on February 21, 2025, through RCA Records. It has sold almost 1.5 million EAUs around the world. It opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 177,000 EAUs (71,000 pure sales and 137 million streams, her greatest streaming week). It topped charts in 10 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia. By March, it had sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. and earned another 100,000 from the song "Siren Sounds." The 15-track pop-R&B album, co-written by Ryan Tedder, Blake Slatkin, and others, is about self-discovery and nostalgia for the 2000s (Britney Spears and Nelly Furtado are two of the artists who influenced it). It includes the songs "Sports Car" (No. 1 Pop Airplay) and "Revolving Door." Two extra songs, "bloodonmyhands" and "Like I Do," were added because of a leak before the release. Sales went up because of the Miss Possessive Tour with Benee and Zara Larsson starting in March 2025. Variety termed it "saucy exultation" and praised McRae's development from dance-pop. At 22, her introspective yet confident approach has made this her big break, mixing sensitivity with catchy tunes that work well in clubs.

6. Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad BunnyBad:

Debí Tirar Más Fotos (DtMF), Bad Bunny's sixth solo album, came out on January 5, 2025, through Rimas Entertainment. It has sold 1.4 million EAUs around the world. It started at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 122,000 EAUs (mainly streaming), then went to No. 1 with 203,500 EAUs (263 million streams). A May vinyl edition boosted sales to 48,000 copies (up 15,000%), giving it the top spot for a fourth week—the biggest week of Latin sales in six years. This 17-track reggaeton-trap tribute to Puerto Rico includes personal stories about grief and history. It was at the top of the charts around the world, thanks to the No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency (July to September 2025) and world tour (November 2025 to July 2026). It mixes plena with EDM and has been called his "most political" work by Stereogum. The blue double-LP vinyl sold out, making up 15% of sales in 2025. Bad Bunny's fourth No. 1 shows how Latin music is getting more popular, with over 500 million streams on Spotify.

7. GNX – Kendrick Lamar:

Kendrick Lamar's sixth studio album, GNX, came out on November 22, 2024, without any warning. By the middle of 2025, it had sold 1.3 million EAUs around the world. It opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 319,000 EAUs and came back for another week after Super Bowl LIX (February 2025). The 12 songs on the G-funk project, which is based on the Buick GNX, include SZA ("Luther," which was No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 13 weeks), Roddy Ricch, and others. After the Drake feud, it took over the top five slots on the Hot 100. The Grand National Tour with SZA (April to December 2025) added 200,000 units. It won Album of the Year at the 2025 BET Awards and is lauded for its west coast vibes (Sounwave and Mustard production). Lamar's fifth No. 1 song and pgLang debut show how creative he is, with 1 billion streams throughout the world.

8. Music – Playboi Carti:

Playboi Carti's third album, Music (originally I Am Music), came out on March 14, 2025, through AWGE/Interscope and has sold 1.2 million copies. It came in at number one with 298,000 EAUs, making it the first rap album to sell over 1 million copies in 2025. The 30-track trap collection goes from "baby voice" to more poppy sounds, and it has guests like Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott. After four years of teasing ("All Red"), Spotify advertising got people excited. The deluxe version that came out on March 25 includes four new songs. Sales went raised thanks to the Antagonist Tour (October-December 2025) and Weeknd support. It went gold in three weeks and is praised for its vocal range (Guardian: "worth the wait"). It also had an impact on post-trap with Ojivolta and Metro Boomin production.

9. SOS (Deluxe) – SZA:

SZA's SOS (December 9, 2022, via TDE/RCA) and its deluxe editions from 2024 to 2025 (LANA) have sold more than 3 million EAUs, with 1.1 million of those in 2025. The original stayed at number one for ten weeks. LANA (December 20, 2024, +15 songs) brought it back for three more weeks (January 2025), then a 13th in April (52,000 EAUs). By May 2025, it had been in the top ten for the longest time by a Black artist (more than 100 weeks). Songs like "Kill Bill" and "Snooze" got people to stream (68 million times a week in 2025). It got bigger because of the SOS Tour (2023–2024) and Grammy victories. LANA made 105,000 SEA/TEA units all by itself. SZA is the first woman to have 10 or more No. 1 weeks since Adele. Her varied R&B music has been praised, and her longevity (130,000 EAUs in January 2025) cements her place at the top.

10. Hurry Up Tomorrow – The Weeknd:

Hurry Up Tomorrow, The Weeknd's sixth and last album as The Weeknd, came out on January 31, 2025, through XO/Republic. It has 1.0 million EAUs. It came in at number one with 490,500 EAUs (359,000 pure sales—the most for a man since 2020; 171.5 million streams), making it the greatest debut of 2025. The 22-track end of his trilogy has Playboi Carti ("Timeless"), Anitta, and Travis Scott on it. It is connected to a Lionsgate horror movie that comes out on May 16, 2025. 77,000 copies were sold of eight different vinyl versions. It was his seventh No. 1, and it beat Dawn FM's 148,000 debut. The After Hours til Dawn Tour (2025–2026) keeps streams going with themes of closure and ego. It mixes synth-pop and R&B to make a cultural pinnacle that people all across the world would like.