List of best-selling singles
According to Guinness World Records, "White Christmas" (1942) by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies. The song recognized as "the best-selling single of all time" was released before the pop/rock singles-chart era and "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later." Guinness World Records states that double A-side charity single "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) by Elton John, a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies," making it the second-best-selling single of all time.
The list is split between physical (mainly CD and vinyl) singles and digitally downloaded tracks which first became available to purchase in the early 2000s.
The sales of singles that are italicized are the compilation of sales in available markets instead of a worldwide sales figure. These sales figures are therefore neither complete nor definitive.
Best-selling physical singles
15 million copies or more
| Artist | Single | Released | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bing Crosby | "White Christmas" | 1942 | 50 | [1] |
| Elton John | "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | 1997 | 33 | [1] |
| Bing Crosby | "Silent Night" | 1935 | 30 | [2] |
| Mungo Jerry | "In the Summertime" | 1970 | 30 | [3][4] |
| Bill Haley & His Comets | "Rock Around the Clock" | 1954 | 25 | [5] |
| Domenico Modugno | "Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)" | 1958 | 22 | [6] |
| Whitney Houston | "I Will Always Love You" | 1992 | 20 | [7] |
| Elvis Presley | "It's Now or Never" | 1960 | 20 | [2][8] |
| USA for Africa | "We Are the World" | 1985 | 20 | [9] |
| The Ink Spots | "If I Didn't Care" | 1939 | 19 | [10] |
| John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | "You're the One That I Want" | 1978 | 15 | [11] |
| Kaoma | "Lambada" | 1989 | 15 | [12] |
| Bryan Adams | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | 1991 | 15 | [13] |
| Celine Dion | "My Heart Will Go On" | 1997 | 15 | [14] |
10–14.9 million copies
8–9.9 million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Survivor | "Eye of the Tiger" | 1982 | 9.5[a] | [42][43][44][45] |
| Wings | "Mull of Kintyre" | 1977 | 9 | [46] |
| The Animals | "The House of the Rising Sun" | 1964 | 8 | [47] |
| Aqua | "Barbie Girl" | 1997 | 8 | [48] |
| The Beatles | "Hey Jude" | 1968 | 8 | [49] |
| Paul Hardcastle | "19" | 1985 | 8 | [50] |
| Mary Hopkin | "Those Were the Days" | 1968 | 8 | [2] |
| Mahalia Jackson | "Move On Up a Little Higher" | 1948 | 8 | [51] |
| Modern Talking | "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" | 1984 | 8 | [52] |
| Nirvana | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | 1991 | 8 | [53] |
| O-Zone | "Dragostea din tei" | 2003 | 8[a] | [54] |
| Freddy Quinn | "Heimweh" | 1956 | 8 | [55] |
| Shocking Blue | "Venus" | 1969 | 8 | [2] |
7–7.9 million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelly and Kelly Rowland | "Dilemma" | 2002 | 7.6 | [56][57] |
| Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 | "I'll Be Missing You" | 1997 | 7.11 | [44][58] |
| Christina Aguilera | "Genie in a Bottle" | 1999 | 7 | [59] |
| The Beatles | "Can't Buy Me Love" | 1964 | 7 | [2] |
| The Black Crowes | "Hard to Handle" | 1990 | 7 | [60] |
| Chic | "Le Freak" | 1978 | 7 | [61] |
| Danyel Gérard | "Butterfly" | 1971 | 7 | [2][62] |
| Las Ketchup | "The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" | 2002 | 7 | [63] |
| Scott McKenzie | "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" | 1967 | 7 | [64] |
| Alanis Morissette | "Uninvited" | 1998 | 7 | [65] |
| Queen | "Another One Bites the Dust" | 1980 | 7 | [66] |
| Julie Rogers | "The Wedding" | 1964 | 7 | [2][67] |
| Royal Scots Dragoon Guards | "Amazing Grace" | 1972 | 7 | [2][68] |
| Roy Orbison | "Oh, Pretty Woman" | 1964 | 7 | [69] |
| Spice Girls | "Wannabe" | 1996 | 7 | [70] |
| Ricky Valance | "Tell Laura I Love Her" | 1960 | 7 | [71] |
6–6.9 million copies
5–5.9 million copies
Best-selling digital singles
10 million copies or more
8–9.99 million copies
7–7.99 million copies
| Artist | Single | Released | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beyoncé | "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" | 2008 | 7.7 | [128][134][142][166][167] |
| Leona Lewis | "Bleeding Love" | 2008 | 7.7 | [155] |
| Katy Perry | "Hot n Cold" | 2008 | 7.7 | [168] |
| Greeeen | "Kiseki" | 2008 | 7.6 | [169] |
| Rihanna | "Diamonds" | 2012 | 7.5 | [170] |
| Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé | "Telephone" | 2010 | 7.4 | [171] |
| LMFAO | "Sexy and I Know It" | 2011 | 7.4 | [172] |
| Bruno Mars | "Locked Out of Heaven" | 2012 | 7.4 | [173] |
| Timbaland featuring OneRepublic | "Apologize" | 2007 | 7.4 | [174] |
| The Black Eyed Peas | "The Time (Dirty Bit)" | 2010 | 7.3 | [120] |
| Avril Lavigne | "Girlfriend" | 2007 | 7.3 | [163] |
| Nicki Minaj | "Starships" | 2012 | 7.2 | [123] |
| Michel Teló | "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" | 2011 | 7.2 | [123] |
| Coldplay | "Viva la Vida" | 2008 | 7.1 | [142][175] |
| One Direction | "What Makes You Beautiful" | 2011 | 7.1 | [176][177] |
| Florida Georgia Line | "Cruise" | 2012 | 7.01 | [178] |
| Exile | "Lovers Again" | 2007 | 7 | [179] |
| Hilcrhyme | "Shunkashūtō" | 2009 | 7 | [180] |
6–6.99 million copies
5–5.99 million copies
Best-selling single by year worldwide
The charts of the best-selling singles by year in the world are compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry annually since 2007. These charts are published in their two annual reports, the Digital Music Report and the Recording Industry in Numbers.
Units sold include single-track downloads, audio and video mastertones, ringback tones, full track downloads to mobile and, starting in 2013, track-equivalent streams. All versions of the same song are combined in these charts.
| Year | Single | Artist | Nationality | Sales (in millions) |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Girlfriend" | Avril Lavigne |  Canada
|
7.3 | [163] |
| 2008 | "Lollipop" | Lil Wayne featuring Static Major |  United States
|
9.1 | [155] |
| 2009 | "Poker Face" | Lady Gaga | United States
|
9.8 | [127] |
| 2010 | "TiK ToK" | Kesha | United States
|
12.8 | [171] |
| 2011 | "Just the Way You Are" | Bruno Mars | United States
|
12.5 | [120] |
| 2012 | "Call Me Maybe" | Carly Rae Jepsen | Canada
|
12.5 | [123] |
| 2013 | "Blurred Lines" | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell | United States
|
14.8 | [113] |
| 2014 | "Happy" | Pharrell Williams | United States
|
13.9 | [110] |
| 2015 | "See You Again" | Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth | United States
|
20.9 | [110] |
| 2016 | "One Dance" | Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla | Canada
|
12.5 | [126] |
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling albums
- List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
Notes
- a.^ Sales figure includes digital sales.
- b.^ Sales figure includes 'equivalent track streams'.
- c.^ Sales figure includes physical sales.
- d.^ Sales figure includes ringback tone sales not counted by the IFPI.
References
Bibliography
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