This article is a compendium of the best-selling music singles. The criteria to include them in the following list were based on the number of copies that sold at least 5 million copies worldwide. All the singles listed here were cited by reliable sources from various media, such as digital journalism, newspapers, magazines, and even books related or not with the subject of music.
It is notable that, 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) andâ€"remarkablyâ€"still retains the title more than 50 years later". Also, 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.
Best-selling physical singles
Top 100 Biggest Selling Songs of the 21st Century (2000-2016) TOP SONGS - Top 100 best selling singles from 2000 to 2016: This ranking represents the amount of copies sold by each song of the 21st century. The number of copies sold ...
15 million copies or more
10â€"14.9 million copies
8â€"9.9 million copies
7â€"7.9 million copies
6â€"6.9 million copies
5â€"5.9 million copies
Best-selling digital singles
15 million digital copies or more
12â€"14.99 million copies
10â€"11.99 million copies
8â€"9.99 million copies
7â€"7.99 million copies
6â€"6.99 million copies
5â€"5.99 million copies
IFPI best-selling single worldwide by year
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 were published in their two annual reports, the Digital Music Report and the Recording Industry in Numbers. Both the Digital Music Report and the Recording Industry in Numbers were replaced in 2016 by the Global Music Report.
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.
See also
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of best-selling albums
- List of best-selling albums of the 21st century
- List of best-selling digital artists in the United States
- IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year
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
- Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders. Billboard Books. ISBNÂ 0-8230-7622-9.Â
- Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBNÂ 0-19-531373-9.Â
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd, illustrated ed.). Barrie & Jenkins. ISBNÂ 0-214-20480-4.Â