Best Selling Singles of All Time

POSTED:Jun 10, 2026 7:11 AM

From vinyl 45s to billion-stream juggernauts, these are the best selling singles of all time — ranked by verified worldwide sales, certified units, and the kind of cultural permanence that only a handful of recordings ever achieve.

Editor’s Note

By Harris Sterling, Top40Weekly

Numbers don’t lie, but they do mislead — and nowhere is that truer than in the world of best-selling singles. Comparing a Bing Crosby record from 1942 to a Weeknd streaming phenomenon from 2020 requires holding two entirely different commercial realities in your head simultaneously. Physical singles, cassette singles, CD maxi-singles, digital downloads, and streaming equivalents are all different animals, and no single global body has tracked them consistently across all eras. What we’ve done here is use the best available data: RIAA certifications, IFPI year-end charts, Guinness World Records verifications, and BPI figures, cross-referenced where possible. The result is the most accurate and transparent ranking we can produce. Some entries will surprise you. All of them deserve their place.

A Note on Our Methodology

This ranking combines verified worldwide certified units, claimed sales figures corroborated by at least two independent sources, and RIAA/IFPI/BPI certification data. Where sales figures span different eras and formats, we have used the most conservative credible estimate. Streaming equivalents are included for post-2013 releases per RIAA and IFPI standard methodology (150 streams = 1 download unit as of 2016).

A note on pre-certification estimates:

Several entries on this list — including “Silent Night” (Bing Crosby), “In the Summertime” (Mungo Jerry), “Petit Papa Noël” (Tino Rossi), and “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” (The New Seekers) — rely on label-reported or musicologist-estimated sales figures rather than audited RIAA, IFPI, or BPI certification data. These figures are widely cited across multiple independent sources and are included in good faith as the most defensible available estimates for recordings made before modern certification infrastructure existed. Readers should treat them as credible approximations rather than verified totals.

The Top 40 Best Selling Singles of All Time

The definitive best selling singles of all time list — spanning eight decades of pop, rock, soul, country, and everything in between.

40. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” — The Beatles (1963)

The record that launched Beatlemania in America sold an estimated 15 million copies worldwide across its original release and subsequent re-pressings — a figure that made it the best-selling Beatles single globally and one of the most commercially significant recordings of the 1960s by any measure. Released in the US on December 26, 1963, it sold over a million copies in its first three days of American availability and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 within two weeks, a pace that had never been seen before for a foreign act. Its place on any best selling singles of all time list is both a commercial and a historical argument: this is the song that broke America’s cultural resistance to British rock and permanently changed the trajectory of popular music. Capitol Records initially refused to release it; the rest is the most consequential three minutes in pop history.

Estimated 15 million copies sold worldwide
#1 Billboard Hot 100 (1964) — sold 1 million+ copies in its first 3 days of US release
RIAA 5× Platinum; Grammy Hall of Fame inductee; US National Recording Registry
The Beatles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inaugural class, 1988)

39. “Waterloo” — ABBA (1974)

ABBA’s Eurovision Song Contest winner sold an estimated 6 million copies in its original 1974 release across European markets and has accumulated growing certification figures in the streaming era as younger audiences discover the group through Mamma Mia!, the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again sequel, and ABBA’s 2021 comeback album Voyage. Its place on the best selling singles of all time list is partly historical — it launched one of the best-selling acts in the history of recorded music — and partly reflective of its sustained commercial presence across five decades. ABBA’s total worldwide sales of 385 million records trace their origin to this one three-minute Eurovision performance in Brighton in April 1974.

Estimated 6 million copies sold in original release; growing streaming certification
Won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest — launched ABBA’s global career
ABBA: total estimated worldwide sales of 385 million records
ABBA inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2021)

38. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” — Band Aid (1984)

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in response to BBC news footage of the Ethiopian famine and recorded it in a single day with the biggest names in British and Irish pop music. It became the best-selling single in UK chart history at the time of its release — a record it held for thirteen years — and sold approximately 12 million copies worldwide in its original release, generating funds that became foundational to the Live Aid concert the following year. As a document of pop music’s capacity for political mobilization, it belongs on any serious top 20 best-selling singles of all time list — and its annual seasonal presence on streaming platforms continues to add to its commercial total.

Estimated 12 million copies sold worldwide; UK best-selling single at time of release
BPI 4× Platinum; proceeds funded Ethiopian famine relief and catalyzed Live Aid (1985)
Recorded in a single day with 36 major British and Irish artists
Re-recorded in 1989 and 2004; multiple versions contribute to global total

37. “Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus (2019)

Lil Nas X’s country-trap hybrid spent a record-breaking nineteen consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a record that had stood for twenty-five years before it was broken and that may stand for many more. The Billy Ray Cyrus remix transformed a viral TikTok track into a genuine mainstream crossover that topped charts in twenty-five countries and accumulated RIAA 14× Platinum certification. The song’s genre fluidity — which caused its removal from the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, sparking a national conversation about race and genre gatekeeping — gave it a cultural significance that extended well beyond its already extraordinary chart performance among best selling singles of all time worldwide contenders.

19 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — all-time record
RIAA 14× Platinum; certified across 25+ countries
Sparked a national conversation about race and genre classification in country music
Grammy Award for Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (2020)

36. “Happy” — Pharrell Williams (2013)

Pharrell Williams’s Despicable Me 2 contribution was the best-selling global single of 2014 per IFPI, accumulated RIAA 15× Platinum certification, and spent ten weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its production — a single-chord funk loop that functions as one of the most minimal and yet irresistible pop arrangements ever recorded — generated an extraordinary chain of fan-made music videos from cities around the world, creating a user-generated content phenomenon that added certified units through streaming long after the song’s radio peak. It was the first song from an animated film soundtrack to generate this level of standalone commercial success, cementing its place on the list of best-selling singles of all time.

RIAA 15× Platinum; IFPI Global Digital Single of the Year 2014
10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Certified across 35+ countries; over 1 billion YouTube views
Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song

35. “Havana” — Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug (2017)

Camila Cabello’s solo breakthrough single combined Cuban musical traditions with contemporary trap production in a way that felt genuinely novel, and the result was one of the most commercially successful debut solo singles in modern chart history. It spent ten weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, accumulated RIAA 14× Platinum certification, and was named the IFPI Global Digital Single of 2018 — an extraordinary commercial performance for a song that took a genuine artistic risk with its genre-blending approach. Its worldwide certified units place it firmly in the conversation about the best selling singles of all time from the late 2010s streaming era.

RIAA 14× Platinum; IFPI Global Digital Single of the Year 2018
10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Certified across 30+ countries; over 1 billion YouTube views
Launched one of the most commercially successful solo careers from a group member in recent pop history

34. “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” — Queen (1977)

The double A-side that became the twin anthems of sporting culture worldwide has accumulated 12.17 million certified units worldwide for “We Will Rock You” and 9.33 million for “We Are the Champions” — combined figures that make the double A-side one of the most commercially durable releases in rock history. Brian May wrote “We Will Rock You” in response to audience participation at Queen concerts, aiming to create a song the crowd could perform themselves. What emerged was one of the most recognizable musical structures in the history of popular entertainment — a recording that functions as a participatory ritual at sporting events on every continent. The top 10 best-selling singles of all time billboard era hasn’t produced anything approaching its communal cultural function.

12.17M certified units (“We Will Rock You”); 9.33M (“We Are the Champions”)
Grammy Hall of Fame inductees; US National Recording Registry
The most played songs at global sporting events by a significant margin
Queen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001)

33. “See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth (2015)

Written as a tribute to the late Paul Walker and featured in Furious 7, “See You Again” spent twelve weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the best-selling digital singles of the 2010s with RIAA 14× Platinum certification. Charlie Puth wrote the piano melody in thirty minutes and Wiz Khalifa’s verse was completed in a single session, and the result was a recording of raw emotional simplicity that connected with audiences worldwide in a way that neither artist could have anticipated. The IFPI named it the Global Digital Single of 2015, and its worldwide streaming figures have continued to accumulate as Paul Walker’s legacy remains a significant cultural presence.

RIAA 14× Platinum; IFPI Global Digital Single of the Year 2015
12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Certified across 30+ countries; among the top-streaming film tribute songs ever
Over 5 billion combined worldwide streams

32. “Uptown Girl” — Billy Joel (1983)

Billy Joel’s doo-wop-influenced pop single sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide and spent five weeks at #1 in the UK, where it became the second-biggest selling single of 1983 — behind only Michael Jackson. In the US it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its music video, featuring Joel in a mechanic’s garage while Christie Brinkley’s limousine rolls up, became one of MTV’s most played clips of the year. As a purely constructed pop song — every element calculated for maximum accessibility without sacrificing musical craft — it represents one of the definitive best-selling singles of all time achievements of the 1980s mainstream.

Estimated 10 million copies sold worldwide
#3 Billboard Hot 100; #1 UK for 5 weeks — second-biggest UK single of 1983
RIAA 2× Platinum; BPI 2× Platinum
Billy Joel inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999)

31. “Thunderstruck” — AC/DC (1990)

AC/DC’s electric guitar opening — Malcolm Young’s picked arpeggios building for the first minute before anything else arrives — has become one of the most recognizable sonic signatures in rock history, and the song’s 15.80 million certified units worldwide make it the highest-certified 1990s rock single and one of the most commercially durable entries on the top 20 best-selling singles of all time in the rock category. Its ubiquity at sporting events globally — from NHL arenas to Premier League stadiums to Super Bowl pre-game shows — has sustained its certified unit count through streaming decades after its original release. Few rock records from any era have demonstrated this level of cross-cultural commercial endurance.

15.80 million certified units worldwide — highest-certified 1990s rock single
RIAA 10× Platinum; certified across 20+ countries
A staple of sporting events on every continent; its opening riff is among rock’s most recognized
AC/DC inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2003)

30. “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” — The New Seekers (1972)

Originally written as a Coca-Cola advertising jingle and then reworked as a standalone pop recording at the artists’ request, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” became one of the most commercially successful and culturally pervasive recordings of the early 1970s, selling an estimated 12 million copies worldwide. Its message of universal harmony — exactly calibrated for the post-Vietnam moment — resonated across markets in a way that few explicitly feel-good recordings ever achieve without feeling saccharine. Its place on any best selling singles of all time list is secured by its combination of verified physical sales and its extraordinary legacy as the pop song most directly produced by advertising culture.

Estimated 12 million copies sold worldwide
#1 in multiple countries; US Top 10; UK #1
Originally a Coca-Cola jingle — one of the few advertising compositions to become a genuine pop hit
Still one of the most recognizable recordings of the early 1970s globally

29. “…Baby One More Time” — Britney Spears (1998)

Britney Spears’s debut single announced the arrival of the most commercially successful pop act of the late 1990s and early 2000s with a production and video combination that defined the teen pop aesthetic for a generation. It accumulated 9.63 million worldwide certified units and debuted at #1 in over twenty countries simultaneously — a commercial launch without precedent for a debut single by a new artist. The song spent two weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video, directed by Nigel Dick and filmed in a California high school, became the most requested video in MTV history at the time of its release. Among the best selling singles of all time from the late 90s teen pop boom, nothing comes close.

9.63 million certified units worldwide
Debuted at #1 in 20+ countries simultaneously — unprecedented for a debut artist
RIAA 8× Platinum; BPI 4× Platinum
The most requested MTV video at time of release; launched one of the decade’s most dominant pop careers

28. “Iris” — Goo Goo Dolls (1998)

The City of Angels soundtrack contribution that the Goo Goo Dolls initially wrote on a challenge — produce a song that sounds like it was recorded in the 1940s — became the most-played song on US radio of 1998 and accumulated 15.94 million certified units worldwide, the fourth-highest total of any 1990s single. It spent eighteen weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and was nominated for three Grammy Awards, yet it never reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 itself because it was only available on the film soundtrack and not released as a commercial single initially — one of the stranger chart anomalies among the top 10 best selling singles of all time billboard data points.

15.94 million certified units worldwide — fourth-highest for any 1990s single
18 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart
Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
Never officially reached #1 on the Hot 100 due to initial soundtrack-only release

27. “Hound Dog” / “Don’t Be Cruel” — Elvis Presley (1956)

The double A-side that established Elvis Presley as the defining commercial force of the rock and roll era sold an estimated 5 million copies in the United States alone within its first year — an unprecedented figure for 1956 — and went on to accumulate global sales of approximately 10–12 million across all physical formats. In the context of the pre-certification era and the nascent global music market of the mid-1950s, these figures are extraordinary. The RIAA certified the single at 4× Platinum, and Elvis Presley’s overall commercial legacy — estimated at 600 million+ units sold worldwide across his entire catalog — rests substantially on the momentum this record created. No conversation about the list of best-selling singles of all time is complete without it.

Estimated 10–12 million copies sold worldwide; RIAA 4× Platinum
11 weeks at #1 on the US pop, country, and R&B charts simultaneously
Elvis Presley inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (inaugural class, 1986)
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1971)

26. “My Heart Will Go On” — Celine Dion (1997)

James Horner and Will Jennings’s composition for the Titanic soundtrack became one of the most commercially successful film songs in history, accumulating 10.92 million certified units worldwide and generating global sales figures that Celine Dion’s label estimated at over 18 million physical copies. Dion recorded the vocal in a single take, telling the producers she didn’t want it used — a position she reversed when she heard the playback. The song spent sixteen weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and topped the Hot 100, making it the commercial centerpiece of the highest-grossing film of its era and one of the most recognizable best selling singles of all time worldwide by any measure.

10.92 million certified units worldwide; estimated 18 million+ physical copies
RIAA 4× Platinum; certified across 30+ countries
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year (1999)
Titanic (1997) — #1 film globally, grossing $2.18 billion at box office

25. “Livin’ on a Prayer” — Bon Jovi (1986)

Bon Jovi’s working-class anthem has accumulated 15.29 million certified units worldwide — the third-highest total of any 1980s single — and its cultural penetration has only deepened with time. The song’s talk-box modulated bridge, Jon Bon Jovi’s performance at every live show since its release, and its adoption as a sing-along fixture at sporting events and parties globally have given it a second commercial life in the streaming era that its original 1986 chart performance only partially predicted. For many listeners outside the US, it functions as a foundational best-selling singles of all time touchstone — the song that defines American rock’s emotional register in the 1980s.

15.29 million certified units worldwide — third-highest for any 1980s single
RIAA 9× Platinum; certified across 20+ countries
Slippery When Wet (1986) — 12× Platinum RIAA
Bon Jovi inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2018)

24. “Africa” — Toto (1982)

Toto’s keyboard-and-choir meditation on longing for a continent you’ve never visited has accumulated 15.58 million certified units worldwide — a figure that reflects not just its original commercial performance but an extraordinary internet-era resurgence that culminated in a 2018 viral meme that introduced the song to millions of younger listeners. Its Grammy-winning production, Chad Allan’s distinctive piano introduction, and the choir’s entrance at the song’s midpoint create an emotional crescendo that has proven genuinely irresistible across generational boundaries. Among the top 10 best-selling singles of all time billboard era releases, its current streaming figures continue to grow at a rate that few 1982 recordings can approach.

15.58 million certified units worldwide
Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group (1984)
2018 viral meme resurgence introduced the song to an entirely new generation
Over 1 billion Spotify streams; Toto inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2024)

23. “Thriller” — Michael Jackson (1983)

The title track from the best-selling album of all time accumulated 15.22 million worldwide certified units and introduced the concept of the music video as a short film — John Landis’s fourteen-minute production cost $500,000, an unheard-of sum in 1983, and the result was a cultural event that MTV broadcast as a programming special rather than simply a video. As the top 20 best-selling singles of all time entry that most transformed what a music video could be, its commercial legacy is inseparable from its artistic ambition. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones produced a track of such density and choreographic energy that it has never been displaced from its position as the definitive pop spectacle of the decade.

15.22 million certified units worldwide
RIAA 9× Platinum; certified across 20+ countries
The 14-minute music video transformed the format permanently; cost $500,000 to produce
Thriller (1982) — 34× Platinum RIAA; best-selling album of all time

22. “Petit Papa Noël” — Tino Rossi (1946)

The most commercially successful French-language recording in history, Tino Rossi’s Christmas song is estimated to have sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide across its physical release history — a figure that places it among the genuine giants of pre-certification era sales. Released in 1946 and recorded specifically for the post-war French Christmas market, it became a fixture of French cultural life that has never been dislodged, and its annual seasonal streaming performance continues to add units to a total that was already extraordinary. Its near-complete absence from English-language best-selling singles discussions is a product of cultural geography rather than commercial reality — it belongs on any genuine best selling singles of all time list.

Estimated 30 million copies sold worldwide
The best-selling French-language recording in music history
Annual streaming profile ensures continued commercial presence
A defining artifact of post-war French popular culture

21. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — Queen (1975)

Queen’s six-minute operatic rock masterpiece has accumulated 17.47 million certified units worldwide — the highest total of any pre-1980 single in the global certification era — a figure that reflects three distinct commercial peaks: its original 1975 release (UK #1 for nine weeks), its resurgence after Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991, and its extraordinary streaming performance in the wake of the 2018 biographical film. No other song of its era has demonstrated this kind of multi-generational commercial regeneration, and its place at the top of virtually every “greatest songs of all time” poll gives it a cultural authority that sustains its streaming numbers decade after decade.

17.47 million certified units worldwide — highest of any pre-1980 single
UK #1 for nine weeks in 1975; re-released to UK #1 in 1991 after Mercury’s death
Grammy Hall of Fame inductee; US National Recording Registry
Queen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001)

20. “Billie Jean” — Michael Jackson (1983)

Michael Jackson’s paranoid funk masterpiece was the first video by a Black artist to receive regular rotation on MTV, permanently changing the medium’s racial politics and ensuring that the song’s commercial reach extended to audiences it would otherwise never have found. It spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its 18.2 million worldwide certified units reflect four decades of sustained commercial presence across physical, digital, and streaming formats. As the flagship single from Thriller — the best-selling album of all time — its place on the best selling singles of all time worldwide list is among the most secure of any entry in the post-1958 certification era.

18.2 million certified units worldwide
7 weeks at #1 Billboard Hot 100; first Black artist video to receive regular MTV rotation
Thriller (1982) — 34× Platinum RIAA; best-selling album of all time
Grammy Hall of Fame inductee; US National Recording Registry

19. “Rolling in the Deep” — Adele (2010)

Adele’s debut US chart-topper became one of the best-selling digital singles of all time with a combination of radio dominance, critical acclaim, and the kind of raw emotional power that drove repeat purchases in an era when repeat purchasing was becoming rare. It spent 24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and 22 weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary chart, and its worldwide certified units of approximately 20.6 million reflect a genuine global commercial phenomenon. The song’s production by Paul Epworth — sparse and powerful, built around a single repeated piano figure — gave Adele’s voice the space it needed to communicate directly and without mediation, and audiences around the world responded accordingly.

Approximately 20.6 million combined sales and certified units worldwide
RIAA 16× Platinum; BPI 8× Platinum; certified across 30+ countries
Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video (2012)
24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart

18. “Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (2015)

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’s funk-pop revival spent a record-breaking fourteen consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — matching the record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” — and became one of the best-selling digital singles in RIAA history. Its production, which drew on the Minneapolis sound and James Brown’s funk tradition while sounding completely contemporary, created a template for retro-influenced pop that dominated the mid-2010s. The song’s combination of impeccable musicianship, irresistible groove, and Mars’s physical performance of it at every live opportunity turned it into one of the most recognized top 10 best-selling singles of all time of the digital download era.

RIAA 14× Platinum — one of the highest digital certifications in US history
14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Grammy Award for Record of the Year (2016)
Over 4 billion combined streams globally

17. “Last Christmas” — Wham! (1984)

George Michael’s Christmas heartbreak ballad has accumulated 19.74 million certified units worldwide — the second-highest total of any 1980s single — across a commercial lifecycle that has spanned four decades and shows no sign of stopping. Released as a double A-side with “Everything She Wants” in December 1984, it was kept from #1 in the UK by Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” — a piece of chart history that Wham! have always accepted graciously. Its annual December resurgence has generated millions of additional certified units in the streaming era, making it one of the great catalog success stories in the best selling singles of all time worldwide conversation.

19.74 million certified units worldwide — second-highest for any 1980s single
RIAA 6× Platinum; BPI 7× Platinum; certified across 25+ countries
Kept from #1 in the UK by “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in 1984
Returns to the top of multiple European charts every December

16. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — Nirvana (1991)

The song that ended the hair metal era and announced alternative rock’s arrival in the mainstream has accumulated 16.91 million certified units worldwide — a figure that understates its cultural impact considerably, since its original chart performance was measured in an era when rock radio was the primary distribution mechanism. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 but #1 on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts simultaneously, and Nevermind‘s subsequent commercial dominance generated sustained singles sales that continued for years. As an entry on the best selling singles of all time list, its placement reflects verified data that almost certainly lags behind actual global sales.

16.91 million certified units worldwide
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and US National Recording Registry
Nevermind (1991) — over 30 million copies sold worldwide
Nirvana inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2014)

15. “I Gotta Feeling” — Black Eyed Peas (2009)

The most jubilant record of the late 2000s accumulated 22.26 million certified units worldwide and spent fourteen consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a run that reflected not just radio dominance but a genuine cultural moment of post-recession communal optimism that audiences around the world clearly needed. The song’s production by David Guetta bridged the gap between club-oriented EDM and mainstream pop in a way that transformed both markets, and its ubiquity at events ranging from Obama’s inauguration celebrations to sporting events worldwide confirmed its status as the definitive anthem of its era. Among the best-selling singles of all time of the 2000s decade, it sits at or near the very top.

22.26 million certified units worldwide
14 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
RIAA 10× Platinum; certified across 20+ countries
David Guetta’s production bridged EDM and mainstream pop for the first time at this commercial scale

14. “We Are the World” — USA for Africa (1985)

The most commercially successful charity single in the history of recorded music, co-written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and featuring forty-five of the biggest names in American pop, sold an estimated 20 million copies worldwide and generated over $63 million for African famine relief. Its recording session — documented in a famous behind-the-scenes film — became a cultural event in itself, and the song’s simultaneous radio release across US stations created a radio moment without precedent in the modern era. As a combination of commercial performance and humanitarian impact, it remains one of the most significant recordings on any top 20 best-selling singles of all time list.

Estimated 20 million copies sold worldwide
RIAA 4× Platinum; generated over $63 million for famine relief
Recorded in one night with 45 artists; the recording session is a cultural landmark
Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group (1986)

13. “Don’t Stop Believin'” — Journey (1981)

Journey’s synth-and-guitar anthem has accumulated 26.52 million certified units worldwide — making it the highest-certified single of the 1980s across all global certifications — a figure that reflects not just its original commercial performance but its extraordinary streaming longevity. The song peaked at only #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981 but has never left the cultural conversation since, fueled by its role in the finale of The Sopranos, its appearance in Glee, and its status as the most streamed catalog rock song on Spotify. It is one of the best selling singles of all time worldwide that most dramatically underperformed its ultimate commercial ceiling on its initial chart run.

26.52 million certified units worldwide — highest-certified 1980s single globally
#9 Billboard Hot 100 (1981); over 1 billion Spotify streams
US National Recording Registry inductee
Journey inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2017)

12. “Lose Yourself” — Eminem (2002)

Eminem’s 8 Mile soundtrack centerpiece has accumulated 22.62 million certified units worldwide — the highest figure of any hip-hop single on this list and a testament to both the song’s extraordinary quality and its cross-genre appeal. The first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, it was also the first to top the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve consecutive weeks, a record for a rap track at the time. Its internal rhyme schemes, relentless emotional intensity, and the specific desperation of its narrative have made it a perennial presence on motivation playlists, sporting events, and gym rotations globally — a commercial footprint that has expanded rather than diminished with each passing year.

22.62 million certified units worldwide
Academy Award for Best Original Song — first rap song to win the Oscar
12 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
RIAA 13× Platinum; certified across 20+ countries

11. “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” / “Candle in the Wind 1997” — Elton John (1997)

The double A-side single that carries both “Candle in the Wind 1997” and its commercial partner is technically the highest-certified physical single in RIAA history — 11× Platinum, achieved entirely through physical sales before streaming was counted. The pairing of a dignified new ballad with the Diana tribute gave radio stations two reasons to play the record constantly throughout the autumn of 1997, and the result was a commercial performance that has never been replicated in the physical singles market. It is listed separately from the pure “Candle in the Wind” figure above because its certification data encompasses the complete double A-side commercial release.

11× Platinum RIAA — highest-ever physical single certification in US history
Released September 1997; sold over 3.4 million copies in the US alone in its first week
RIAA Diamond certification — only physical single to achieve this before streaming era
All proceeds from “Candle in the Wind 1997” donated to the Diana Memorial Fund

10. “In the Summertime” — Mungo Jerry (1970)

One of the most surprising entries on any top 10 best-selling singles of all time list, Mungo Jerry’s debut single sold an estimated 31 million copies worldwide across its initial release and international licensing deals — a figure that places it among the genuine commercial giants of the pre-certification era. It reached #1 in twenty-six countries simultaneously and spent seven weeks at #1 in the UK, where it became the fastest-selling single in British chart history at the time. Ray Dorset wrote it in twenty minutes. Its jug-band skiffle sound was unlike anything on pop radio in 1970, and that distinctiveness is precisely what made it unstoppable.

Estimated 31 million copies sold worldwide
#1 in 26 countries simultaneously; 7 weeks at #1 in the UK
Fastest-selling single in British chart history at time of release
BPI 3× Platinum; one of the most recognizable one-hit wonder recordings in European music history

9. “I Will Always Love You” — Whitney Houston (1992)

Whitney Houston’s definitive recording of Dolly Parton’s composition sold over 24 million copies worldwide according to Guinness World Records, making it the best-selling single worldwide by a female artist — a record formally recognized by Guinness in 2025. The Bodyguard soundtrack version became a commercial phenomenon of a scale that even the film’s producers hadn’t anticipated, spending fourteen weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and introducing Houston’s voice to audiences in countries where she had previously had limited reach. The song’s six-octave performance range and emotional commitment set a standard for pop ballads that has influenced every subsequent generation of female vocalists.

24 million+ copies sold worldwide (Guinness World Records: best-selling single by a female artist)
14 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
RIAA 4× Platinum; BPI 2× Platinum; certified across 30+ countries
Grammy Award for Record of the Year (1994)

8. “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber (2017)

The remix featuring Justin Bieber transformed “Despacito” from a regional Latin phenomenon into the most-streamed song in the world at the time of its peak, accumulating an estimated 38 million equivalent units across all formats. It became the first Spanish-language song to reach #1 in the US in twenty-four years, spending sixteen weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and it topped charts in forty-seven countries simultaneously — a record for a Spanish-language recording. Its cultural significance extended beyond the chart performance: it opened the door for the global Latin pop wave that produced Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and the genre’s current dominance.

Estimated 38 million combined sales and equivalent units
#1 in 47 countries; 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
First Spanish-language #1 in the US in 24 years
RIAA 14× Platinum; most certified Spanish-language single in RIAA history

7. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mariah Carey (1994)

The most commercially successful Christmas song of the modern era has accumulated 33.41 million certified units worldwide across all formats — making it by some measures the top 20 best-selling singles of all time entry with the most verified certification data behind it. Released in 1994, it only reached the top of the US charts for the first time in 2019 — twenty-five years after its recording — and has returned to the top of charts in multiple countries every December since, adding certified units each year as it streams at holiday volumes that no other catalog track approaches. Mariah Carey’s songwriting and vocal performance created something that functions as genuine cultural infrastructure.

33.41 million certified units worldwide (highest for any 1990s release)
First reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 — 25 years after release
Returns to #1 in multiple countries every December
RIAA 15× Platinum; BPI 10× Platinum; certified across 40+ countries

6. “Rock Around the Clock” — Bill Haley & His Comets (1954)

The song that ignited the rock and roll revolution sold an estimated 25 million copies worldwide across physical formats — and did so before any of the modern certification infrastructure existed to record it. Released as a B-side to “Thirteen Women,” it only became a global phenomenon after its placement in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, at which point it became the first rock and roll record to top the US charts and remain there for eight consecutive weeks. Its cultural impact — effectively announcing the arrival of a new genre to a mainstream audience — makes it one of the most historically significant entries on any best selling singles of all time list.

Estimated 25 million copies sold worldwide
First rock and roll record to reach #1 on the US pop charts (1955)
8 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart
US National Recording Registry inductee; Grammy Hall of Fame

5. “Silent Night” — Bing Crosby (1935)

Bing Crosby’s recording of Franz Xaver Gruber’s 1818 composition accumulated an estimated 30 million sales during an era when global tracking was essentially nonexistent — a figure that musicologists and sales historians consider a conservative estimate given the record’s commercial presence across Europe, North America, and beyond throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. As one of the foundational recordings of the top 10 best-selling singles of all time in the pre-certification era, it occupies a unique place in commercial music history: a record that sold more than almost anything before anyone was counting.

Estimated 30 million copies sold worldwide
Recorded in the pre-certification era; figures based on independent musicological research
One of the most recorded and covered songs in music history
Foundational to the Christmas music industry that generates billions annually

4. “Blinding Lights” — The Weeknd (2019)

The Weeknd’s synth-pop and R&B masterpiece holds the record for the longest run in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 in the chart’s history — spending 57 consecutive weeks in the top tier — and its streaming longevity has continued to build years after its initial release cycle. A placement in Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 4 in 2022 triggered a second viral wave, and its certified global units have grown consistently since. The IFPI named it the Global Digital Single of 2020, and it remains one of the most-streamed songs in Spotify history with over 5.1 billion plays, making it the dominant best selling singles of all time contender from the streaming era.

5.1 billion+ Spotify streams as of late 2025 — among the highest ever
Billboard Hot 100 record: 57 consecutive weeks in the Top 10
IFPI Global Digital Single of the Year 2020
RIAA 9× Platinum; certified across 30+ countries

3. “Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran (2017)

According to official worldwide certifications aggregated across 52 countries, “Shape of You” is the highest-certified single in recorded music history — a distinction that reflects its massive streaming profile and sustained commercial presence across multiple years. A word on why it ranks #3 rather than #1 despite that fact: certified units in the streaming era are calculated using RIAA equivalency methodology (150 streams = 1 unit), which means streaming plays are converted into units rather than representing direct purchases. “White Christmas” at #1 sold 50+ million physical copies — actual transactions — at a time when a single sale represented a genuine commercial act. “Candle in the Wind 1997” sold 33 million physical copies in a matter of months. “Shape of You” leads on certified units precisely because the streaming model generates unit equivalents at a scale physical sales never could, not because more people paid for it. This ranking weights verified purchase-based sales alongside certified units, which is why the pre-streaming giants hold the top two spots. “Shape of You” is nonetheless the undisputed commercial champion of the streaming era, and its place at #3 on any honest all-format list is entirely secure.

Highest total certified units of any single in history across all global certifications
Debuted at #1 in 97 countries simultaneously — an all-time record
4.6 billion+ Spotify streams as of 2025
RIAA 8× Platinum; BPI 13× Platinum; Diamond certification in 13+ markets

2. “Candle in the Wind 1997” — Elton John (1997)

Recorded in four days following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and released with all proceeds going to the Diana Memorial Fund, “Candle in the Wind 1997” is Guinness World Records’ certified best-selling single since the inception of the modern chart era in the 1950s — a distinction that separates it from pre-chart era recordings like “White Christmas.” It sold 33 million copies in its initial release window, 35 million within its first year, and remains the only physical single in RIAA history to achieve Diamond certification in the pre-streaming era. Elton John has stated he will never perform it live again.

33 million+ copies sold worldwide; 11× Platinum RIAA (physical)
Guinness World Records: best-selling single since charts began in the 1950s
All proceeds donated to the Diana Memorial Fund
The only physical single to achieve RIAA Diamond certification before streaming era

1. “White Christmas” — Bing Crosby (1942)

Guinness World Records’ official holder of the title of the best-selling single in history, with estimated worldwide sales of over 50 million copies across its original recording and subsequent re-releases. Bing Crosby recorded it in just eighteen minutes in May 1942, and by Christmas of that year it had become the most played song on American radio. It reached #1 on the Billboard Best Sellers chart in seven different years across two decades, a longevity record that has never been approached. The fact that no certification system existed to track it properly is the only reason it isn’t the most-cited record in this category — the actual sales figures are almost certainly larger than any estimate.

Estimated 50+ million copies sold worldwide (Guinness World Records)
#1 on the US Best Sellers chart in 7 different years
Grammy Hall of Fame inductee; US National Recording Registry
The best-selling physical single in the history of recorded music

Key Milestones in the History of Best-Selling Singles

A few numbers worth knowing: “White Christmas” holds the all-time worldwide sales record at 50+ million. “Candle in the Wind 1997” is the best-selling single of the modern chart era at 33 million. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the highest-certified single of any decade with 33.41 million global certified units. “Shape of You” is the highest-certified single in total global certifications history. And “Old Town Road” holds the all-time Billboard Hot 100 record at 19 consecutive weeks at #1.

How We Ranked the Best Selling Singles of All Time {#how-we-ranked}

This list is built on four data sources, cross-referenced for accuracy:

1. RIAA Certification Data — The Recording Industry Association of America’s certified units database, available at riaa.com, provides the most rigorously audited US sales figures available. Pre-1989 certifications use the original threshold (1M = Gold, 2M = Platinum); post-1989 figures use current standards (500K = Gold, 1M = Platinum).

2. IFPI Global Certification Data — The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s annual Global Music Report and yearly Digital Single Award winners provide the most authoritative global sales data available for post-2007 releases.

3. Guinness World Records Verification — For pre-certification era recordings (pre-1958), Guinness World Records’ verified estimates, based on manufacturing records, radio performance data, and distributor accounts, provide the most defensible available figures.

4. Billboard Historical Chart Data — Billboard’s historical Hot 100 archive provides chart performance context that corroborates sales claims and helps identify recordings whose certified unit totals may understate actual commercial performance.

FAQ: Best Selling Singles of All Time

What is the best-selling single of all time? According to Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” (1942) is the best selling single of all time with estimated worldwide sales exceeding 50 million copies. In the modern chart era (post-1950s), Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” holds that distinction with 33 million certified copies.

What are the top 10 best-selling singles of all time? The top 10 best-selling singles of all time by combined worldwide sales and certified units are: “White Christmas” (Bing Crosby), “Candle in the Wind 1997” (Elton John), “Shape of You” (Ed Sheeran), “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd), “Silent Night” (Bing Crosby), “Rock Around the Clock” (Bill Haley), “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey), “Despacito” (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee), “I Will Always Love You” (Whitney Houston), and “In the Summertime” (Mungo Jerry).

What is the best-selling single of all time in the US? For the physical sales era, Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” is the best-selling US single with 11× Platinum RIAA (Diamond) certification — the only physical single to achieve that status. In the combined physical, digital, and streaming era, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran leads all top 10 best selling singles of all time billboard certified totals globally, with “Uptown Funk,” “Rolling in the Deep,” and “Old Town Road” among the US leaders.

What is the highest-certified single in RIAA history? For physical singles only, Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997” at 11× Platinum (Diamond) is the highest RIAA physical certification ever. For the digital era, “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran leads in global certifications, while “Happy” by Pharrell Williams and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars are among the highest US-specific certifications at 15× and 14× Platinum respectively.

Has any streaming song surpassed traditional best-sellers? By equivalent units (combining streams, downloads, and physical sales), “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd are approaching or surpassing the certified totals of many traditional physical-era best-sellers. However, the comparison is methodologically contested — physical sales and streaming equivalents are not directly comparable commercial phenomena, and most industry analysts maintain separate rankings for the two eras.

What is the best-selling Christmas single of all time? Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” (1942) at 50+ million worldwide sales is the best selling single of all time worldwide in any category, and therefore also the best-selling Christmas single. In the modern certification era, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at 33.41 million certified units worldwide is the highest-certified Christmas single.

What are the best-selling singles of all time by decade? The dominant best-selling singles of all time by decade are: 1940s — “White Christmas” (Bing Crosby); 1950s — “Rock Around the Clock” (Bill Haley); 1960s — “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles); 1970s — “In the Summertime” (Mungo Jerry); 1980s — “Don’t Stop Believin'” (Journey, by certified units); 1990s — “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey); 2000s — “Lose Yourself” (Eminem); 2010s — “Shape of You” (Ed Sheeran); 2020s — “Blinding Lights” (The Weeknd).

What single has spent the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100? “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus spent 19 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 — an all-time record. Among the top 10 best-selling singles of all time billboard chart leaders, “Candle in the Wind 1997” holds the record for fastest first-week sales in US physical single history.

Conclusion

The best selling singles of all time tell the story of popular music’s entire commercial history — from a Bing Crosby recording made in eighteen minutes in 1942 that sold 50 million copies before anyone was counting, to a Norwegian-Dutch synth-pop track that accumulated more certified units than any previous single in history through the invisible arithmetic of a billion daily streams. What they share, across every era and every format, is a quality that no amount of marketing can manufacture: a melody, a moment, or a performance that made millions of people feel something they needed to feel right then. That’s what a record-breaking single always is. That’s what every song on this list delivers.

Harris Sterling

Independent music label executive Harris Sterling has worked in the music industry for most of his career.

As Executive Vice President for independent music label Madacy Entertainment, he led the strategic marketing and business development for the label, negotiating agreements with the major record labels to release custom music compilations under license with major brands, such as Ford Motor Company, Crayola, Care Bears and Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Harris also led Madacy’s strategy for the licensing of its entire music catalogue to Apple for their launch of the IPOD.

In 2011, Harris co-founded Starting Five Media, a company that specializes in recording and licensing custom renditions of popular songs as well as clearing the rights to the music composition for use by their clients in media projects.

Harris has negotiated publishing and master recording rights for many Top 40 songs for use in various media projects, TV Commercials and more.

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