Michael - Worldwide Album Sales
Michael is well known for recording the world's best selling album, but the sales and achievements of his other solo albums are less well publicised. On this page, we have listed Michael's solo albums - Motown and CBS/Epic - in order of release, together with known or estimated sales figures, plus known certifications.
Motown sales as passed on by Alessandro, detailed HERE, appear a little high for albums - however, we have taken them into account, along with other estimates, in arriving at global estimates.
Worldwide post-Motown sales are reasonably well documented for Michael's solo albums. Sales figures for individual countries are less certain, especially as some of Michael's albums are under-certified in many countries.
Many thanks to Hanboo for posting SoundScan sales figures, to David Adam for French sales figures, and to Mario, MJDangerous & CaptainAhab for posting sales/certifications, on ukmix. Many thanks to Alessandro and his team at Autyproject, for sales figures from Italy, as well as for passing on the Motown sales, and to J. Randy Taraborrelli for including Motown sales figures in his book, Michael Jackson The Magic And The Madness.
KEY:
TOTAL = total estimated worldwide album sales.
CERT. = total sales according to known certifications & known/estimated sales figures.
| TOTAL | CERT. | Album & Sales |
| MOTOWN ALBUMS | ||
| 1,500,000 | 10,000 | Got To Be There USA SoundScan = 10,000 |
| 2,750,000 | 357,000 | Ben USA 1990 = 350,000 / SoundScan = 7,000 |
| 600,000 | Music & Me | |
| 400,000 | Forever, Michael | |
| 2,500,000 | 206,000 | The Best Of
(all versions) UK Silver = 60,000 / USA SoundScan = 146,000 |
| 600,000 | 3,000 | One Day In Your Life USA SoundScan = 3,000 |
| 1,400,000 | 300,000 | 18 Greatest Hits
(& Jackson 5) UK = 300,000 |
| 500,000 | 14 Greatest Hits | |
| 750,000 | 100,000 | Farewell My Summer Love UK = 100,000 |
| 50,000 | Looking Back To Yesterday | |
| 500,000 | 50,000 | Anthology USA SoundScan = 50,000 |
| 500,000 | Other Pre-1991 Motown Compilations | |
| 250,000 | Their Very Best - Back To Back (& D. Ross, G. Knight & S. Wonder) | |
| 700,000 | 300,000 | Love Songs
(& Diana Ross) UK = 300,000 |
| 50,000 | 1,000 | The Original Soul Of USA SoundScan = 1,000 |
| 500,000 | 300,000 | The Michael Jackson Mix UK = 300,000 |
| 300,000 | 100,000 | The Best Of - The Motown
Years (& Jackson 5) UK = 100,000 |
| 300,000 | 148,000 | The Best Of - The Millennium
Collection USA SoundScan = 48,000 / Canada = 100,000 |
| 75,000 | 24,000 | Love Songs USA SoundScan = 24,000 |
| 500,000 | 211,000 | The Motown Years
(& Jackson 5) UK = 130,000 / France = 39,000 / Belgium = 15,000 / Denmark = 10,000 / Brazil = 2,000 / Australia = 15,000 |
| 105,800 | The Definitive Collection USA = 105,800 |
|
| 1,500,000 | Other Post-1990 Motown Compilations | |
| 16,225,000 | 2,215,800 | MOTOWN TOTALS |
| CBS / EPIC / SONY ALBUMS | ||
| 20,000,000 | 14,882,000 | Off The Wall USA = 8.6 million / UK = 2.4 million / Japan = 522,000 / Australia = 350,000 / Canada = 300,000 / France = 500,000 / Holland = 100,000 / New Zealand = 90,000 / Mexico = 500,000 / Turkey = 100,000 / Spain = 300,000 / Italy = 350,000 / Brazil = 120,000 / Germany = 250,000 / Italy = 350,000 / Austria = 25,000 / Switzerland = 25,000 |
| 100,000 | E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial & Singles Packs | |
| 65,000,000 |
55,564,500 |
Thriller
(including Thriller 25) USA = 29 million / UK = 4.5 million / Japan = 2.65 million / Germany = 2.5 million / Australia = 1.05 million / Canada = 2.455 million / France = 3.3 million / Holland = 830,000 / New Zealand = 180,000 / Switzerland = 315,000 / Belgium = 565,000 / Finland = 96,000 / Portugal = 140,000 / Spain = 660,000 / Argentina = 617,000 / Mexico = 1.7 million / Brazil = 1.45 million / Italy = 1.225 million / Denmark = 180,000 / Austria = 400,000 / Singapore = 40,000 / Sweden = 420,000 / Chile = 400,000 / Greece = 100,000 / Poland - 25,000 / Ireland = 7,500 / Norway = 150,000 / Czecho- slovakia = 100,000 / Yugoslavia = 112,000 / Hungary = 3,000 / Hong Kong = 80,000 / South Korea = 3,000 / India = 115,000 / South Africa = 100,000 |
| 34,000,000 | 27,683,000 | Bad USA = 10.5 million / UK = 4.75 million / Japan = 1.022 million / Germany = 2.2 million / Australia = 420,000 / Austria = 200,000 / Canada = 1 million / France = 1.75 million / Holland = 500,000 / New Zealand = 135,000 / Brazil = 733,000 / Spain = 500,000 / Finland = 52,000 / Italy = 1.28 million / Sweden = 200,000 / Switzerland = 250,000 / Turkey = 500,000 / Mexico = 450,000 / Norway = 150,000 / Belgium = 300,000 / India = 200,000 / Argentina = 60,000 / Greece = 130,000 / Singapore = 46,000 / Hong Kong = 80,000 / China = 250,000 / Thailand = 25,000 |
| 31,000,000 | 23,988,000 | Dangerous USA = 8.42 million / UK 2.26 million / Japan = 823,000 / Germany = 2.2 million / Australia = 630,000 / Austria = 200,000 / Canada = 600,000 / France = 2.5 million / Holland = 300,000 / New Zealand = 90,000 / Switzerland = 250,000 / Spain = 600,000 / Finland = 62,000 / Italy = 790,000 / Sweden = 355,000 / Brazil = 487,000 / Turkey = 300,000 / Norway = 165,000 / Mexico = 600,000 / Belgium = 300,000 / South Korea = 800,000 / Israel = 100,000 / Taiwan = 200,000 / Chile = 100,000 / Denmark = 15,000 / Hungary = 40,000 / Singapore = 191,000 / Hong Kong = 80,000 / China = 250,000 / Malaysia = 180,000 / Thailand = 100,000 |
| 4,000 | 4,000 | Special CD Box Japan = 4,000 |
| 22,000 | 22,000 | Dangerous - The Remix
Collection Japan = 22,000 |
| 19,500,000 | 16,116,500 | History Past, Present
And Future Book 1 USA = 4 million / UK = 1.835 million / Japan = 765,000 / Germany = 2 million / Australia = 560,000 / Austria = 100,000 / Canada = 500,000 / France = 1.6 million / Holland = 350,000 / Hungary = 50,000 / New Zealand = 150,000 / Norway = 50,000 / Switzerland = 150,000 / Finland = 61,500 / Sweden = 100,000 / Italy = 370,000 / Spain = 400,000 / Turkey = 218,000 / Brazil = 500,000 / Mexico = 350,000 / Belgium = 400,000 / Taiwan = 450,000 / Argentina = 90,000 / Hungary = 50,000 / Denmark = 300,000 / Poland = 100,000 / Singapore = 62,000 / Hong Kong = 80,000 / South Korea = 200,000 / Thailand = 100,000 / Malaysia = 75,000 / Indonesia = 100,000 |
| 5,000,000 | 3,670,000 | Blood On The Dance Floor USA = 1 million / UK = 320,000 / Japan = 180,000 /Germany = 450,000 / Australia = 70,000 / Austria = 25,000 / Canada = 50,000 / France = 325,000 / Holland = 100,000 / New Zealand = 15,000 / Norway Gold = 25,000 / Switzerland = 50,000 / Sweden = 50,000 / Turkey = 100,000 / Belgium = 50,000 / Denmark = 150,000 / Spain = 300,000 / Finland = 24,000 / Italy = 185,000 / Brazil = 112,000 / Poland = 50,000 / Hungary = 15,000 / Singapore = 4,000 / Hong Kong = 20,000 |
| 7,000,000 | 5,075,000 | Invincible USA = 2.207 million / UK = 372,000 / Japan = 212,000 / Germany = 300,000 / Australia = 140,000 / Austria = 20,000 / France = 615,000 / Holland = 150,000 / New Zealand = 15,000 / Norway = 50,000 / Switzerland = 40,000 / Canada = 100,000 / South Korea = 59,000 / Turkey = 100,000 / Sweden = 40,000 / Finland = 17,000 / Spain = 120,000 / Italy = 90,000 / Mexico = 75,000 / Brazil - 56,000 / Argentina = 20,000 / Belgium = 50,000 / Denmark = 25,000 / Poland = 50,000 / Hungary = 9,000 / Portugal = 20,000 / Singapore = 23,000 / South Africa = 100,000 |
| 3,000,000 | 1,643,000 | Greatest Hits History
Volume 1 USA = 1.172 million / Japan = 7,000 / Norway = 20,000 / UK = 245,000 / Mexico = 50,000 / Brazil = 65,000 / France = 24,000 / Belgium = 25,000 / Australia = 35,000 |
| 9,500,000 | 7,462,000 | Number Ones USA = 4,265 million / UK = 1.8 million / Japan = 203,000 / Australia = 350,000 / Austria = 15,000 / New Zealand = 60,000 / Switzerland = 20,000 / South Korea = 12,000 / Germany = 100,000 / Ireland = 75,000 / Mexico = 50,000 / Spain = 50,000 / Italy = 65,000 / France = 211,000 / Russia = 40,000 / Brazil - 48,000 / Argentina = 80,000 / Singapore = 18,000 |
| 500,000 | 257,000 | The Ultimate Collection
(box-set) USA = 187,000 / Japan = 10,000 / Italy = 2,000 / UK = 40,000 / France = 16,000 / Brazil = 2,000 |
| 5,000,000 | 3,769,000 | The Essential USA = 1.651 million / Australia = 350,000 / Japan = 100,000 / France = 542,000 / South Korea = 3,000 / Ireland = 15,000 / New Zealand = 30,000 / UK = 900,000 / Sweden = 30,000 / Turkey = 20,000 / Italy = 18,000 / Mexico = 50,000 / Brazil = 20,000 / Belgium = 25,000 / Denmark - 15,000 |
| 3,000,000 | 2,025,500 | King Of Pop UK = 322,000 / Austria = 10,000 / Japan = 470,000 / Poland = 100,000 / France = 167,000 / Hungary = 3,000 / Mexico = 40,000 / Brazil - 113,000 / Germany = 500,000 / Spain = 40,000 / Sweden = 20,000 / Belgium = 30,000 / Russia = 20,000 / Australia = 140,000 / New Zealand = 7,500 / Hong Kong = 20,000 / South Korea = 23,000 |
| 500,000 | 299,000 | The Collection
(box-set) UK = 20,000 / France = 69,000 / Spain = 30,000 / Belgium = 30,000 / Denmark = 60,000 / Brazil = 5,000 / Sweden = 20,000 / Poland = 40,000 / Australia = 25,000 |
| 3,500,000 | 2,901,000 | This Is It USA = 1.567 million / Canada = 95,000 / Brazil = 30,000 / UK = 300, 000 / France = 137,000 / Italy = 140,000 / Spain = 60,000 / Holland = 50,000 / Sweden = 20,000 / Belgium = 30,000 / Austria = 10,000 / Russia = 20,000 / Poland = 20,000 / Greece = 6,000 / Hungary = 6,000 / Australia = 70,000 / New Zealand = 15,000 / Japan = 290,000 / Hong Kong = 25,000 / South Korea = 10,000 |
| 206,626,000 | 165,366,500 | CBS / EPIC / SONY TOTALS |
| 222,851,000 | 167,577,300 | TOTAL SOLO ALBUM SALES |