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, 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.
Est = estimate.
| TOTAL | CERT. | Album - Known Certifications & Sales |
| MOTOWN ALBUMS | ||
| 1,500,000 | 10,000 | Got To Be There USA SoundScan = 10,000 |
| 2,000,000 | 7,000 | Ben USA 1990 = 350,000 / SoundScan = 7,000 |
| 400,000 | Music & Me | |
| 400,000 | Forever, Michael | |
| 2,500,000 | 206,000 | The Best Of
(all versions) UK Silver = 60,000 / USA SoundScan = 146,000 |
| 500,000 | 3,000 | One Day In Your Life USA SoundScan = 3,000 |
| 1,250,000 | 300,000 | 18 Greatest Hits
(& Jackson 5) UK Platinum = 300,000 |
| 750,000 | Farewell My Summer Love | |
| 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) | |
| 500,000 | 300,000 | Love Songs
(& Diana Ross) UK Platinum = 300,000 |
| 50,000 | 1,000 | The Original Soul Of USA SoundScan = 1,000 |
| 500,000 | 300,000 | The Michael Jackson Mix UK Platinum = 300,000 |
| 300,000 | 100,000 | The Best Of - The Motown
Years (& Jackson 5) UK Gold = 100,000 |
| 200,000 | 148,000 | The Best Of - The Millennium
Collection USA SoundScan = 48,000 / Canada = 100,000 |
| 50,000 | 24,000 | Love Songs USA SoundScan = 24,000 |
| 500,000 | Other Post-1990 Motown Compilations | |
| 12,700,000 | 1,449,000 | MOTOWN TOTALS |
| CBS / EPIC / SONY ALBUMS | ||
| 20,000,000 | 12,840,000 | Off The Wall USA 7 x Platinum = 7 million (Est = 8 million) / UK 6 x Platinum = 1.8 million (Est = 2.1 million) / Japan = 500,000 / Australia 4 x Platinum = 280,000 (Est = 300,000) / Canada Platinum = 100,000 / France Platinum = 300,000 (Est = 400,000) / Holland Platinum = 100,000 / New Zealand 6 x Platinum = 90,000 / Mexico Est = 500,000 / Turkey Est = 100,000 / Spain 3 x Platinum = 300,000 / Italy = 350,000 |
| 100,000 | E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial & Singles Packs | |
| 59,000,000 | 50,067,000 | Thriller
(excluding Thriller 25 - see below) USA 27 x Platinum = 27 million (Est = 28 million) / UK 11 x Platinum = 3.3 million (Est = 3.8 million) / Japan = 1,800,000 / Germany 3 x Platinum = 1.5 million (Est 2.5 million) / Australia 12 x Platinum = 840,000 / Canada 2 x Diamond = 2 million (Est = 2.2 million) / France Diamond = 1 million (Est = 3 million) / Holland 8 x Platinum = 800,000 / New Zealand 12 x Platinum = 180,000 / Switzerland 6 x Platinum = 300,000 / Belgium 11 x Platinum = 550,000 / Finland = 90,000 / Portugal 3 x Platinum = 120,000 / Spain 6 x Platinum = 600,000 / Argentina 10 x Platinum = 500,000, Sales = 577,000 / Mexico 4 x Platinum = 600,000, Est = 1.7 million / Brazil Est = 1.2 million / Italy = 1.19 million / Denmark 8 x Platinum = 180,000 / Austria 8 x Platinum = 400,000 |
| 30,000,000 | 26,400,000 | Bad USA 8 x Platinum = 8 million (Est = 10 million) / UK 13 x Platinum = 3.9 million (Est = 4.5 million) / Japan = 1 million / Germany 4 x Platinum = 2 million (Est = 2.2 million) / Australia 5 x Platinum = 350,000 (Est = 400,000) / Austria 4 x Platinum = 200,000 / Canada 7 x Platinum = 700,000 (Est = 1 million) / France Diamond = 1 million (Est = 1.5 million) / Holland Platinum = 80,000 (Est = 500,000) / New Zealand 8 x Platinum = 120,000 / Brazil Est = 700,000 / Spain 5 x Platinum = 500,000 / Finland = 50,000 / Italy = 1.28 million / Sweden 2 x Platinum = 200,000 / Switzerland Est = 250,000 / Turkey Est = 500,000 / Mexico 3 x Platinum = 450,000 / Norway Est = 150,000 / Belgium Est = 300,000 India = 150,000 |
| 29,000,000 | 22,306,000 | Dangerous USA 7 x Platinum = 7 million (Est = 8 million) / UK 6 x Platinum = 1.8 million (Est = 2.1 million) / Japan = 800,000 / Germany 4 x Platinum = 2 million (Est = 2.2 million) / Australia 8 x Platinum = 560,000 / Austria 4 x Platinum = 200,000 / Canada 6 x Platinum = 600,000 / France 2 x Diamond = 2 million (Est = 2.5 million) / Holland 3 x Platinum = 300,000 / New Zealand 5 x Platinum = 75,000 / Switzerland 5 x Platinum = 250,000 / Spain 6 x Platinum = 600,000 / Finland = 61,000 / Italy = 790,000 / Sweden = 355,000 / Brazil Est = 450,000 / Turkey Est = 300,000 / Norway = 165,000 / Mexico Platinum = 150,000 / Belgium Est = 300,000 / South Korea Est = 800,000 / Israel Est = 100,000 / Taiway 4 x Platinum = 200,000 |
| 4,000 | 4,000 | Special CD Box Japan = 4,000 |
| 22,000 | 22,000 | Dangerous - The Remix
Collection Japan = 22,000 |
| 18,000,000 | 13,891,000 | History Past, Present
And Future Book 1 USA 7 x Platinum = 3.5 million (Est = 4 million) / UK 4 x Platinum = 1.2 million (Est = 1.75 million) / Japan = 750,000 / Germany 3 x Platinum = 1.5 million / Australia 7 x Platinum = 490,000 / Austria 2 x Platinum = 100,000 / Canada 5 x Platinum = 500,000 / France Diamond = 1 million (Est = 1.6 million) / Holland 3 x Platinum = 300,000 / Hungary Gold = 50,000 / New Zealand 8 x Platinum = 120,000 / Norway Platinum = 50,000 / Switzerland 3 x Platinum = 150,000 / Finland = 61,000 / Sweden Platinum = 100,000 / Italy = 370,000 / Spain 4 x Platinum = 400,000 / Turkey Est = 200,000 / Brazil Est = 500,000 / Mexico 2 x Platinum = 300,000 / Belgium Est = 400,000 / Taiwan = 200,000 |
| 5,500,000 | 2,587,400 | Blood On The Dance Floor USA SoundScan = 276,900 / UK Gold = 100,000 (Est = 250,000) / Japan = 180,000 / Germany Gold = 250,000 (Est = 450,000) / Australia Gold = 35,000 / Austria Gold = 25,000 / Canada Gold = 50,000 / France Platinum = 300,000 / Holland Platinum = 80,000 / New Zealand Gold = 7,500 / Norway Gold = 25,000 / Switzerland Platinum = 50,000 / Sweden Est = 50,000 / Turkey Est = 100,000 / Belgium Platinum = 50,000 / Denmark 3 x Platinum = 150,000 / Spain 3 x Platinum = 300,000 / Finland = 23,000 / Italy = 185,000 |
| 7,000,000 | 4,319,040 | Invincible USA SoundScan = 2,100,540 / UK Platinum = 300,000 / Japan = 200,000 / Germany Platinum = 300,000 / Australia 2 x Platinum = 140,000 / Austria Gold = 20,000 / France Platinum = 300,000 (Est = 600,000) / Holland Platinum = 80,000 / New Zealand Gold = 7,500 / Norway Platinum = 50,000 / Switzerland Platinum = 40,000 / Canada Est = 100,000 / South Korea = 59,000 / Turkey Platinum = 100,000 / Sweden Gold = 40,000 / Finland = 17,000 / Spain Platinum = 100,000 / Italy = 90,000 / Mexico Gold = 75,000 |
| 3,000,000 | 1,170,700 | Greatest Hits History
Volume 1 USA SoundScan = 900,700 / Japan = 5,000 / Norway Gold = 20,000 / UK = 245,000 |
| 6,500,000 | 3,830,000 | Number Ones USA SoundScan = 1.509 million / UK 4 x Platinum = 1.2 million (Sales = 1.576 million) / Japan = 153,000 / Australia 3 x Platinum = 210,000 / Austria Gold = 15,000 / New Zealand 3 x Platinum = 45,000 / Switzerland Gold = 20,000 / South Korea = 12,000 / Germany Est = 100,000 / Ireland 5 x Platinum = 75,000 / Mexico Gold = 50,000 / Spain Gold = 50,000 / Italy = 65,000 |
| 250,000 | 135,500 | The Ultimate Collection
(box-set) USA SoundScan = 83,500 / Japan = 10,000 / Italy = 2,000 / UK = 40,000 |
| 2,500,000 | 1,039,350 | The Essential USA SoundScan = 297,350 / Australia Platinum = 70,000 / Japan = 18,000 / France 2 x Gold = 200,000 (Sales = 278,000) / South Korea = 3,000 / Ireland Platinum = 15,000 / New Zealand Platinum = 15,000 / UK = 275,000 / Sweden Gold = 30,000 / Turkey Est = 20,000 / Italy = 18,000 |
| 2,200,000 | 1,365,700 | Thriller 25 USA SoundScan = 607,000 / France 2 x Gold = 150,000 (Sales = 166,700) / UK = 200,000 / Japan = 102,500 / Sweden Gold = 20,000 / Switzerland Gold = 15,000 / Spain Gold = 40,000 / Belgium Gold = 15,000 / Argentina Gold = 20,000 / Mexico Gold = 40,000 / Ireland Gold = 7,500 / Norway Gold = 15,000 / Canada = 52,000 / Poland Platinum = 20,000 / India Gold = 10,000 / Italy Gold = 35,000 |
| 183,176,000 | 140,177,690 | CBS / EPIC / SONY TOTALS |
| 193,426,000 | 140,753,690 | TOTAL SOLO ALBUM SALES |