This article lists some of the sales and charts records and achievements of American singer Michael Jackson (1958–2009). Jackson's success during his peak in the 1980s and 1990s included a number of notable statistical accomplishments. He is the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music and is recognized as the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records, selling over 500 million records around the world.
Data for U.S. sales comes largely from Billboard magazine and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Selected countries US chart records and achievements
Jackson (aged 11 years, 155 days or 11 years, 5 months, and 2 days) is the youngest vocalist ever to top the Hot 100. As part of the Jackson 5, he topped the charts with "I Want You Back" on the week of January 31, 1970. Jackson's Thriller (1982) remained at the top on the Billboard 200 album chart for thirty-seven weeks, setting a record for the longest run at number one by a studio album. It is one of only five albums to have sold more copies in the United States than any other in two separate years, topping the sales charts in 1983 and 1984. Thriller is currently the second best-selling album of all time in the United States and the second most certified album after the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), with total units of 34 million sold to date. Jackson's Bad (1987) remained at top 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart for thirty-eight weeks, setting a record for the longest run at top five by an album from a male solo artist. In July 2009, three of Jackson's albums (Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller) claimed the top three positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums and Top Comprehensive Albums charts in the week following the singer's death. marking the first time any catalog album outsold the number one album on the Billboard 200. Additionally, eight of the top nine positions on Top Pop Catalog Albums were owned by Jackson, with a ninth held by a Jackson 5 hits collection. This made Jackson the only solo artist to achieve such feat. Jackson was the first artist to launch seven top ten singles off one album. Jackson's Bad is only one of two albums where five singles off one album topped the Billboard Hot 100. Jackson became the first recording artist to land number one singles in three decades after "Black or White" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1991. His first number-one single, "Ben", topped the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1972. Jackson had more number-one singles than any other recording artist in the 1980s with nine singles. Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" made him the first artist to have a song debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1995. Jackson holds the record of longest span of number ones for a male act in the Billboard Hot 100 with a span of 25 years and seven months. Jackson has had 13 number-one singles on Billboard's Hot 100, making him the male artist with most No. 1 Hits in the Hot 100 era. Including Pre- Hot 100, Jackson follows Elvis Presley for the most number ones by a male artist and ranks fifth overall. Jackson has 30 top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, with Drake, Madonna, the Beatles, and Rihanna having more.Beatles, Jackson held a record for the longest span of top forty singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in a span of 46 years and eight months, with his debuting solo single, "Got to Be There", entering the chart on November 6, 1971, and his posthumous duet with Drake, "Don't Matter to Me", first charting on July 14, 2018, which has since been broken by Elton John. Jackson is the only act to have top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 across six consecutive decades (1970s–2020s) and seven consecutive decades including his work with the Jackson 5 (1960s–2020s) when "I Want You Back" charted at No. 8 on the week of December 27, 1969, in the Billboard Hot 100. At the 1984 Grammys, Thriller earned Michael 7 Grammy awards with Jackson winning an eighth for his contribution to the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial soundtrack, the most won by an artist in a single year. Jackson currently holds the record for the most wins by a male artist at the American Music Awards with 26.
Jackson's US number ones Michael Jackson had 13 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. 1972: "Ben" (1 week) 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (1 week) 1980: "Rock with You" (4 weeks) 1983: "Billie Jean" (7 weeks) 1983: "Beat It" (3 weeks) 1983: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney) (6 weeks) 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) (1 week) 1987: "Bad" (2 weeks) 1987: "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1 week) 1988: "Man in the Mirror" (2 weeks) 1988: "Dirty Diana" (1 week) 1991: "Black or White" (7 weeks) 1995: "You Are Not Alone" (1 week)
Jackson's US Top 10 Hits Michael Jackson had 28 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts while living, and to date has two posthumous Top 10 entries. 1971: "Got to Be There" #4 1972: "Rockin' Robin" #2 1972: "Ben" #1 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" #1 1980: "Rock with You" #1 1980: "Off The Wall" #10 1980: "She's Out of My Life" #10 1983: "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) #2 1983: "Billie Jean" #1 1983: "Beat It" #1 1983: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" #5 1983: "Human Nature" #7 1983: "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" #10 1983: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney) #1 1984: "Thriller" #4 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) #1 1987: "Bad" #1 1988: "The Way You Make Me Feel" #1 1988: "Man in the Mirror" #1 1988: "Dirty Diana" #1 1989: "Smooth Criminal" #7 1991: "Black or White" #1 1992: "Remember the Time" #3 1992: "In the Closet" #6 1993: "Will You Be There" #7 1995: "Scream" (with Janet Jackson) #5 1995: "You Are Not Alone" #1 2001: "You Rock My World" #10 2014: "Love Never Felt So Good" (with Justin Timberlake) #9 2018: "Don't Matter to Me" (with Drake) #9 2025: "Thriller" #10
Jackson's US R&B number ones Michael Jackson had 13 number one hits on the Billboard R&B charts. 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (5 weeks) 1980: "Rock with you" (4 weeks) 1983: "The Girl Is Mine" (8 weeks) 1983: "Billie Jean" (9 weeks) 1983: "Beat It" (1 week) 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (1 week) 1987: "Bad" (3 weeks) 1987: "The Way You Make Me Feel (4 weeks) 1988: "Man in the Mirror" (1 week) 1988: "Another Part of Me" (1 week) 1992: "Remember the Time" (2 weeks) 1992: "In the Closet" (1 week) 1995: "You Are Not Alone" (4 weeks)
UK chart records and achievements Jackson had the most Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart in one year, 19 in 2006. Each of the 19 songs was collectors' re-releases of previous Jackson hits, issued weekly as part of a 20-single promotion (the first of the singles was ineligible to chart due to its packaging). Of these singles, "Billie Jean" reached the highest position on the UK chart (#11), and "Jam" remained on the chart for the longest stretch (13 weeks). Jackson had 44 Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart. Elvis Presley has the most, with 77. Jackson's Thriller and Bad are the two highest-selling albums by a male solo artist in UK history. Besides Jackson, only Queen, with the 1st- and 7th-best-selling albums, has multiple entries in the top ten. Jackson is the only artist to have 3 albums (Thriller, Bad and Number Ones) certified 10× Platinum or more in the UK. Bad was the fastest-selling album in the UK with sales of 350,000 copies during the first week of its release (it is now the eleventh). In the second week following his death, Jackson had 13 songs in the UK Top 40, and 5 albums in the Top 10, including the top-selling album. Michael Jackson is the only artist in history to have a top 10 single in six consecutive decades besides Elton John.
Jackson's UK number ones Michael Jackson had seven number one hits on the UK Singles Charts. 1981: "One Day in Your Life" (2 weeks) 1983: "Billie Jean" (1 week) 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) (2 weeks) 1991: "Black or White" (2 weeks) 1995: "You Are Not Alone" (2 weeks) 1995: "Earth Song" (6 weeks) 1997: "Blood on the Dance Floor" (1 week)
French chart records and achievements Jackson had four diamond albums in France. They are Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory. Jackson had 22 top ten hits on the French Top 100 Singles charts. Jackson had 36 top 40 hits on the Top 100 Singles charts.
Jackson's French number ones Michael Jackson had eight number one hits on the Top 100 Singles charts. 1983: "Billie Jean" (3 weeks) 1983: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney) (1 week) 1984: "Thriller" (3 weeks) 1991: "Black or White" (2 weeks) 1992: "Heal the World" (2 weeks) 1995: "You Are Not Alone" (1 week) 2001: "You Rock My World" (3 weeks)
Spanish chart records and achievements Jackson had 35 top 20 hits on the Top 20 Singles charts. Jackson had 29 top ten hits on the Top 20 Singles charts.
Jackson's Spanish number ones Michael Jackson had 21 number one hits on the Top 20 Singles charts. 1983: "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) (3 weeks) 1983 & 2006: "Billie Jean" (2 weeks) 1983: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney)(1 week) 1988 & 2006: "Smooth Criminal" (6 weeks) 1991: "Black or White" (11 weeks) 1995: "Scream" (with Janet Jackson) (4 weeks) 1996 & 2006: "Stranger in Moscow" (5 weeks) 1997 & 2006: "Blood on the Dance Floor" (7 weeks) 2001: "You Rock My World" (1 week) 2006: "Thriller" (2-week) 2006: "Rock with You" (1 week) 2006: "Beat It" (1 week) 2006: "Bad" (14 weeks) 2006: "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1 week) 2006: "Dirty Diana" (1 week) 2006: "Leave Me Alone" (1 week) 2006: "Jam" (1 week) 2006: "Heal the World" (1 week) 2006: "You Are Not Alone" (1 week) 2006: "Earth Song" (1 week)
Canadian chart records and achievements Jackson's Thriller is the highest-selling album in Canadian music history, the first and only album to obtain Triple Diamond certification. Jackson had five number-one albums in Canada: Thriller, Bad, HIStory, Number Ones and This Is It. Jackson had three singles that earned at least one platinum certification in Canada: "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Say Say Say." Jackson had 29 top 20 hits on the Top 50 Singles charts. Jackson had 20 top ten hits on the Top 50 Singles charts.
Jackson's Canadian number ones Michael Jackson had five number-one hits on the Top 50 Singles charts. 1983: "Billie Jean" (7 weeks) 1983: "Beat It" (2 weeks) 1984: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney) (1 week) 1987: "Bad" (1 week) 1991: "Black or White" (8 weeks)
Australian chart records and achievements Jackson had eight albums in Australia that earned platinum or multi-platinum certifications: Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Invincible, Number Ones, and The Essential Michael Jackson. Jackson had 27 top 20 hits on the Top 100 Singles charts. Jackson had 20 top ten hits on the Top 100 Singles charts.
Jackson's Australian number ones Michael Jackson had four number one hits on the Top 100 Singles charts. 1972: "Ben" (8 weeks) 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (3 weeks) 1983: "Billie Jean" (5 weeks) 1985: "We Are The World" 1991: "Black or White" (8 weeks)
Norwegian chart records and achievements Jackson had three singles that earned a gold certification in Norway: "Earth Song," "They Don't Care About Us," and "You Rock My World." Jackson had 21 top ten hits on the Top 20 Singles charts.
Jackson's Norwegian number ones Michael Jackson had five number one hits on the Top 20 Singles charts. 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (2 weeks) 1983: "Say Say Say" (5 weeks) 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) (7 weeks) 1991: "Black or White" (6 weeks)
Swiss chart records and achievements Jackson had 24 top ten hits on the Top 100 Singles chart. Jackson had 21 top ten hits on the Top 20 Singles charts.
Jackson's Swiss number ones