300 million or more records

• 

  The Beatles
  
• 

  Elvis Presley
  
• 

  Madonna
  
• 

  Michael Jackson
  
• 

  Elton John
  
• 

  Led Zeppelin
  
• 

  Queen
  

Artist	Country of origin	Period active	Release-year of first charted record	Genre	Total certified units (from available markets)[Notes]	Claimed sales
The Beatles	United Kingdom	1960–1970[4]	1962[4]	Rock / Pop[4]	JPN: 2 million[Notes][5][6] US: 207.6 million[7] GER: 8 million[Notes][8] UK: 7 million[Notes][9] FRA: 3.3 million[Notes][10] AUS: 2.7 million[Notes][11] CAN: 14.3 million[Notes][12] NLD: 295,000[Notes][13] BRA: 550,000[Notes][14] BEL: 265,000[Notes][15][16] AUT: 400,000[Notes][17] SPA: 640,000[Notes][18] SWI: 350,000[Notes][19] SWE 485,000[Notes][20] POL: 155,000[Notes][21] ARG: 1.5 million[Notes][22] NZ: 525,000[Notes][23] Total available certified units: 250 million	1 billion[24][25] 600 million[26]
Elvis Presley	United States	1954–1977[27]	1954[27]	Rock and roll / Pop / Country[27]	JPN: 200,000[Notes][28] US: 188.1 million[7] GER: 1.2 million[Notes][8] UK: 5.8 million[Notes][9] FRA: 2.4 million[Notes][10] AUS: 1.1 million[Notes][11] CAN: 2.9 million[Notes][12] NLD: 520,000[Notes][13] BRA: 125,000[Notes][14] AUT: 165,000[Notes][17] SPA: 100,000[Notes][18] SWI: 135,000[Notes][19] SWE 380,000[Notes][20] FIN: 213,945[Notes][29] Total available certified units: 203.3 million	1 billion[30][31] 600 million[32]
Michael Jackson	United States	1964–2009[33]	1971[33]	Pop / R&B / Rock / Dance[33]	JPN: 2.7 million[Notes][5][34] US: 90.8 million[7] GER: 11.1 million[8] UK: 18.8 million[9] FRA: 11.2 million[10][35][36] AUS: 5.4 million[Notes][11] CAN: 4.6 million[12] ITA: 720,000[Notes][37] NLD: 1.9 million[13] BRA: 280,000[Notes][14] BEL: 275,000[Notes][15][16] AUT: 1.2 million[Notes][17] SPA: 1 million[Notes][18] SWI: 900,000[Notes][19] MEX: 3.3 million[Notes][38] SWE: 1.1 million[Notes][20] POL: 405,000[Notes][21] FIN: 336,677[29] NZ: 562,000[Notes][23] Total available certified units: 156.5 million	750 million[39][40] 350 million[41]
Madonna	United States	1979–present[42]	1982[42]	Pop / Rock / Dance[42]	JPN: 1.3 million [Notes][5][43] US: 84.7 million[7] GER: 12.3 million[8] UK: 25.8 million[9] FRA: 12.7 million[10][35][36] AUS: 3.1 million[Notes][11] CAN: 6 million[12] ITA: 275,000[Notes][37] NLD: 1.6 million[13] BRA: 3.2 million[Notes][14] BEL: 665,000[Notes][15][16] AUT: 575,000[Notes][17] SPA: 1.1 million[Notes][18] SWI: 1 million[Notes][19] MEX: 450,000[Notes][38] SWE: 1 million[Notes][20] POL: 495,000[Notes][21] ARG: 686,000[22] FIN: 634,634[29] Total available certified units: 157.5 million	300 million[44][45] 275 million[46]
Elton John	United Kingdom	1964–present[47]	1969[47]	Pop / Rock[47]	US: 110.3 million[7] GER: 7.9 million[Notes][8] UK: 18 million[Notes][9] FRA: 4.8 million[Notes][10][35] AUS: 2 million[Notes][11] CAN: 5.9 million[Notes][12] NLD: 975,000[Notes][13] BRA: 685,000[Notes][14] BEL: 390,000[Notes][15][16] AUT: 760,000[Notes][17] SPA: 150,000[Notes][18] SWI: 1.2 million[Notes][19] SWE: 550,000[Notes][20] POL: 150,000[Notes][21] ARG: 156,000[22] FIN: 163,481[29] Total available certified units: 154 million	300 million[48] 250 million[49][50]
Led Zeppelin	United Kingdom	1968–1980[51]	1969[51]	Hard rock / Heavy metal[51]	JPN: 200,000 [Notes][5] US: 113.5 million[7] GER: 3.3 million[Notes][8] UK: 7.4 million[Notes][9] FRA: 2 million[Notes][10] AUS: 1.9 million[Notes][11] CAN: 4.5 million[12] NLD: 140,000[13] BRA: 350,000[Notes][14] SWI: 140,000[Notes][19] ARG: 450,000[Notes][22] Total available certified units: 133.8 million	300 million[52] 200 million[53]
Queen	United Kingdom	1971–present[54]	1973[54]	Rock[54]	JPN: 1.7 million[Notes][5][34][55] US: 42.8 million[7] GER: 11.5 million[Notes][8] UK: 18.2 million[Notes][9] FRA: 4.5 million[Notes][10][35][36] AUS: 1.9 million[Notes][11] CAN: 1.8 million[Notes][12] NLD: 1.8 million[Notes][13] BRA: 1 million[Notes][14] AUT: 900,000[Notes][17] SPA: 370,000[Notes][18] SWI: 1.2 million[Notes][19] SWE: 190,000[Notes][20] POL: 740,000[Notes][21] ARG: 1.1 million[Notes][22] FIN: 366,152[29] Total available certified units: 90 million	300 million[56] 150 million[57][58]
ABBA	Sweden	1972–1982[59]	1972[59]	Pop / Disco[59]	JPN: 750,000[Notes][5] US: 12.7 million[7] GER: 10.4 million[Notes][8] UK: 14.3 million[Notes][9] FRA: 2.7 million[Notes][10][35] AUS: 5.4 million[Notes][11][60] CAN: 2.7 million[Notes][12] NLD: 1.3 million[Notes][13] BRA: 275,000[Notes][14] BEL: 330,000[Notes][15][16] AUT: 175,000[Notes][17] SPA: 705,000[Notes][18] SWI: 600,000[Notes][19] MEX: 150,000[Notes][38] SWE: 730,000[Notes][20] POL: 150,000[Notes][21] ARG: 274,000[Notes][22] FIN: 652,605[29] NZ: 257,000[Notes][23] Total available certified units: 54.5 million	300 million[61] 260 million[62] 200 million[63][64]

The column for Certified Sales above includes markets, the databases of which contain certifications representing figures of 100,000 and more