List of best-selling albums in New Zealand

An album is defined by Recorded Music New Zealand (RMNZ) as being a type of music release comprising at least five songs or a total playing time of over 25 minutes.^{[nb 1]} Currently, Platinum certifications denote the shipment of 15,000 copies. When RMNZ (then known as the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand) introduced certifications in 1978, to reach Platinum status an album had to ship 20,000 copies. This was reduced to its current level in 1992.^[2]

The best-selling albums in New Zealand, as judged by certifications, are ABBA's greatest hits album, The Best of ABBA (1975) and Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (1985); both have been certified 24-times Platinum. ABBA's album ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits (1992) is also one of New Zealand's best-selling albums. Pink Floyd and Ed Sheeran are the only other artists with two entries on the list. Hayley Westenra is the only artist of New Zealand origin with an album on this list.

Best-selling albums

Rank	Album	Artist	Year of release	Number of times certified platinum	Shipments
1	The Best of ABBA	ABBA	1975	24^[2]	360,000
	Brothers in Arms	Dire Straits	1985	24^[2]	360,000
3	Come On Over	Shania Twain	1997	21^[3]	315,000
4	Legend	Bob Marley and the Wailers	1984	20^[2]	300,000
5	Bat Out of Hell	Meat Loaf	1977	17^[2]	255,000
	Born in the U.S.A.	Bruce Springsteen	1984	17^[4]	255,000
7	ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits	ABBA	1992	16^[3]^[5]	240,000
	The Dark Side of the Moon	Pink Floyd	1973	16^[2]	240,000
9	1	The Beatles	2000	15^[3]	225,000
	÷	Ed Sheeran	2017	15^[6]	225,000
11	Jagged Little Pill	Alanis Morissette	1995	14^[2]	210,000
	Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds	Jeff Wayne	1978	14^[2]	210,000
	The Joshua Tree	U2	1987	14^[2]	210,000
	The Wall	Pink Floyd	1979	14^[2]	210,000
15	21	Adele	2011	13^[7]	195,000
	Rumours	Fleetwood Mac	1977	13^[8]	195,000
	×	Ed Sheeran	2014	13^[9]	195,000
18	The immaculate collection	Madonna	1990	12^[2]	180,000
	Come Away with Me	Norah Jones	2002	12^[2]	180,000
	Falling into You	Celine Dion	1996	12^[2]	180,000
	The Phantom of the Opera	Various Artists	1987	12^[2]	180,000
	Pure	Hayley Westenra	2003	12^[3]	180,000
	Thriller	Michael Jackson	1982	12^[3]	180,000

Notes

1. If a release contains multiple mixes of a single song, then only the longest track counts toward the 25-minute limit. If the playing time of different songs is less than 25 minutes and the total playing time of all tracks (including multiple mixes) is less than 40 minutes, then the release is defined as a single. In any case, if the total playing time is greater than 40 minutes, it is an album.^[1]

References

1. "The Official New Zealand Music Charts – Chart Rules" (PDF). Recorded Music NZ. August 2010. p. 9–10. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
2. Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Wellington: Dean Scapolo and Maurienne House. p. 12. ISBN 978-1877443-00-8.
3. . RadioScope. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011.
4. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
5. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
6. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
7. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 February 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
8. "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
9. "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2020.