Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Named Biggest-Selling Global Album

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has been named as the biggest-selling global album of 2025 as part of the IFPI’s annual review.

Released in October 2025, Swift’s 12th studio album scored a whopping 6.05 million units across physical, digital and streaming. It’s the second year in a row that Swift has taken the prize following 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, which topped that year’s count.

The LP hit the No. 1 spot on the IFPI’s Global Album Chart, Global Album Sales Chart and Global Vinyl Album Chart with Swift breaking her own vinyl sales record for the fourth consecutive year.  

Upon release, The Life of a Showgirl spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and scored the largest week for an album by equivalent album units earned (4.002 million) in its opening-week debut. Adele’s 25 (2015) previously held the record with 3.482 million units.

Earlier this week it was announced that Swift had topped the Global Artist Chart, while ROSÉ and Bruno Mars hit No. 1 on the Global Songs Chart with “APT.” The IFPI reports sales figures from over 8,000 labels across the globe.

Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem came in at No. 2, while the OST to KPop Demon Hunters – which features hit single “Golden” – landed at No. 3. Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS hit No. 4 and Sabrina Carpenter rounded out the top five with Short n’ Sweet. See the full rundown below.

Besides Swift, the Global Album Sales Chart was made up entirely of non-western artists, showing the strength of the physical market in countries such as South Korea, Japan, China and more. K-pop acts Stray Kids (Karma, No. 2), SEVENTEEN (HAPPY BURSTDAY, No. 3) and ENHYPEN (DESIRE: UNLEASH, No. 5) all performed strongly.

Morgan Wallen emerged triumphant on the Global Streaming Album Chart in 2025 with I’m The Problem, followed by Bad Bunny, KPop Demon Hunters, SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga.

Following Swift on the Global Vinyl Sales Chart was Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend (No. 2) and Kendrick Lamar’s GNX (No. 3). Elsewhere catalogue releases from Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, The Beatles all land inside the top 20. Radiohead’s 1997 LP OK Computer makes an appearance at No. 15 following the unlikely success of “Let Down” on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 91).

Top 20 IFPI Global Album Chart 2025 

(source: IFPI)

Top 20 IFPI Global Album Sales Chart 2025 

This chart considers sales of physical albums and full album downloads, and is calculated based on the number of units sold. To qualify as an album for charts purposes, a release must contain a minimum of five tracks (exclusive of remixes or alternative versions of the same track).

(source: IFPI)

Top 20 IFPI Global Streaming Album Chart 2025  

This chart includes consumption of an album across both free and paid streaming formats, translated into chart units by IFPI according to a rigorous methodology based on the relative economics of each format in each region globally. To qualify as an album for charts purposes, a release must contain a minimum of five tracks (exclusive of remixes or alternative versions of the same track).

(source: IFPI)

Top 20 IFPI Global Vinyl Album Chart 2025

This chart considers sales of vinyl albums only, and is calculated based on the number of units sold. To qualify as an album for charts purposes, a release must contain a minimum of five tracks (exclusive of remixes or alternative versions of the same track). 

(source: IFPI)