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Taylor Swift<\/a> made history again this week and it surprisingly has nothing to do with the release of her highly anticipated 12th studio album, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Swift had broken the glass ceiling by becoming the first and only female artist to surpass 100 million RIAA Certified Album Units.<\/p>\n \u201cCongrats to @taylorswift on becoming the first and only female artist in history to surpass 100 million RIAA Certified Album Units!\u201d the RIAA declared in an Instagram post<\/a>.<\/p>\n The association\u2019s website<\/a> noted that Swift had reached 105 million certified album units. This figure is sure to rise now that \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d has been released.<\/p>\n To put Swift\u2019s 105 million certified album units in perspective, there are only five other performers or groups that rank ahead of her, all of which are male.<\/p>\n The Beatles<\/a> hold the top spot with 183 million certified album units, closely followed by Garth Brooks<\/a> at 162 million. Elvis Presley<\/a>, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin<\/a> rank third, fourth, and fifth, with 146.5 million, 120 million, and 112.5 million certified album units, respectively.<\/p>\n Other notable female artists who have also made their mark on the list include Mariah Carey with 75 million, Madonna with 65.5 million, and Whitney Houston with 62 million certified album units.<\/p>\n For context, a certified album unit is a metric used by the RIAA that combines traditional and digital album sales. Buying a CD, vinyl, or full digital album download counts as one unit.<\/p>\n The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) website also reveals the number of album units sold for each of Taylor Swift\u2019s album.<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s highest-selling album was her 2014 album \u201c1989\u2033which sold 14 million copies, followed by her 2008 album \u201cFearless,\u201d which came in second with 11 million copies.<\/p>\n Tying for third place with 8 million album sold a piece is her 2012 album \u201cRed,\u201d 2006 self-titled debut album \u201cTaylor Swift\u201d and her 2024 album \u201cThe Tortured Poets Department.\u201d Below, we\u2019ve listed all of her albums in order of how many copies sold.<\/p>\n While some artists have achieved higher sales with individual albums\u2014like the Eagles\u2019 \u201cTheir Greatest Hits (1971\u20131975),\u201d which holds the record at an astounding 38 million certified album units\u2014Swift\u2019s albums have consistently garnered impressive sales over time. <\/p>\n Now the big question is: how many certified album units will \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d ultimately sell? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nTaylor Swift\u2019s top-selling albums revealed <\/h2>\n
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