A fast-selling album is defined as one with high sales in its first chart week following release. The highest sales achieved in any country in an album's debut week are 3.38 million for 25 by Adele in the United States in the week ending 26 November 2015. This passed the previous record of 3.00 million set by the album Distance by Hikaru Utada in Japan in 2001.
Contents
Canada
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in Canada since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began in 1995.
Germany
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in Germany
Ireland
The fastest-selling album is The Best of 1980–1990 by U2 in November 1998.
Japan
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in Japan since Oricon was founded in November 1967. The top two sales records were achieved in the same week, on 28 March 2001, as both albums were promoted as a direct competition between J-pop singers Hikaru Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki.
New Zealand
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in New Zealand since the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, later renamed as Recorded Music NZ, was founded in 1972.
United Kingdom
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in the United Kingdom. "25" by Adele is the current fastest-selling album in the UK with over 803,000 copies sold in its first week.
Notes:
^ I Be Here Now was unconventionally released on a Thursday and debuted at number one based on three-day sales of 695,761. Sales from its first full week of availability, which went from Thursday to Wednesday were 813,000.
United States
This is a list of the fastest-selling albums in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan tracking began on March 1, 1991.
Notes:
^ I The opening number denotes sales from the first four days of availability as The Massacre was unconventionally released in the middle of the week.