Figuring out the best-selling song for each year isn’t as easy as it seems. A variety of sources for sales figures (see here) were tapped in the absence of an official agency to track worldwide sales. As such, some figures have likely been inflated by record companies or other vested parties.
On top of that, reported figures don’t always strictly represent sales. In the 21st century especially, other figures such as such as the number of times songs were streamed via Spotify, YouTube or other services have been factored in. That means a song certified for 10 million in sales may not have actually “sold” that many copies.
Nonetheless, this list has been assembled in the hopes of offering some idea of the bestselling song of each year from 1900 to present. The numbers in parentheses indicates the number of sales in millions.
- 2019: Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” (19.5 m)
- 2018: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (18.4 m)
- 2017: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee “Despacito” (25.3 m)
- 2016: The Chainsmokers with Halsey “Closer” (20.7 m)
- 2015: Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth “See You Again” (20.9 m)
- 2014: Marc Ronson & Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (20.0 m)
- Lorde “Royals” (22.0 m)
- 2012: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Wanz “Thrift Shop” (14.25 m)
- 2011: LMFAO with Lauren Bennett & GoonRock “Party Rock Anthem” (18.87 m)
- 2010: Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (20.6 m)
- 2009: Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” (15.0 m)
- 2008: Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (14.11 m)
- 2007: Flo Rida with T-Pain “Low” (12.0 m)
- 2006: Shakira with Wyclef Jean “Hips Don’t Lie” (10.0 m)
- 2005: Kanye West with Jamie Foxx “Gold Digger” (8.54 m)
- 2004: O-Zone “Dragostea Din Tei” (8.0 m)
- 2003: Pan’Jabi MC “Mudian to Bach Ke” (10.0 m)
- 2002: Eminem “Lose Yourself” (15.38 m)
- 2001: Shakira “Whenver, Wherever” (8.5 m)
- 2000: Britney Spears “Oops!...I Did It Again” (6.0 m)
- 1999: Ricky Martin “Livin’ La Vida Loca” (8.0 m)
- 1998: Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman “Time to Say Goodbye” (12.0 m)
- 1997: Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (37.0 m)
- 1996: Toni Braxton “Un-Break My Heart” (10.0 m)
- 1995: Los Del Rio “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” (11.0 m)
- 1994: Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (16.0 m)
- 1993: Tag Team “Whoomp! There It Is” (4.04 m)
- 1992: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You” (20.0 m)
- 1991: Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (15.0 m)
- 1990: The Scorpions “Wind of Change” (15.0 m)
- 1989: Kaoma “Lambada” (15.0 m)
- 1988: Tone Loc “Wild Thing” 2.54 m)
- 1987: Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me” (8.0 m)
- 1986: Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (4.3 m)
- 1985: U.S.A. for Africa “We Are the World” (20.0 m)
- 1984: Band Aid “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (11.7 m)
- 1983: Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (6.0 m)
- 1982: The Goombay Dance Band “Sun of Jamaica” (10.0 m)
- 1981: Trio “Da Da Da” (13.0 m)
- 1980: Kenny Rogers “Lady” (16.0 m)
- 1979: Patrick Hernandez “Born to Be Alive” (11.0 m)
- 1978: Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta “You’re the One That I Want” (15.0 m)
- 1977: Baccara “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” (18.0 m)
- 1976: Prince Nico Mbarga “Sweet Mother” (13.0 m)
- 1975: Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” Queen (12.61 m)
- 1974: Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (11.5 m)
- 1973: Tony Orlando & Dawn “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” (6.0 m)
- 1972: The Pipes & Drums & Military Band of Royal Scots Dragoon Guards “Amazing Grace” (7.0 m)
- 1971: Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (10.0 m)
- 1970: Mungo Jerry “In the Summertime” (30.0 m)
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