ABBA Worldwide Estimated Sales 

 


Estimated Album Sales.


My estimates based on

1. Official sales figures/certifications and in some cases credible reports. Estimates are higher to account for back catalogue sales and un or under certified albums

2. Market share of individual countries. Certification levels used to determine size.

3. Local factors. Some albums may sell a lot in small markets and vice versa.

ABBA's Top 40 Albums - Sales estimates


1. Gold Greatest Hits, 32,000,000

2, Arrival, 11,000,000

3. Super Trouper, 8,000,000

4. The Album, 7,500,000

5. Greatest Hits, 7,500,000

6. Voulez Vous, 7,000,000

7. Greatest Hits Volume 2, 6,500,000

8. The Visitors, 4,500,000

9. ABBA, 3,000,000

10. Best of ABBA, 3,000,000

11. More Gold, 2.500.000

12. The Definitive Collection, 2,500,000

13. Waterloo, 2,500,000

14. Voyage, 2,500,000

15, The Singles, 2.500,000

16. Best Of Millenium Collection, 2,000,000

17 18 Hits, 2,000,000

18.Magic of ABBA, 2,000,000

19. Very Best of: Greatest Hits, 1,500,000

20. Gracias Por La Musica/Oro, 1,000,000

21. The Music Still Goes On, 1,000,000

22. The Name of the Game, 1,000,000

23. Number Ones, 1,000,000

24. SOS: Best of ABBA, 800,000

25. ABBA 20/24, 800,000

26. A Wie ABBA/A Van ABBA, 700,000

27. Ring Ring, 500,000

28. Icon, 500,000

29. 25 Jar Naar Waterloo, 350,000

30. The Albums (Box Set), 300,000

31. The Complete Singles Collection, 300,000

32. The ABBA Story, 300,000

33. 16 Hits, 250,000

34. Hits 2, 250,000

35 Hits, 200,000

36 Hits 3, 200,000

37 Live at Wembley, 200,000

38 Toda, 200,000

39, Complete/Forever Gold (2CD), 200,000

40 Gold Deluxe (3 CD), 200,000

Total: 120, 250,000

 
ABBA Studio Albums -  estimated sales in key markets


Album

🇨🇰

🇨🇵

🇩🇪

🇯🇵

🇸🇪

🇬🇧

🇺🇲

Ring Ring

150,000




150,000

30,000


Waterloo

120,000


550,000


400,000

120,000

200,000

ABBA

600,000


100,000


500,000

200,000

200,000

Arrival

1,000,000

200,000

1,300,000

700,000

750,000

1,700,000

1,300,000

The Album

100,000

150,000

600,000

300,000

800,000

1,200,000

1,500,000

Voulez Vous

  50,000

200,000

750,000

700,000

400,000

900,000

900,000

Super Trouper

 50,000

250,000

1,200,000

250,000

430,000

1,250,000

1,000,000

The Visitors

 20,000

120,000

750,000

150,000

330,000

875,000

500,000

Voyage

 40,000

120,000

590,000

40,000

 70,000

475,000

225,000


➡️ First three albums had localised sales in just a few countries.

➡️ Next four  had global sales. Arrival and Super Trouper respectively, their top two sellers in Europe. Arrival their top seller in Australia. Voulez Vous relatively not so strong in USA or UK but did very well in Japan and South America. The Album was their biggest seller in America.

➡️ Last two, The Visitors and Voyage had sales overwhelmingly in Western Europe and the US. Voyage in particular had to rely on loyal German and British fans for almost  half its sales. Numbers were down considerably everywhere else for Voyage. Sales overall for albums had declined sharply by the time Voyage was released in 2021. For the first time, Sweden did not finish in the Top 5 countries for an  ABBA Studio Album sales.

 

Major Compilations - estimated sales in key markets

Album

🇨🇰

🇩🇪

🇯🇵

🇬🇧

🇺🇲

Best Of

1,200,000

600,000

*

*

*

Greatest Hits

*

300,000

*

2,600.000

1,500,000

Greatest Hits 2

 20,000

600,000

1,000.000

1,200.000

600,000

The Singles

20,000

300,000

*

 600,000

500,000

Gold

1,200,000

3,000,000

600,000

6,300,000

11,000,000

More Gold

*

300,000

*

 420,000

 150,000

Definitive Collection

210,000

300,000

*

240,000

 350,000

18 Hits

 300,000

300,000

*

530,000

*

Number Ones

*

100,000

*

175,000

240,000



Major  International compilations - 57,00,000  worldwide. Plus ABBA Live, The Essential Collection, deluxe edition of Gold and Forever Gold brings us closer to 60,000,000.

 ➡️ Greatest Hits wasn't released everywhere - some countries had own version. Greatest Hits Volume Two had a universal release.

➡️ Gold Greatest Hits - you won't be surprised by phenomenal sales in the UK or very impressive sales in Germany. It was way more successful than other ABBA albums in most countries, notably France, Canada and especially the US.

➡️ More Gold and The Definitive Collection each sold less than a tenth of Gold.



Plus numerous local and budget compilations, 25-35 million including

Best of: Millennium Collection  2,000,000 (USA/Canada)

Magic of ABBA 2,000,000 (USA). Not too sure on this one.

Gracias Por La Musica/Oro - 1,000,000 (Spain/Latin America)

The Music Still Goes On - 1,000,000 (worldwide, budget)

The Name of the Game - 1,000,000  (worldwide, budget)

Very Best of: Greatest Hits - 1,500,00 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Asia). Golden Double Album in France

SOS: Best of  -800,000 (Japan)

Greatest Hits 20/24 - 800,000 (Japan)

A Van ABBA/A Wie ABBA - 700,000 (Netherlands/Germany)

Icon - 500,000 (USA/Canada)

The ABBA Story - 300,000 (Europe)

The Albums (Box set) 300,000 (Worldwide)

25 Jaar Na Waterloo - 350,000 (Netherlands)

Complete Singles Collection - 300,000 (Germany)

16 Hits - 250,000 (Germany)

Hits 2 - 250,000 (UK)

Hits - 200,000 (UK)

Hits 3 - 200,000 (UK)

Toda - 200,000 (Spain)

Live at Wembley 200,000 (Worldwide)

25 Jaar Na Waterloo 2 - 150,000 (Netherlands)

Thank Your For the Music - 150,000 (UK)

Absolute ABBA - 100,000 (UK)

Complete Gold - 70,000 (Australia)