According to Guinness World Records, Madonna holds the title of the best-selling female recording artist of all time, with over 300 million records sold globally.
Meanwhile, newer-generation stars are rapidly closing the gap Taylor Swift has crossed 100 million album sales in the U.S. alone and is being tracked to potentially surpass Madonna’s global total in coming years.
Other major names in the top tier include Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé, each with sales in the hundreds of millions across albums, singles and streaming equivalents.