What Is the Best Selling Single Ever
The best selling single ever is "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, according to the Guinness World Records and the RIAA, with estimated global sales exceeding 50 million copies since its release in 1942. The record combines physical sales, digital downloads, and streaming equivalent units, making it the top-selling single in history by most industry metrics.
Modern singles such as "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd and "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran rank among the highest in combined units and streams, but "White Christmas" remains the benchmark for total lifetime sales. The Guinness World Records and the RIAA certify these figures using label data, retail tracking, and streaming conversion ratios.
How Sales and Streams Are Measured
Industry bodies such as the RIAA and IFPI convert streams into single units using a ratio of 150 streams equals one unit for on-demand audio and video streams. This method allows modern hits to accumulate units quickly, but legacy physical and download sales still give older records like "White Christmas" a durable lead in total lifetime sales.
Certification databases from the RIAA and IFPI track gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards for singles based on equivalent units. These certifications are used to compare the best selling single ever against contemporary releases, with streaming-heavy tracks now eligible for the same awards once reserved for physical sales.
Key Facts About the Top-Selling Single
"White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin and first recorded by Bing Crosby for the film Holiday Inn in 1942. The single was released by Decca Records and became a seasonal standard, with repeated reissues and compilations contributing to its cumulative sales figures over more than eight decades.
The record is listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling single worldwide, with the RIAA recognizing its multi-platinum status based on equivalent units. For current certification data and historical context, the RIAA database and the Guinness World Records website provide the latest official figures on the best selling single ever.
For more details on certification standards, see the RIAA certification database at https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/. For the historical record, see the Guinness World Records entry for best-selling single at https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/62335-best-selling-single.