What Is the Best Selling Song of All Time
The best selling song of all time by worldwide certified sales and streaming equivalents is "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin, performed by Bing Crosby. It has sold an estimated 50 million physical copies globally, making it the top-selling single in history according to the Guinness World Records and industry estimates Forbes.
Modern best-sellers are measured through a combination of global sales, on-demand audio and video streams, and radio airplay equivalents. In this blended model, tracks like "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd and "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran rank among the highest certified singles, with each surpassing 20 million equivalent units in multiple territories IFPI.
How Best Selling Status Is Measured and Certified
Certification Bodies and Equivalent Units
National industry bodies such as the RIAA, BPI, and IFPI define a best selling song based on certified units that combine pure sales, track-equivalent streams, and album-equivalent streams. The RIAA counts 150 on-demand audio streams and 150 on-demand video streams as one unit for digital singles, while other markets use similar formulas RIAA.
Global rankings depend on the aggregation of these local certifications over time. A song that sells heavily in one large market can accumulate more certified units than a track with broader but lower-volume consumption, which is why some older standards remain at the top of all-time lists IFPI Infographics.
Revenue and Rights Structure
The revenue from a best selling song flows through record labels, distributors, performing rights organizations, and collection societies. Mechanical royalties, performance royalties, and sync fees are split according to contracts, with the songwriter and publisher typically retaining a share of the publishing rights SEC Filings.
For legacy catalog songs, long-tail revenue comes from licensing, reissues, and streaming platforms that pay per-stream rates set by individual agreements. This structure means that even decades after release, a top-certified single can continue to generate measurable royalties for rights holders Forbes Business Council.
Current Best Sellers and Streaming Leaders
Top Certified Singles by Market
In the United States, "White Christmas" holds the RIAA Diamond certification for 10 million units, while modern hits such as "Blinding Lights" and "Starboy" by The Weeknd have reached multi-platinum status across dozens of countries RIAA.
In Europe and Asia, local charts and certification thresholds differ, but songs like "Shape of You," "Dance Monkey," and "Rockstar" have each accumulated tens of millions of certified units, reflecting the global scale of streaming platforms and digital storefronts IFPI.
Streaming Platforms and Consumption Data
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music report billions of streams for the most-listened tracks, with on-demand plays converted into equivalent units that feed into best selling rankings. These platforms provide real-time data that updates the competitive landscape for the top global singles