The Life Of A Showgirl by Taylor Swift has been named as IFPI’s best-selling Global Album Of The Year 2025.
The album secured the No.1 position on the IFPI Global Album Chart, Global Album Sales Chart and Global Vinyl Album Chart, with Swift breaking her own global vinyl sales record for the fourth consecutive year.
“Its success reflects a carefully executed global release strategy, combining physical formats, digital distribution and sustained marketing across territories,” said a statement.
Swift was also Global Artist Of The Year for a fourth consecutive year.
Across the wider IFPI Global Album Chart, the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack reached No.3, supported by strong cross-media promotion, while Japanese group Mrs Green Apple achieved their first Top 10 global album with their anniversary album 10.
TOP 20 IFPI GLOBAL ALBUM CHART 2025
The Global Album Of The Year Award is calculated according to the album’s worldwide sales and consumption across streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year. Worldwide unit figures from labels are converted using IFPI’s unique methodology to a single global chart figure.
The Life Of A Showgirl was No.8 on the IFPI Global Streaming Album Chart, although it was only released in October. Albums released in the first half of 2025 – or earlier – finished higher in the streaming rankings, including Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem (No.1), Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Foto (No.2) and the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack (No.3), along with SZA’s SOS (No.4) and Sabrina Carpenter’s Short N’ Sweet (No.5).
It was Wallen’s second streaming victory in three years; I’m The Problem was No.2 on the overall chart. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Foto was the fourth biggest global album across all formats, supported by strong digital-first release strategies.
TOP 20 IFPI GLOBAL SALES CHART
In the Global Album Sales Chart (based on pure sales), K-Pop continued to be the leading genre, with Stray Kids’ Karma at No.2 and Seventeen’s Happy Burstday at No.3, underlining the importance of physical formats and fan engagement strategies in driving unit sales. The chart also reflected increasing regional diversity, with multiple Japanese and Chinese releases appearing in the global Top 20.
On the Vinyl Album Chart, IFPI said continued label investment in premium physical products was evident, with Sabrina Carpenter placing two releases in the Top 5, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX securing a Top 3 position and Lady Gaga’s Mayhem entering the Top 10.
Radiohead’s OK Computer also returned to the Top 20, nearly two decades after its original release, following renewed global promotion around the band’s European tour.
Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI, said: “Taylor Swift topping the IFPI Global Album rankings once again is a clear reflection of the strength of her connection with fans around the world.
“This year’s results also show how truly global today’s music market is, with success being driven across streaming and physical formats by artists from a wide range of countries and genres.”
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