20 Best Selling Female Artist of All Time - Updated 2023

Madonna has sold more than 300 million records throughout the world. She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the United States as per the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and has the most number of number-one singles as a female artist. 

Madonna's net worth is estimated to be $850 million.

Her successful albums are Like a Virgin, True Blue, and Immaculate Collection. She has also won a Grammy Award for the albums Ray of Light and Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Madonna Lousie Ciccone has twelve singles that have been ranked number one such as Like a Prayer. In 2007, her song named Hung Up became the best charting song all over the world and was written in the Guinness Book of World Records as it charted in more than forty countries. 

The 64-year-old has pushed the boundaries of mainstream music and has incorporated social, sexual, cultural as well as religious themes in her music which has been critically acclaimed as well as generated controversy.

Rihanna, the well-established singer is the second female artist on the list with her successful albums and award-winning songs.

The records of Rihana have made sales of more than 200 million worldwide and she earned 31 top-ten singles in the United States and 14 in the number-one position.

Rihana has a net worth of more than $1 billion dollars with her massive earnings from the number one albums and songs.

She was on the list of the 100 most influential people in the world in the year 2012 as well as 2014 and is one of the wealthiest female artists. 

The singles created by Riri named Umbrella increased her fanbase by an extreme number with its popularity and she even earned her first Grammy Award for the song. 

Both albums during the early stage of her career were a part of the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart. Her third album was called Good Girl Gone Bad which was released in 2007 and had the elements of dance-pop and is considered to be her best-selling album. 

The genre that the artist mostly goes for is a mix of pop, dance, and R&B in her songs and albums. Albums such as Rated R, Talk That Talk, Unapologetic and Loud are some of her albums that are extremely popular.

Mariah Carey is one of the most famous singers and songwriters of all time with an estimated net worth of $320 million.

Carey is considered to be one of the best-selling artists based on the records she released and has sales of over 220 million worldwide.

One of her particular Christmas-themed songs that was released in 1994 called All I Want for Christmas Is You is one of the most successful songs and is played every year during the holiday seasons.

The 53-year-old actress made her debut with the album that was entitled with her name called Mariah Carey which made sales of 15 million copies throughout the world. 

The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005 was the best-selling album in the country and also the second best-selling album in the world in 2005.

Many of her singles like Love Takes Time, I Don't Wanna Cry, and One Sweet Day and Hero have been in the number one position on Billboard.

As per IMDb, she has won more than 86 awards and has been nominated for over 100 awards. The record producer is the first artist to have five of their first singles reach the Billboard Hot 100 starting from Vision to Love to Emotions. Her single entitled One Sweet Day topped the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart for the 1990s.

The fourth female artist on the list is Taylor Swift who is an established American singer-songwriter. 

The songwriter has sold more than 200 million records all over the world and is considered to be the best-selling female artist of all time and she is the most streamed woman on Spotify.

Taylor Swift has an estimated net worth of $400 million and has a yearly salary of around $150 million as per Celebrity Net Worth.

 The debut album entitled Taylor Swift made her the first female country singer to be a part of a U.S. platinum-certified album with sales of over 5 million copies.

The second and third albums entitled Fearless and Sepak Now followed the genre of country pop.

Taylor Swift's songs Love Story and You Belong with Me are one of the first country songs that topped the pop and other genres in the charts. 

These songs helped her gain massive popularity and increased her fanbase by a huge amount.

In 2021, the famous singer re-released two of her albums Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version).

Her re-released song All Too Well (10 Minute Version) has become the longest song to be in the first position of the Hot 100. Her recent, tenth album entitled Midnights and its main single called Anti-Hero has broken various records. 

Beyoncé is a singer and songwriter as well as who earned the title of Queen Bey after her rising popularity.

The former member of Destiny's Child has sold more than 200 million records throughout her career globally and was also included in Time magazine in the list of 100 women who had defined the last century. 

Beyonce has an estimated net worth of $500 million with well-known albums and singles. She earns around $80 million in a year while she tours for her various endeavors.

The first album she released was entitled Dangerously in Love which was released in 2003 and two of the songs Baby Boy and Crazy in Love album was number one single on US Billboard Hot 100. After the girl group she was a part of disbanded, the singer went solo and released her second album called B'Day. 

In 2010, the songwriter earned six Grammy Awards for her third album released two years prior entitled I Am... Sasha Fierce.

It consists of songs such as If I Were a Boy, Halo, and Single Ladies which are extremely popular and listened to on a regular basis even to this day. 

Celine Dion has been in the music industry with sales of more than 200 million copies of her albums.

Best female singers from Canada Celine Dion has an estimated net worth of $800 million.

Her most successful album Falling into You has sold around 32 million copies throughout the world.

Dion started to gain recognition as she made her first English album entitled Unison in 1990 which was her ninth album which has sold more than 4 million copies. She has made many albums that were certified diamond by RIAA in the United States for Lets Talk About Love and Falling into You. These albums have made sales of more than thirty million copies each.

The Power of Love, Think Twice, My Heart Will Go On, I'm Your Angel, and Because You Loved Me are some of the most popular songs of the singer and have been regarded as international number-one hits. 

Celine has won many awards including five Grammy Awards such as Record of the Year and Album of the Year as well as two Honorary Doctorates from the Universite Laval and Berklee College of Music in music degree. 

Whitney Houston is the singer and actress who started her career with her debut album entitled Whitney Houston.

The debut album has sold 25 million copies all over the world which started her career in the industry. With all her albums, she has made sales of more than 200 million records throughout the world and is regarded as one of the best female artists. Her first two albums were at the number one position on the Billboard 200.

Some of her popular tracks are I'm Your Baby Tonight and All the Man That I Need which earned the position of number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Houston has many awards such as two Emmy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 8 Grammy Awards, and the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. The singer passed away on 11th February 2012 when she was 48 years old.

After a successful career in singing, she further pursued acting and her debut The Bodyguard which became the tenth highest-grossing film. She has been credited as an actress as well as a producer as per IMDb. 

Katy Perry who has an estimated net worth of $330 million.

Perry has sold more than 143 million records all over the world since her debut album Katy Hudson. The album Teenage Dream has sold more than 9 million copies in the United States. She is said to have a yearly salary of $25 million.

The artist started to gain massive popularity with her second album One of the Boys which was a hit and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the US. Over the years, she has made albums like Smile and Teenage Dream.

Some of the most popular tracks by the singer are Roar, I Kissed a Girl and Last Friday Night. She has won five American Music Awards, fourteen People's Choice Awards, and one Brit Award among others.

Perry is also a judge on American Idol and made her debut in the 16th season of the show in 2018. She has an autobiographical documentary called Katy Perry: Part of Me in the year 2012.

The ninth artist on the list is Barbra Streisand who has been well-appreciated in the industry since the beginning of her career in 1960. 

Streisand had made sales of more than 150 million records globally and won various awards including such as two Acadamy Awards, ten Grammy Awards, and five Emmy Awards. 

The best-selling album of the artist is Guilty which made sales of over 12 million copies globally and has also given several hits. Another album entitled The Broadway Album has sales of 4 million in the United States.

Barbra Streisand has an estimated net worth of $300 million with an income of over $60 million.

She is one of the highest-earning female musicians in the world. The debut album entitled The Barbra Streisand Album in 1963 ended up winning the Grammy Award Album of the Year. 

The artist has had the first position in the US Billboard 200 chart with albums such as People, Guilty, and The Way We Were.

Her well-known songs are No More Tears, You Don't Bring Me Flowers, as well as Evergreen. Other than being a singer, the 80-year-old is also an actress and a director.

Shirley Bassey has an estimated sales of 140 million copies with all her albums that she has released throughout her career. Her debut album is Born to Sing the Blues which started her career in the industry.

Bassey has an estimated net worth of $10 million with all her albums and songs that she has put forth. The album I Owe It All to You has been regarded as one of her best albums of all time. Some of the most popular songs by the artist are Love Story, I Who Have Nothing and This is My Life.

Shirley is known for her singing in James Bond movies such as Moonraker and Goldfinger.

She received her first award in 1977 for the Best British Female Solo Artist in the first-ever Brit Awards. Throughout the years, she has won the Favourite British Singer two times and many others. 

Bassey has also made an appearance in many BBC television specials and has her own variety show named Shirley Bassey.

In 1971, she made her first appearance in Royal Albert Hall and performed at the location 45 times.

The American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga started her career in 2001 when she appeared in The Sopranos.

The artist has sold more than 170 million copies of the album throughout her career with several successful albums. She has won several awards including Acadamy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Grammy Award. 

Gaga had her breakthrough with her debut album entitled The Fame which has sold 18 million copies throughout the world with major hits as the songs of the album Just Dance and Poker Face were extremely popular.

Lady Gaga has a net worth of around 320 million USD with her successful career as a singer and songwriter.

She too has worked in Men in Black 3, American Horror Story, and House of Gucci among many more.

In 2015, she was given the recognition of Woman of the Year and Artist of the Year in 2010. The actress was ranked among the 100 most influential people in the world and also in the All-Tome 100 Fashion Icons list.

The singer and actress Pink made her first debut album Can't Take Me Home in 2000 and was certified double platinum in the US.

With eight studio albums, the artist has sold more than 120 million copies. The album Beautiful Trauma is one of her most successful albums which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide including 1 million in the United States.

Pink has an estimated net worth of $200 million with the release of popular songs such as Girls, Just Give Me a Reason, True Love, and Just Like a Pill.

The Truth About Love is her first album to reach the first position on the Billboard 200 chart. The 43-year-old won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 2003 at the Grammys.

She has won three Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, and one Daytime Emmy Award. In 2013, she was given the title of Woman of the Year.

Aside from her career in singing, Pink has worked in Rolanda & Richard, Thanks for Sharing, Happy Feet Two, and many more. 

Another best-selling female artist on the list is Adele who has sold more than 170 million records globally as of 2023.

The first album made by the artist entitled 19 has made sales of 8.5 million copies globally including more than 3 million in the United States of America.

The most famous album of Adele is 21 which has sold more than 30 million copies of the album currently earning a 14x Platinium by RIAA as 21 sold around fourteen million copies in the United States.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, Adele has an estimated net worth of $220 million.

Her million dollar fortune is created through some of her popular songs such as Hello, Go Easy on Me, Hometown Glory, and many more. She earned more than $400 million with all her record sales and concert performances. 

The singer won fifteen Grammy Awards, twelve Brit Awards, an Acadamy Award as well as a Primetime and Golden Globe Award throughout her career.

Christina Aguilera is a singer and songwriter who is regarded as one of the most established female artists of all time with thriving albums and songs.

Aguilera has made an estimated sale of approximately 100 million records throughout her career globally. Her debut album entitled with her name Christina Aguilera made sales of 14 million copies and earned an 8x Platinum certification by RIAA.

Christina Aguilera has a net worth of $160 million with her nine studio albums and career as an actress. She has an estimated salary of 15 million USD on a yearly basis.

The fourth album of the singer called Stripped was a massive hit in the States as it sold 5 million copies and got the certification of 5x Platinum. Some of the well-known songs of the artist are Beautiful, Lady Marmalade, and Reflection.

Christina is a pop culture and has won many awards including five Grammy Awards, two Latin Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and one Guinness World Record. 

The rapper and singer Nicki Minaj has an estimated net worth of $150 million.

The Queen of Rap is regarded as one of the best female artists of all time as she has sold more than 100 million records throughout the world with all her albums.

The debut album of the rapper made sales of 3 million albums in the United States of America and gained the certification of 3x Platinum as per the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Some of the most successful songs of the artist are Super Bass, Beez in the Trap, Anaconda, and Itty Bitty Piggy. She has a total of four studio albums and more than one hundred singles as of 2023 which has greatly influenced her net worth.

Nicki has earned several awards throughout her career such as American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Guinness World Records. 

The sixteenth artist on the list is Janet Jackson who has made sales of more than 100 million copies. 

Janet Jackson has a net worth of $180 million with the sales of ten studio albums beginning from the debut album entitled with her name Janet Jackson. The album sold about 300,000 copies throughout the world.

The most successful album of the singer is Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and earned the certification of 6x Platinum as per RIAA.

Miss You Much is Janet's most famous song, which topped the chart in the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Control, What Have You Done for Me Lately, Rythm Nation, and All for You are some of the listened-to songs by the singer.

Throughout her career, Jackson has won five Grammys eleven Billboard Music Awards, and eleven American Music Awards among others making her one the most awarded artists. 

Cher has made sales of over 100 million records throughout her career as she has released 26 studio albums. Her most successful album is Heart of Stone which has sole 3 million copies in the United States of America.

Cher has an estimated net worth of $360 million.

Her assests are majorly influenced by her career as a singer and followed by her acting career in Moonstruck and Tea with Mussolini. 

I Found Someone is the most successful song of the artist and it debuted in the 91st position on the UK Singles Chart which peaked at number five. Other songs that are extremely popular are Fernando, Dark Lady, and Love Can Build a Bridge.

The artist has received more than 40 awards and 90 nominations such as Grammy Award, Emmy Award, Acadamy Award, Billboard Icon Award, and many more.

The American singer and songwriter Dolly Parton has an estimated net worth of 650 million dollars.

Dolly has sold more than 100 million copies globally as per Wikipedia. The debut album of the artist is Hello, I'm Dolly which ranked on 43rd number at Billboard and moved up to number 11. 

The collaborative album of the singer entitled Trio is one of her best-selling albums which sold about 1 million copies of the record in the United States of America. 

Islands in the Stream, Applejack, Do I Ever Cross Your Mind and Heartbreak Express are some of the most appreciated songs of Dolly which has added to her net worth.

Parton has been awarded eleven Grammy Awards and has been nominated for several awards including the Country Music Association Awards and Academy of Country Music Award. 

Diana Ross has a sales of over 100 million records globally.

She has an extremely successful solo career with 25 studio albums and more than one hundred singles.

Diana Ross has an estimated net worth of $250 million.

The debut album of the artist is a self-entitled album called Diana Ross and the songs of the album Touch and Reach Out sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States of America.

One Woman: The Ultimate Collection is the most selling album of Ross with sales of 275,000 records in the United States and more than 1 million in the United Kingdom.

Some of the most popular songs are I'm Coming Out and Upside Down. The singer has been awarded eleven awards and nominated for 27 awards including NME Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and BET Award.

Tina Turner who has a net worth of $250 million.

The singer has sold more than 100 million copies throughout the world with ten studio albums and five complication albums. Her debut solo album Tina Turns the Country On! earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

The Best, I Don't Wanna Lose You, Proud Mary, and Nutbush City Limits are some of the most successful singles of Tina.

Turner has received twelve Grammys and she is the first black artist to be on the cover of Rolling Stone. She was also ranked among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.