The

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

is one of many music charts compiled by the

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical albums and digital downloads. This list shows albums that peaked in the Top 10 of the

during

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, as well as albums which peaked in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

but were in the top 10 in 2016. The entry date is when the album appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced). One-hundred and sixty-seven albums were in the top 10 this year. Two albums from 2014 and eight albums from 2015 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year. ''

A Head Full of Dreams ''A Head Full of Dreams'' is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic Records in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 20 ...

'' by Coldplay was the only album from 2015 to reach its peak in 2016. Giggs and

Jack Garratt Jack Robert Garratt (born 11 October 1991) is an English singer, songwriter and composer from Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire. He released his debut studio album ''Phase'' on 19 February 2016. At the 2016 Brit Awards he received the Critics' ...

were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 2016. The 2015

Christmas number-one In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity songs or songs with a Christmas theme. Historically, the volume ...

album, '' 25'' by Adele, remained at number one for the first two weeks of 2016. The first new number-one album of the year was ''

Blackstar ''Blackstar'' is an American animated science fantasy television series, produced in 1981 by Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott for Filmation. The series was Filmation's second fantasy epic, the first being '' The Freedom Force'', a segment of ''T ...

'' by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. Overall, thirty-five different albums peaked at number-one in 2016, with David Bowie (2) having the most albums hit that position.

Background

Chart debuts

The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo album, or featured appearances on compilations or other artists recordings.

Soundtracks

The only film soundtrack album to enter the top 10 this year was '' Purple Rain'' by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

and

The Revolution A revolution is a drastic political change that usually occurs relatively quickly. For revolutions which affect society, culture, and technology more than political systems, see social revolution. Revolution may also refer to: Aviation *Warner ...

. The album had previously charted in the top 10 upon its initial release in 1984 and peaked at number 7. Upon its 2016 re-entry, following Prince's death, the album reached a brand new peak of number 4.

Best-selling albums

For the second year in a row, Adele had the best-selling album of the year with '' 25''. ''

'' by Coldplay came in second place. Michael Ball &

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in Lo ...

's '' Together'', ''

Purpose Purpose is the end for which something is done, created or for which it exists. It is part of the topic of intentionality and goal-seeking behavior. Related concepts and subjects: * Goal, a desired result or possible outcome * Intention, the stat ...

'' from

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

and '' The Wonder of You'' by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

made up the top five. Albums by

Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, Jess Glynne and

(''

Best of Bowie ''Best of Bowie'' is a 2002 greatest hits album by English recording artist David Bowie. Released in October after the critical and commercial success of the '' Heathen'' album released four months earlier, the songs range from his second alb ...

'') were also in the top ten best-selling albums of the year.

Top-ten albums

;Key

Entries by artist

The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 2016, including albums that reached their peak in 2015. The figures only include main artists, with featured artists and appearances on compilation albums not counted individually for each artist. The total number of weeks an artist spent in the top ten in 2016 is also shown.

Notes

* ''Nothing Has Changed: The Best of David Bowie'' originally peaked at number 9 upon its initial release in 2014. It re-entered the top 10 at its brand new peak of number 5 on 21 January 2016 (week ending) following the death of David Bowie. * ''Best of Bowie'' originally peaked outside the top-ten at number 11 upon its initial release in 2002. It made the top 10 for the first time in January 2016, following David Bowie's death, entering on 28 January (week ending) at number 3 and rising to number-one two weeks later. * ''Hunky Dory'' first entered the UK Albums Chart in 1972 and made the top 10 for the first time in 1973, peaking at number 3. Following David Bowie's death, the album re-entered the top 10 at number 9 on 4 February 2016 (week ending). * ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' first entered the top 10 in 1972 and rose to its peak of number 5 in 1973. Following David Bowie's death, the album re-entered the top 10 at number 10 on 4 February 2016 (week ending). * ''Ultimate Prince'' originally peaked at number 24 upon its initial release in 2006. It made the top 10 for the first time in 2007, peaking at number 6. Following Prince's death, the album re-entered the top 10 and reached a brand new peak of number 3. * ''The Very Best of Prince'' originally peaked at number 2 upon its initial release in 2001. Following Prince's death, the album re-entered the top 10 at number 2, the second time the album had made the runner-up spot. * ''Purple Rain'' originally peaked at number 7 upon its initial release in 1984. Following Prince's death, the album re-entered the top 10 and reached a brand new peak of number 4. * ''All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra'' originally peaked at number 6 upon its initial release in 2005. It re-entered the top 10 in both 2011 and 2012 and would ultimately reach its peak of number-one in 2016 following Electric Light Orchestra's performance at that year's Glastonbury festival. * ''21'' originally peaked at number-one upon its initial release in 2011. * ''Legend'' originally peaked at number-one upon its initial release in 1984. It re-entered the top 10 in 2014, this time reaching number 7. * ''Greatest Hits'' originally peaked at number-one upon its initial release in 2004. It re-entered the top 10 in 2006, this time reaching number 5. * Figure includes album that peaked in 2015.

References

General * Specific

External links

2016 album chart archive
at the

(click on relevant week) {{UK Music Charts United Kingdom top 10 albums Top 10 albums