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Artists With the Most No. 1 Albums on the Billboard 200: The Beatles, Madonna & More
Madonna's new album CONFESSIONS II has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated 18 July 2026), giving the singer her 10th chart-topping album and making her only the 11th act, and third woman, to reach at least 10 No. 1s since the chart began weekly publication in March 1956. The record is a sequel to her 2005 No. 1 Confessions on a Dance Floor and reunites her with producer Stuart Price, marking her first studio album since 2019's Madame X. With the debut, Madonna became the first act to top the chart in the 2020s having also led it in three other decades.
Prompted by this milestone, Billboard compiled a ranking of every act with 10 or more No. 1 albums, led by The Beatles with 19. The Billboard 200 measures weekly US popularity through equivalent album units — combining sales, track-equivalent albums and streaming-equivalent albums — as compiled by Luminate, with the full 18 July chart due to be posted on 14 July.
– The Beatles — 19 (first in 1964, most recent with 1 in 2000) – Drake — 15 (2010 to ICEMAN in 2026) – Taylor Swift — 15 (2008 to The Life of a Showgirl in 2025) – JAY-Z — 14 (1998 to 4:44 in 2017) – Eminem — 11 (to The Death of Slim Shady in 2024) – Future — 11 (three of them in 2024) – Bruce Springsteen — 11 (1980 to 2014) – Barbra Streisand — 11 (1964 to 2016) – Ye (formerly Kanye West) — 11 (2005 to Vultures 1 in 2024) – Madonna — 10 (1985 to CONFESSIONS II in 2026) – Elvis Presley — 10 (1956 to 2002)
In short
- Madonna's CONFESSIONS II debuts at No. 1, her 10th chart-topper.
- She becomes the 11th act, third woman, to reach 10 No. 1s.
- The Beatles lead all acts with 19 No. 1 albums.
Explained simply
The Billboard 200 is the United States' most influential weekly chart for measuring album popularity. Published since 1956, it combines sales figures, streaming plays and other metrics to determine which albums are most popular, and has long been regarded as the authoritative measure of commercial success in the American music industry.
Achieving a No. 1 album is a significant achievement for any artist, but reaching double figures with 10 or more No. 1 albums represents extraordinary commercial dominance sustained over many years. The barrier to entry into this exclusive group has remained extremely high throughout the chart's history, with only a handful of artists managing to accomplish the feat.
The artists who have achieved this milestone represent different eras of popular music history, from pioneers of the 1950s and 1960s through to contemporary artists whose success extends into the streaming era. Their presence on such a ranking offers insight into which artists have managed to maintain commercial relevance and audience appeal across multiple generations of popular music.
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