American singer Madonna, throughout her career, spanning four decades, has obtained a remarkable series of statistical achievements, setting and breaking several world records with her participation in entrepreneurial activities, of acting and her performance in the musical scene for her videos, singles, albums, and tours. Her first appearance in the Guinness Book of World Records was in 1986 with her third studio album, True Blue. Since then, she has earned multiple appearances, some 20 at least in February 2012, including her insigne record title as the top-selling female recording artist of all time. Madonna's commerciality has achieved scrutiny studies and analysis from different point of view in the academia world or by marketers, through her marketing strategies, controversies and reinvention, surpassing to others new or contemporary artists. In popular culture, many international artists have been called "Madonna", many times, by their impact and success in their respective countries or genres. Also, her presence in popular culture, has been led to create world records about Madonna. Dubbed as the most successful and most influential female artist of all time.
Global and regional records and achievements
Record
Notes
Most successful female solo artist
In 2000, Guinness Book of World Records listed Madonna as the most successful female solo artist of all time.
Best-selling female recording artist
Guinness World Records listed Madonna as the best-selling female recording artist of all time, with more than 300 million records sold during her career. Previously, the 1998 edition of Guinness Book of World Records stated: "No female artist has sold more records than Madonna around the world... who has had total sales of more than 200 million".
According to the 1992 edition of Guinness Book of World Records, True Blue was the best-selling album of all time by a woman, with sales of more than 17 million until October 1990. Currently, the title belongs to Shania Twain's Come On Over.
Most remixed act
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Madonna’s music has been remixed and sampled more than any other artist.
Best-selling remix album by a female artist
You Can Dance has sold over five million copies worldwide.
Best-selling compilation album by a solo artist
The Immaculate Collection has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Madonna held this record with "Express Yourself" and "Bedtime Story", with cost of $5 million each. The record was taken by "Scream" by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, which reportedly spent $7 million in its production.
She set this record with "Hung Up" topping the chart at 41 countries
Album topping charts in most countries
With Confessions on a Dance Floor topping the chart at 40 countries. Also her third studio album, True Blue held the record for number one in the most countries, topping the charts in a total of 28 countries around the world
She had a total 17 number-one singles in chart, most for any other artist
Most number-two singles on the European Hot 100 Singles
She had a total 7 number-two singles in chart, most for any other artist
Highest-grossing concert tour of all time by a female artist
Originally she reached this record with the Confessions Tour, grossing over US $194.7 million from 60 shows with 1.2 million spectators, and surpassed her own record with Sticky & Sweet Tour, performing to over 3.5 million fans in 32 countries, grossing a total of US $408 million
Highest-grossing tour by a solo artist ×
She set this record in 2009 with Sticky & Sweet Tour, but it was broken in 2013 by Roger Waters with The Wall Live. Also Sticky & Sweet Tour was the second highest-grossing music tour ever
Highest-grossing music tour per concert
Confessions Tour is recognized as the highest-grossing music tour per concert in the 2007 edition of the Guinness World Records, with $3.2 million grossed per concert.
In Helsinki, Finland, Sticky & Sweet sold more than 85,000 tickets, making it the biggest single show by an artist in history for all of Scandinavia
Highest-grossing woman in entertainment ×
In 1990, with more than $125 million since 1986 according to Forbes. Oprah Winfrey has this record, including $290 million in earnings between May 2010 and May 2011 according to Forbes
Highest annual earnings for a female pop star
Her earnings of $125 million for June 2012 – 2013, breaking the Celine Dion record in 1998
Highest earnings for a female performer in a year
Similar record with a highest annual earnings for a female pop star, but she hold this for a female performer in general according to the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records. She extended her record during 2009 with $110 million earnings.
Highest-paid female singer on the planet
Awarded by Guinness World Record in 2006. Also in 2008, Forbes declared her as the richest female musician worldwide
World's richest recording artist
She has a net worth of $800 million, most for any other artist in the industry
Her performance in 2012 was the most viewed Super Bowl halftime show ever, defeating Michael Jackson's previous record, with 114 million viewers throughout the world. This record was later broken by Bruno Mars in 2014 and again by Katy Perry in 2015
With 10,245 posts per second by her performance in Super Bowl 2012
Highest-grossing documentary of all time ×
She has this record with a worldwide gross of $29,012,935 of her
Fastest-selling children's picture book of all time
With The English Roses and according to newspaper The Age in the children's best-seller list it is second only to the fifth Harry Potter, selling just 220 copies less than JK Rowling's book in its first seven days.
With her 12th studio album MDNA in the pre-order charts on iTunes in 50 countries across the world
Biggest live webcast of all time
Her performance in London's Brixton Academy in 2000 was the biggest webcast of all time. According to Microsoft, an estimated nine million viewers logged watched the live webcast, mostly from the United Kingdom, Europe and United States, breaking the Paul McCartney record with his concert at The Cavern in Liverpool, which had 3 million viewers. Also, the performance received positive comments, generated as much fuss as the NASDAQ crash
Records and achievements by country
United States
Record
Notes
Greatest Billboard Hot 100 solo artist of all time
Behind only The Beatles, making the most successful solo artist in the history of American singles chart
Top Billboard Hot 100 artist of the 1980s
Madonna is the biggest artist on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1980s.
Best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century
According to the RIAA, Madonna has 12 multi-platinum albums in the United States. She tied with Barbra Streisand among female artists.
Most number-ones on all Billboard charts combined
She has had 161 number-ones on all the Billboard charts for her multi-format, winning support at pop, dance and adult formats. She extended her record to 158 in 2015 with "Ghosttown" and Bitch I'm Madonna, became Madonna's 45th and 46th number-one song on the Hot Dance Club Songs. In April 2019 her new song Medellín reached #01 on 3 Billboard Latin charts on first week of release extending her record once again to 161 number-ones.
Most number ones on a singular Billboard chart
Madonna has 49 number-one hits on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In 2015, "Ghosttown" became her 45th number-one song on the Hot Dance Club Songs, breaking her tie with country singer George Strait who earned 44 number-ones on the Hot Country Singles chart.
Most top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 +
She has 38 Top 10 entries, with "Give Me All Your Luvin'" in the last, from her 2012 studio album, MDNA Rapper Drake matched her record in 2020.
Most top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 by a female artist
With "Keep It Together" becoming her 18th top-ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, Madonna broke her tie with Aretha Franklin as the female solo artist with the most top-ten hits in history.
Most consecutive top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100
She reached this record with "Lucky Star" in 1983 and surprass her own record in 1989 with "Cherish" surpassed The Beatles and became in the act with most consecutive top-five singles.
Most number-two peaking singles on the Billboard Hot 100
She has the record with six number two hits "Material Girl", "Causing a Commotion", "Express Yourself", "Cherish", "I'll Remember", and "Frozen". She held this record with "Frozen" in 1998, surpassing Elvis Presley
Most number-one singles by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100 ×
With "Who's That Girl", Madonna shared the record with Diana Ross. Madonna was later surpassed by Mariah Carey in 1997 and Rihanna in 2012.
Most number-one songs by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1980s +
With seven reached number one –a number surpassed only by Michael Jackson's nine- Whitney Houston also amassed seven number-ones during the decade.
Most number-one singles by a female songwriter on the Billboard Hot 100 ×
Madonna replaced Carole King when she released "Take a Bow" in 1994
Most Top 40 entries by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100
As of 2003, she had 44 singles
The shortest amount of time to achieve 20 top 10 singles by a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 ×
Rihanna broke her record in 2011
Most gold-certified singles by a female artist in the US
With "Don't Tell Me" going gold, Madonna surpassed The Beatles for having most gold certified singles in the United States She had 28th gold certified record in the United States with "Give Me All Your Luvin'" her last gold certified single
Top Singles Sales artist of the decade
Madonna ended the 2000s as the best-selling physical singles artist of the decade in the United States
Most number-one singles on the Hot Dance Club Songs
She has a total of 50 number-one songs on the chart —the most for any artist
"Erotica" entered the chart at number two on October 17, 1992, due to strong radio airplay in its first week.
Biggest first-week sales by a female artist in Nielsen SoundScan era ×
With Ray of Light debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated March 21, 1998 with 371,000 copies sold
Biggest second-week percentage drop for a number-one debuting album in the Nielsen SoundScan era ×
With her 2012 studio album, MDNA. The album slid from No. 1 to No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with an 86.7% sales decline Shawn Mendes surpassed the record with her 2015 album Handwritten, which dropped 89% from its number-one debut.
Most number ones on the Billboard Top Music Videos
Her MDNA World Tour DVD topped the US Billboard Top Music Videos, becoming her sixth consecutive and tenth video to top the chart —the most for any artist
Best-selling video single of the SoundScan era
With "Ray of Light" when surpass in June 1998, 7,381 copies
When she reached number one with "Music" in 2000 at Billboard Hot 100, it made Madonna the second artist to achieve number one hits on the Hot 100 in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Also, when she released "Who's That Girl" in 1987 it became Madonna's sixth number-one single in the United States, making her the first artist to accumulate six number-one singles in the 1980s, and the first female performer to get that many number-ones as a solo act. In 2012, with "Give Me All Your Luvin'" she became the second female with highest number of Billboard Hot 100 singles by female artists, only behind Aretha Franklin. The song is her 56th appearance on the chart. In 1991, with "Rescue Me" when it debuted at No. 15 on the March 2, 1991 Hot 100 chart, it marked the highest-ever bow for a single by a woman. Further, it was —at the time— one of only four titles to debut in the top 20. Madonna is the third oldest female to place a number one at the Billboard Hot 100. The single "Music" reached the number-one spot when Madonna was forty-two years one month old. She holds the record with 38 singles within the Top 10, most for any artist.
Dance Club Songs chart statistics
She has 50 number-one songs in the chart —the most for any artist. Also, is the only active artist to chart continuously since 1982, spanning five decades. Billboard said: "comparing her chart champs by decade, Madonna scored nine Dance/Club Songs No. 1s in the '80s and 13 in the '90s. Since 2000, she has almost doubled her total, adding 18 No. 1s in that span". In 2012, when she release "Girl Gone Wild", became her 42nd No. 1 on the record chart, Billboard said that she has the quickest span of back-to-back No. 1s. Also, the magazine declared that "essentially, if Madonna releases a single and it charts on Dance/Club Play Songs, it's a safe bet to assume it'll go to No. 1. Since 2000, she's placed 26 hits on the survey. Of those, all but six have gone all the way to No. 1. Also, Madonna is the only artist in history to achieve seven top-ten hits from one album and the only artist ever to achieve seven consecutive number-one hits on this chart twice. "Give Me All Your Luvin'" set a record chart, when it debuted at 24 in the Dance/Club Play Songs chart and rose to 9 the next week, having the fastest rising to the top 10 for a song ever "Hung Up" became the most successful dance song of the 2000s in the United States, by topping the Dance/Club Play Songs Decade-end tally and "Music" became the second most-successful dance song of decade, reaching number two on the record chart. Furthermore, "Music" was also the longest-running number one song on Dance/Club Play Songs in the 2000s, with a longevity of five weeks at number one.
''Billboard'' 200 chart statistics
She is the second female artist with most number ones albums, with 9, behind only Barbra Streisand, who has 10 number one albums. Her other achievements on the record chart, tied with Beyoncé as the female artist with most consecutive number-one albums. Also, in 1984 Madonna was the first female to sell over 5 million albums in the US in a single year with Like a Virgin. Madonna is the artist with most top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, with 21 George Strait places second with 17 top 10s, followed by Mariah Carey. Also, she is the female artist with most number-two albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums, with six, tied with The Beatles and behind Frank Sinatra's seven Her albums The Immaculate Collection, Like a Virgin and True Blue are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA, with The Immaculate Collection and Like a Virgin becoming in one of the best-selling albums in United States with a diamond status. As of 2015, she is the eighth artist with most number-one albums. However, she has a record for the biggest second week sales drop in history in Nielsen SoundScan era with her twelfth studio album, MDNA.
Australia
Record title/Achievements
Notes
Best-selling compilation album in solo artist category
With The Immaculate Collection, and is one of the best-selling album in Australia, having sold 840,000 copies with 12× Platinum. Overall, is listed as the twentieth best selling album in the country
Most number-one albums by a solo artist on the ARIA albums chart
She has 11 number one albums, tied with U2
Most number-one singles on the ARIA singles chart
Excluding "Me Against the Music", Madonna is tied with Australian singer Kylie Minogue for having 10 number one singles as a lead artist.
Most weeks at number one on the ARIA singles chart
She accumulated a total of 38 weeks in the charts
First soloist with self-replacement at number one on the ARIA singles chart
In 1985, Madonna's "Crazy for You" replaced her another release "Angel"/"Into the Groove". She was the first soloist, and remains the only female act, to do this feat.
Biggest concert ticket sales in Australia ×
Madonna set the record for the biggest ticket sales in Australia with 360,000 tickets were sold, worth US$21,9 million. This feat was later broken by the Rolling Stone's Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1995.
Highest-attended concert at the Adelaide Oval stadium ×
Madonna's 1993 show at the Adelaide Oval stadium attracted 40,000 people, which remained the biggest attendance on the venue for 17 years until AC/DC's concert in 2010.
Australia singles chart statistics
When she released "Open Your Heart" in Australia, it reached a peak of number 16, breaking a run of nine consecutive top ten singles for Madonna in that country. She is tied with Australian singer Kylie Minogue, having 10 number one singles.
Australia albums chart statistics
She has debuted her albums at number one for nine occasions, with Rebel Heart her last album, it became Madonna's 19th week atop the chart, ranking her at number 24 on the list of artists with most accumulated weeks at the top. She has 11 number one albums, tied with U2.
Canada
Canadian singles chart statistics
She has a total of 25 #1 singles in Canada — the most for any artist in spanning four decades: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Only two of these number one singles belong to Canadian Hot 100 and the rest of Canadian RPM singles chart. Her 2000 single "Music" was the last number one hit on the Canadian RPM singles chart. Also, she has sixty-eight Top 40, fifty-nine Top 20, fifty-one Top 10 and thirty-nine Top 5 singles. "4 Minutes" debuted at the top of the Canadian Contemporary Hit Radio chart. This marked the first time any song entered at the top of the CHR chart in BDS history. With "Music and "American Pie" was the first time in Canadian chart history that an artist held the top two positions on the year-end musical charts.
She has to date, two album with diamond status in Canada with True Blue and Like a Virgin. Making her one of the few artists that have this certification. Also, she has 21 albums in the Top 5, with only 3 on the Top 20.
France
French singles chart statistics
Madonna had only three number one singles in France, but spanning three decades: 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. She has twenty-two Top 10 singles on the French Top 100 Singles charts and forty-nine Top 40, during four decades: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
French albums chart statistics
She has eight number one albums in France. Also, she has three albums with diamond status in France with True Blue, The Immaculate Collection and Confessions on a Dancefloor. Also, she has ten albums number-two and three number-three albums. Generally, her albums always topped the Top 10 places in France.
Madonna had four number one singles in Germany, but has fifty-eight Top 40, thirty-seven Top 20, twenty-five Top 10 and nineteen Top 5 singles.
German albums chart statistics
She has one album in the top 40 best-selling albums ever in Germany, with Ray of Light sold 1.5 million units. She has number ones albums during four decades: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s
She has a total of twenty-five number ones singles on Italian charts, spanning for three decades: 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Also she has sixty-eight Top 40, sixty-five Top 20, fifty-six Top 10 and forty-five Top 5 singles.
Italian albums chart statistics
She has a total of 15 number-one albums in Italy and 8 albums number two. Most of her albums have entered the top 5, with only two studio albums, topping the two.
She has a total of twenty-two singles number one and five number-two singles: "Angel", "The Power of Good-Bye", "Don't Tell Me", "American Life" and "Give Me All Your Luvin'".
Spain albums chart statistics
She has ten number one albums in Spain, spanning during four decades: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Also, she has twenty Top 5 albums and generally, her albums always topped the Top 20 in Spain.
United Kingdom
Record title/Achievements
Notes
Most UK number-one singles by a female artist
She has 13 number one hits in United Kingdom. 4 Minutes was her last number one
She has 12 number-one albums with 9 studio albums. Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, The Immaculate Collection, Evita, Ray of Light, Music, American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor, Hard Candy, Celebration and MDNA
Most UK number-one albums by a female artist
She has 12 number-one albums with 9 studio albums. Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, The Immaculate Collection, Evita, Ray of Light, Music, American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor, Hard Candy, Celebration and MDNA
Biggest selling female singles artist of all time
She has a combined sales total of 17.8 million as of 2012, surpassed only by The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard
Biggest selling female artist of the 21st century
With cumulative sales of 7.65 million copies
Most certified artist of all time in United Kingdom
With The Immaculate Collection, selling 3,665,068. Adele surpass this record with 21 in 2011
Female artist with most albums simultaneous topping the Top 40 albums ×
She had three albums in the Top 40 in 1987, but was surprass in 2014 by English singer Kate Bush, having eight albums in the Top 40 at the same time. This makes Madonna in the foreign female artist with most albums simultaneous in the Top 40
Woman with the most top 40 singles in U.K. chart history
As February 2015, she had 71st Top 40 U.K. singles. Her last song was "Living for Love" in 2015
Act with most consecutive Top 10 hits
According to 1998 edition of Guinness Book of World Records Madonna amassed a record 32 successive Top 10 entries in the UK She hold this record, with 36 Top 10 entries according to Official Charts Company in 2015 Journalist Ian Young said in 2003: "Madonna has more than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones put together"
Album with the longest consecutive weeks at number one by a female artist ×
With The Immaculate Collection, topping the chart for 9 weeks. Record that would not be matched until 2011 by Adele's album 21 topping the charts for 10 weeks
Study was elaborated by Liverpool Lime Street railway station and Madonna has accrued 45,633 mentions over the decade 2000–2009 with profile marriage and divorce, adoption bids and one of the most successful careers around
Act with most number-one singles during 1980s
She had six number ones: "Into the Groove" ; "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue" ; "La Isla Bonita", "Who's That Girl" ; and "Like a Prayer"
Female with most weeks on UK Singles Chart by decade 1980
She had 252 weeks and is the second act, only behind Shakin' Stevens with 254 weeks
Female with most weeks on UK Singles Chart by decade 1990
She had 258 weeks and is the second act, only behind Oasis with 282 weeks
Female with most Top 5 hits
She has 44 Top 5 hits in the chart, the second act, behind only Elvis Presley with 54
Female artist with the most consecutive number one albums
In 2012, Rihanna equals Madonna's chart record with Unapologetic, having both 3 number one albums
Female artist with most number-one albums during the 1980s
With three albums: Like a Virgin, True Blue and Like a Prayer. Also she was one of the artists spent 10 weeks or more at number one on the album chart during the 1980s
Female artist with most number-one singles during the 2000s
She had a total of 5 singles topping the chart: "American Pie", "Music", "Hung Up", "Sorry" and "4 Minutes". And was the artist number thirteen with 10 weeks by total number of weeks at number-one
Female artist with most number-one albums during the 2000s
With five albums: Music, American Life, Confessions on a Dance Floor, Hard Candy and Celebration. But spent only a total seven weeks at number one
With her Sticky & Sweet Tour Madonna performed to a sell-out crowd of over 74,000 fans and grossed over $12 million USD, surpassing all previous grosses at both the old and the new Wembley Stadiums. Since that date U2 and their 360° Tour has broken the attendance record at Wembley Stadium with a crowd of 88,000 people.
She set this UK record in 2001 with her Drowned World Tour, sold out her dates at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in record time – six shows in six hours. Madonna made history with the fastest-selling show ever at Earl's Court, as 97,000 tickets were sold.
UK Singles Chart statistics
Madonna has 13 number one hits in United Kingdom, a record for a female recording artist, spanning her number one for three decades: 1980s, 1990s and 2000s In 1985, Madonna became the first female artist in UK chart history to hold the top-two positions of the chart simultaneously, with "Into the Groove" topping number one and "Holiday" the second place By the end of 1985, Madonna achieved up another record with the song, becoming the first female artist to have eight UK top-ten singles in one calendar year. In 1987 when she published "La Isla Bonita", she became the female artist with the most number-one singles in the British chart history—a record that has since been maintained by Madonna to date Every single reached the UK Top 20 until 2008's "Miles Away". Also, Madonna simultaneously topped the albums and singles charts 4 times in her career, which is unmatched by any other female artist. In 2014, Official Charts Company compiled her Top 40 biggest selling singles, with "Into the Groove" in the top with 870,000 copies. Furthermore, Madonna had 71st Top 40 U.K. singles, the most for any female artist. Her others milestones including, eleven Top 2 singles, sixty Top 10 and forty four Top 20 singles.
She has 12 number-one albums with 9 studio albums —the most for any solo artist. Also, she has five number-two albums and twenty Top 5 albums, more than any other female artist. In 1986, True Blue opened at the top of the UK Albums Chart on July 12, 1986, making it the first album by American artist to debut at number one in British chart history. In 2012, with MDNA she became the first female in have an album in the number one during the 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010. Also, Madonna and Kylie Minogue are the only artists ever to have a number-one album and a number-one single in three different decades. According to New Musical Express her albums The Immaculate Collection and Confessions on a Dance Floor are one of the 50 fastest selling albums ever in United Kingdom, selling 340,000 and 217,610 respectively. Making in the female artist with most entries. Both Michael Jackson, Madonna had two of the best selling albums of the decade 1980 with True Blue and Like a Virgin. Also during the 2000s, she figured with two albums in the top 100 with Music and Confessions on a Dance Floor and she topped the UK chart Christmas with The Immaculate Collection, making the first to the decade 1990s and occupied the record number one during nine weeks.
Source: Official Charts Company
Other countries
Records about Madonna
In popular culture, Madonna has generated records titles by others ways in Guinness Book of World Records. They said: You might not be able to run as fast as Michael Johnson, or sell as many records as Madonna.
Record title
Notes
The most ever paid for an item of clothing belonging to Madonna
