Lists of UK singles chart number ones explained

The UK Singles Chart is a weekly record chart which for most of its history was based on single sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom. Since July 2014 it has also incorporated streaming data, and from 10 July 2015 has been based on a Friday to Thursday week. As of 28 December 2023, 1420 singles have reached number one. The chart was founded in 1952 by Percy Dickins of New Musical Express (NME), who telephoned 20 record stores to ask what their top 10 highest-selling singles were. Dickins aggregated the results into a top 12 hit parade, which was topped by "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino. NMEs chart was published each week in its eponymous magazine.

The sources, in accordance with the official canon of the Official Charts Company, are the New Musical Express chart from 1952 to 1960; the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969; and the Official UK Singles Chart from 1969 onwards.

Turnover of number ones

The calendar year that has featured the most UK number ones is 2000, which featured 42 singles reaching the top spot; the year with the fewest number ones is 1952 with 1, followed by 2016 with 10. The act that has achieved the most number ones is American entertainer Elvis Presley, who has topped the chart 21 times (including 3 re-releases of songs that had previously been number ones) – Presley's second number one, "Jailhouse Rock", was the first single ever to debut at the top of the chart.^[1] The most successful band (and equal with Elvis based on unique songs) are The Beatles, who have achieved 18 number ones. The Beatles' first chart-topper, "From Me to You", reached number one in May 1963, and their last in November 2023 - the longest span of number ones for any artist.

In the 1970s, the required number of sales needed to top the chart was roughly 150,000.^[2] During 1992, when few releases were reaching number one, sales of CD singles were low: songs needed to sell only 60–70,000 each week to remain at the top. In 2000, when turnover of number ones was high, tracks could often sell between 100,000 and 200,000 copies in a single week. UK chart commentator James Masterton remarked in 2003: "When record sales are high, public interest in a song expires very quickly and this creates a need for ever more new product to take its place."^[3] Sales figures improved in 2008 and continued into the early 2010s, peaking in 2013, before declining over the next few years as audio streaming became popular. Eventually, streaming was incorporated into the sales chart.

Number ones in each year

bgcolor=#FFFF99 align=center

	Most number ones of the decade
bgcolor=lightblue align=center		Most number ones of all time

scope=col	Year	scope=col	Number-one singles	scope=col class=unsortable	Ref.
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	1950s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1952	1	^[4]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1953	14
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1954	11
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1955	14
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1956	12
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1957	13
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1958	13
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1959	16
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	1960s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1960	16	^[5]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1961	21	^[6]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1962	12	^[7]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1963	17	^[8]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1964	23	^[9]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1965	24	^[10]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1966	20	^[11]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1967	14	^[12]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1968	21	^[13]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1969	18	^[14]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	1970s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1970	14	^[15]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1971	13	^[16]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1972	17	^[17]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1973	17	^[18]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1974	21	^[19]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1975	20	^[20]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1976	16	^[21]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1977	18	^[22]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1978	14	^[23]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1979	18	^[24]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	1980s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1980	24	^[25]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1981	19	^[26]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1982	21	^[27]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1983	17	^[28]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1984	14	^[29]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1985	19	^[30]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1986	20	^[31]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1987	19	^[32]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1988	19	^[33]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1989	18	^[34]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	1990s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1990	17	^[35]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1991	17	^[36]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1992	12	^[37]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1993	15	^[38]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1994	15	^[39]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1995	17	^[40]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1996	24	^[41]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1997	24	^[42]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1998	29	^[43]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	1999	36	^[44]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	2000s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2000	42	^[45]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2001	30	^[46]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2002	30	^[47]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2003	22	^[48]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2004	29	^[49]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2005	28	^[50]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2006	24	^[51]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2007	17	^[52]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2008	20	^[53]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2009	31	^[54]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	2010s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2010	35	^[55]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2011	30	^[56]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2012	36	^[57]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2013	29	^[58]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2014	38	^[59]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2015	23	^[60]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2016	10	^[61]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2017	14	^[62]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2018	16	^[63]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2019	12	^[64]
scope=row style="text-align:center;" colspan=3	2020s
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2020	20	^[65]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2021	13	^[66]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2022	12	^[67]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2023	15	^[68]
scope=row style="text-align:center;"	2024	10	^[69]

See also

• List of NME number-one singles of the 1970s – the original chart source continued to independently compile a chart
• List of NME number-one singles of the 1980s – the original chart source continued to independently compile a chart

External links

• Official UK Singles Top 100 at the Official Charts Company
• The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart at BBC Radio 1
• UK number 1 chart singles since 1952

Notes and References

1. 29 January 2005. Return of the king. Music Week. 29.01.05. CMP. London. 0265-1548. 60620772. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175813/http://business.highbeam.com/411456/article-1G1-128204894/return-king. dead. 1 February 2014. 5 April 2012.
2. Book: Martland. Peter. Ruth. Edge. Since records began: EMI, the first 100 years. illustrated. 1997. Batsford. London. 9780713462074. 37740500. 253.
3. Web site: dotmusic.com – Chart Commentary. James. Masterton. James_Masterton. 31 March 2003. dotmusic. https://web.archive.org/web/20030401094446/http://www.dotmusic.com/charts/commentary/content.asp. 1 April 2003. dead. 5 April 2012.
4. Web site: All the Number 1 Singles. Official Charts Company. London. 26 July 2015.
5. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1960. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
6. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1961. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
7. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1962. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
8. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1963. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
9. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1964. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
10. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1965. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
11. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1966. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
12. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1967. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
13. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1968. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
14. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1969. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
15. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1970. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
16. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1971. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
17. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1972. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
18. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1973. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
19. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1974. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
20. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1975. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
21. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1976. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
22. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1977. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
23. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1978. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
24. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1979. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
25. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1980. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
26. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1981. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
27. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1982. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
28. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1983. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
29. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1984. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
30. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1985. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
31. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1986. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
32. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1987. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
33. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1988. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
34. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1989. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
35. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1990. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
36. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1991. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
37. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1992. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
38. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1993. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
39. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1994. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
40. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1995. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
41. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1996. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
42. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1997. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
43. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1998. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
44. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 1999. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
45. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2000. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
46. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2001. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
47. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2002. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
48. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2003. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
49. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2004. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
50. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2005. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
51. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2006. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
52. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2007. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
53. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2008. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
54. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2009. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
55. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2010. 2010. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
56. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2011. 2011. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
57. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2012. 2012. Official Charts Company. London. 18 June 2012.
58. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2013. 2013. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
59. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2014. 2014. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
60. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2015. 2015. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
61. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2016. 2016. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
62. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2017. 2017. Official Charts Company. London. 24 March 2012.
63. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2018. 2018. Official Charts Company. London. 24 July 2020.
64. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2019. 2019. Official Charts Company. London. 24 July 2020.
65. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2020. Official Charts Company. London. 19 August 2020.
66. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2020. Official Charts Company. London. 6 February 2022.
67. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2020. Official Charts Company. London. 21 March 2022.
68. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2020. Official Charts Company. London. 18 November 2023.
69. Web site: All the Number One Singles: 2020. Official Charts Company. London. 10 August 2024.