The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] [2] [3] 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 UK Albums Chart during 2016, as well as albums which peaked in 2015 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 by Coldplay was the only album from 2015 to reach its peak in 2016. Giggs and Jack Garratt were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 album in 2016.
The 2015 Christmas number-one 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 by David Bowie. Overall, thirty-five different albums peaked at number-one in 2016, with David Bowie (2) having the most albums hit that position.
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.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Savoretti | 2 | Written in Scars | 7 | Sleep No More (6) | |
| Charlie Puth | 1 | Nine Track Mind | 6 | - | |
| Jack Garratt | 1 | Phase | 3 | - | |
| Kano | 1 | Made in the Manor | 8 | - | |
| Killswitch Engage | 1 | Incarnate | 10 | - | |
| Lukas Graham | 1 | Lukas Graham | 2 | - | |
| Skepta | 1 | Konnichiwa | 2 | - | |
| Kygo | 1 | Cloud Nine | 3 | - | |
| Fifth Harmony | 1 | 7/27 | 6 | - | |
| Christine and the Queens | 1 | Chaleur humaine | 2 | - | |
| Bear's Den | 1 | Red Earth & Pouring Rain | 6 | - | |
| Viola Beach | 1 | Viola Beach | 1 | - | |
| DJ Khaled | 1 | Major Key | 7 | - | |
| Blossoms | 1 | Blossoms | 1 | - | |
| Giggs | 1 | Landlord | 2 | - | |
| Moose Blood | 1 | Blush | 10 | - | |
| Twenty One Pilots | 1 | Blurryface | 5 | - | |
| Ward Thomas | 1 | Cartwheels | 1 | - | |
| A Day to Remember | 1 | Bad Vibrations | 6 | - | |
| Shawn Mendes | 1 | Illuminate | 3 | - | |
| Airbourne | 1 | Breakin' Outta Hell | 9 | - | |
| Blackberry Smoke | 1 | Like an Arrow | 8 | - | |
| Bradley Walsh | 1 | Chasing Dreams | 10 | - |
The only film soundtrack album to enter the top 10 this year was Purple Rain by Prince and The Revolution. 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.
For the second year in a row, Adele had the best-selling album of the year with 25. A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay came in second place. Michael Ball & Alfie Boe's Together, Purpose from Justin Bieber and The Wonder of You by Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra made up the top five. Albums by David Bowie, Little Mix, Drake, Jess Glynne and David Bowie (Best of Bowie) were also in the top ten best-selling albums of the year.
| Symbol | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=lightblue | ‡ | Album peaked in 2014 or 2015 but still in chart in 2016. |
| (#) | Year-end top-ten album position and rank | |
| Entered | The date that the album first appeared in the chart. | |
| Peak | Highest position that the album reached in the UK Albums Chart. |
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.
| Entries | Artist | Weeks | Albums |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | David Bowie | 25 | Best of Bowie, Blackstar, Hunky Dory, Lazarus (Original Cast Recording), Nothing Has Changed: The Very Best of David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars |
| 3 | Prince | 8 | Purple Rain, The Very Best of Prince, Ultimate Prince |
| 2 | Adele | 44 | 21, 25 |
| Elvis Presley | 25 | If I Can Dream, The Wonder of You | |
| Jack Savoretti | 2 | Sleep No More, Written in Scars | |
| Little Mix | 49 | Get Weird, Glory Days | |
| Michael Bublé | 16 | Christmas, Nobody but Me | |
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | 25 | If I Can Dream, The Wonder of You |
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