For the purposes of calculating sales, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence.[1] The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2004 and of digital audio streaming in 2014. During the 2010s, sales of singles have been monitored by the OCC and compiled weekly as the UK Singles Chart.
Since July 2014, the UK Singles Chart has been based on streaming figures as well as physical/digital purchases, however the OCC still compiles a 'sales' (only) chart.[2]
The biggest selling single in the 2010s in the UK based on paid-for sales is "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, which has sold over 1,920,000 copies. During the decade, 37 singles released in the 2010s sold over 1 million copies - the highest number to achieve this within the decade of their release.[3] Due to the growth of streaming and the consequent fall in paid for sales during the 2010s, all of the highest selling singles are from the first half of the decade, with Uptown Funk being the most recently released single to achieve sales of one million copies.
Sales figures are derived from the OCC list published on 19 September 2017.
| Single | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Year | scope=col | Copies sold | scope=col | Chart peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | "Happy" | Pharrell Williams | 2013 | 1,921,805 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | "Blurred Lines" | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams | 2013 | 1,667,615 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | "Uptown Funk" | Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars | 2014 | 1,647,310 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | "Someone like You" | Adele | 2011 | 1,644,597 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | "Moves Like Jagger" | Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera | 2011 | 1,536,041 | 2 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | "Somebody That I Used to Know" | Gotye featuring Kimbra | 2012 | 1,515,527 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | "Wake Me Up!" | Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc | 2013 | 1,483,346 | 1 | ||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | "Get Lucky" | Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams | 2013 | 1,471,356 | 1 | ||
| 9 | "We Found Love" | Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris | 2011 | 1,415,416 | 1 | |||
| 10 | "Call Me Maybe" | Carly Rae Jepsen | 2012 | 1,358,631 | 1 | |||
| 11 | "Just the Way You Are (Amazing)" | Bruno Mars | 2010 | 1,331,684 | 1 | |||
| 12 | "Impossible" | James Arthur | 2012 | 1,310,169 | 1 | |||
| 13 | "Gangnam Style" | Psy | 2012 | 1,304,437 | 1 | |||
| 14 | "Titanium" | David Guetta featuring Sia | 2012 | 1,300,566 | 1 | |||
| 15 | "Party Rock Anthem" | LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock | 2011 | 1,284,335 | 1 | |||
| 16 | "Rather Be" | Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne | 2014 | 1,283,122 | 1 | |||
| 17 | "All of Me" | John Legend | 2013 | 1,259,708 | 2 | |||
| 18 | "Love the Way You Lie" | Eminem featuring Rihanna | 2010 | 1,258,763 | 2 | |||
| 19 | "Let Her Go" | Passenger | 2013 | 1,243,336 | 2 | |||
| 20 | "Price Tag" | Jessie J featuring B.o.B | 2011 | 1,228,371 | 1 | |||
| 21 | "Thinking Out Loud" | Ed Sheeran | 2014 | 1,219,184 | 1 | |||
| 22 | "Only Girl (In the World)" | Rihanna | 2010 | 1,162,460 | 1 | |||
| 23 | "Starships" | Nicki Minaj | 2012 | 1,162,065 | 2 | |||
| 24 | "We Are Young" | fun. featuring Janelle Monáe | 2012 | 1,145,195 | 1 | |||
| 25 | "Counting Stars" | OneRepublic | 2013 | 1,132,526 | 1 | |||
| 26 | "" | Ed Sheeran | 2011 | 1,118,825 | 3 | |||
| 27 | "Roar" | Katy Perry | 2013 | 1,112,787 | 1 | |||
| 28 | "Diamonds" | Rihanna | 2012 | 1,098,959 | 1 | |||
| 29 | "Firework" | Katy Perry | 2010 | 1,091,743 | 3 | |||
| 30 | "Rolling in the Deep" | Adele | 2010 | 1,086,347 | 2 | |||
| 31 | "La La La" | Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith | 2013 | 1,070,199 | 1 | |||
| 32 | "Give Me Everything" | Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer | 2011 | 1,050,457 | 1 | |||
| 33 | "Don't You Worry Child" | Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin | 2012 | 1,018,874 | 1 | |||
| 34 | "When We Collide" | Matt Cardle | 2010 | 1,017,149 | 1 | |||
| 35 | "Jar of Hearts" | Christina Perri | 2011 | 1,018,874 | 4 | |||
| 36 | "What Makes You Beautiful" | One Direction | 2011 | 1,010,042 | 1 | |||
| 37 | "Forget You" | CeeLo Green | 2010 | 1,002,504 | 1 | |||
| 38 | "Sexy and I Know It" | LMFAO | 2011 | 999,080 | 5 | |||
| 39 | "Grenade" | Bruno Mars | 2010 | 997,862 | 1 | |||
| 40 | "Paradise" | Coldplay | 2011 | 995,808 | 1 |
From 2014 streaming has counted towards sales (sometimes called "combined sales" or "chart sales") at the rate of 100 streams equal to one download or physical purchase, although the singles chart no longer uses this ratio. These are the biggest selling songs released in the 2010s based on combined physical, download and streaming sales.
As of September 2017, there were 146 songs released in the 2010s with over a million combined sales, nine of these with over 2 million. In October 2017, "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran became the first song from the decade to reach 3 million combined sales.
| Position | Song | Artist | Peak | Year | Sales | Streaming equivalent | Combined sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Shape of You" | 1 | 2017 | 754,754 | 2,121,706 | 4,200,000[4] | ||
| 2 | "Uptown Funk" | 1 | 2014 | 1,647,310 | 1,076,160 | 2,723,470 | ||
| 3 | "Happy" | 1 | 2013 | 1,921,805 | 707,851 | 2,629,657 | ||
| 4 | "Thinking Out Loud" | 1 | 2014 | 1,219,184 | 1,302,119 | 2,521,302 | ||
| 5 | "One Dance" | 1 | 2016 | 553,973 | 1,791,007 | 2,344,981 | ||
| 6 | "Rather Be" | 1 | 2014 | 1,283,122 | 935,575 | 2,218,697 | ||
| 7 | "Sorry" | 1 | 2015 | 724,188 | 1,443,719 | 2,167,907 | ||
| 8 | "All of Me" | 2 | 2014 | 1,259,708 | 896,418 | 2,156,126 | ||
| 9 | "Love Yourself" | 1 | 2015 | 718,549 | 1,340,666 | 2,059,215 | ||
| 10 | "Someone Like You" | 1 | 2011 | 1,644,597 | 351,772 | 1,996,369 | ||
| 11 | "Wake Me Up!" | 1 | 2013 | 1,483,346 | 484,035 | 1,967,381 | ||
| 12 | "Take Me to Church" | Hozier | 2 | 2013 | 934,466 | 1,017,851 | 1,952,317 | |
| 13 | "Blurred Lines" | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams | 1 | 2013 | 1,667,615 | 284,004 | 1,951,619 | |
| 14 | "Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)" | 1 | 2014 | 861,086 | 1,057,439 | 1,918,526 | ||
| 15 | "Despacito (Remix)" | Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber | 1 | 2017 | 566,425 | 1,334,174 | 1,900,599 | |
| 16 | "Hello" | Adele | 1 | 2015 | 948,618 | 906,431 | 1,855,050 | |
| 17 | "What Do You Mean?" | Justin Bieber | 1 | 2015 | 533,581 | 1,320,256 | 1,853,837 | |
| 18 | "Let Her Go" | 2 | 2012 | 1,243,336 | 589,019 | 1,832,354 | ||
| 19 | "Get Lucky" | Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams | 1 | 2013 | 1,471,356 | 349,989 | 1,821,344 | |
| 20 | "Cheap Thrills" | 2 | 2015 | 517,082 | 1,247,640 | 1,764,721 | ||
| 21 | "Moves Like Jagger" | 2 | 2011 | 1,536,041 | 207,813 | 1,743,854 | ||
| 22 | "Somebody That I Used to Know" | 1 | 2011 | 1,515,527 | 212,192 | 1,727,719 | ||
| 23 | "Pompeii" | 2 | 2013 | 959,693 | 749,011 | 1,708,704 | ||
| 24 | "7 Years" | 1 | 2015 | 653,657 | 1,054,211 | 1,707,868 | ||
| 25 | "We Found Love" | Rihanna | 1 | 2011 | 1,415,416 | 288,533 | 1,703,948 | |
| 26 | "Waves" | 1 | 2013 | 933,555 | 757,402 | 1,690,957 | ||
| 27 | "Castle on the Hill" | Ed Sheeran | 2 | 2017 | 478,716 | 1,192,607 | 1,671,322 | |
| 28 | "Stay with Me" | 1 | 2014 | 834,622 | 832,637 | 1,667,260 | ||
| 29 | "Titanium" | 1 | 2011 | 1,300,566 | 351,632 | 1,652,198 | ||
| 30 | "Counting Stars" | 1 | 2013 | 1,132,526 | 507,982 | 1,640,508 |