10 Best-Selling Albums In The World: Taiwanese Singer Beats Taylor Swift, BTS

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) unveiled its list of the world's best-selling albums for 2022, and it was dominated by Asian acts.

For 2022, its global album sales chart — an annual ranking of the biggest albums based on the number of units sold across all physical formats such as CDs and vinyl records, and fully paid downloaded albums — featured nine Asian acts out of 10, hailing from South Korea and Taiwan.

Taiwanese singer Jay Chou topped the list, released Monday, with his 15th studio album "Greatest Works of Art." It was released in July 2022 and sold about 7.2 million copies so far, Forbes reported. The magazine noted that Chou's success indicated the massive demand for physical albums, most notably in Asian countries.

The 44-year-old singer-producer, who has been dubbed the "King of Mandopop," surpassed South Korean boy band BTS and superstar Taylor Swift.

BTS, which consists of members RM, Jungkook, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, V and Jin, ranked No. 2 on the list with their compilation album "Proof," which was released before the band went on hiatus in June last year. It only included five new songs, among a 48-tune track list consisting of BTS' greatest hits.

It is unclear how many physical copies the "Dynamite" hitmakers' album sold worldwide. But according to Soompi, "Proof" sold over 2.7 million copies on the Hanteo chart during the first week of its release, dated June 10 to 16.

Meanwhile, Swift ranked third on the 2022 list with her critically acclaimed album "Midnights." It reportedly sold more than 1.3 million copies, according to Universal Music's official website.

Though Swift was the only Western act to make the 2022 chart, she isn't new to IFPI's rankings.

She also emerged as No. 5 in the top 10 for streaming, No. 1 for vinyl and No. 2 on the overall global chart, which was calculated from all consumption formats, including physical sales, downloads, and streaming platforms.

Five other K-pop artists made it on the list of the 10 best-selling albums in the world for 2022: Enhypen, Blackpink, Stray Kids, Tomorrow x Together and Seventeen.

Check out the full list of 2022's top 10 best-selling albums globally below, as per IFPI.

1. Jay Chou – "Greatest Works of Art"

2. BTS – "Proof"

3. Taylor Swift – "Midnights"

4. Stray Kids – "Maxident"

5. Seventeen – "Face the Sun"

6. Enhypen – "Manifesto: Day 1"

7. Blackpink – "Born Pink"

8. Stray Kids – "Oddinary"

9. Seventeen – "Sector 17"

10. Tomorrow X Together – "Minisode 2: Thursday's Child"