The Top 30 Highest-Selling Country Artists Of All Time, According To The RIAA

With both Zach Bryan and Luke Combs securing big ol’ bags of new certifications (34 and 58 respectively) from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) over the past two months, the highest-selling country artists list has been shaken up in a big way. Though long-time stars such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney all hold spots inside the top 10, the aforementioned Bryan and Combs, along with the likes of Morgan Wallen and Chris Stapleton have also risen to the top of the RIAA’s rankings.

But what is the RIAA?

Starting with their background, the RIAA is a trade organization consisting of major record labels and distributors that aims to “support and promote the creative and commercial vitality of music labels in the United States.” With that being said, however, their primary feature, in terms of public discussion of music, is undoubtedly their tracking of artist’s sales. These sales, of course, are tracked in terms of “gold,” “platinum” and “diamond” certifications once a song or album hits the required criteria.

RIAA Criteria

When a single or album has sold at least 500,000 units, it is then eligible for a Gold certification; when it hits 1 million, it is eligible for Platinum certification. And finally, a song or record must sell 10 million units for it to be certified Diamond. There’s only been 13 Diamond-Certified songs in country music history. And keep in mind, the RIAA doesn’t just keep a running tab on these awards and hand out plaques… an artist’s label will actively pursue certification by applying, submitting some stats, and paying a few hundred bucks to undergo an audit to verify the sales. And then… you have to buy a plaque for every person involved. Well, only if you want to…

As for what constitutes as a “unit,” there are distinctions between sales regarding both singles and albums. Starting with singles, one paid download or 150 on-demand streams constitute as a unit. Albums, on the other hand, are a bit different. Given how popular streaming is in today’s age, there are three different ways an album can sell a single unit: 1) a permanent digital album or physical album sale, which basically means someone bought the record; 2) 10 permanent track downloads from the album, which laughably wouldn’t even be 1/3 of a Morgan Wallen album these days; or 3) 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from the album. Of course, streaming is how a bulk of the units are earned these days.

With all of that being said, here are the 30 highest-selling country artists of all time, according to the RIAA.

#1 Garth Brooks

• Total Units: 162.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 32
• Platinum Certifications: 31
• Diamond Certifications: 9
• Best-selling album: “Lost In You” (Gold)
• Best-selling song: Double Live (23x Platinum)

#2 Luke Combs

• Total Units: 153 Million
• Gold Certifications: 34
• Platinum Certifications: 36
• Diamond Certifications: 4
• Best-selling album: This One’s For You (7x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Beautiful Crazy” (14x Platinum)

#3 Morgan Wallen

• Total Units: 122.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 61
• Platinum Certifications: 21
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: One Thing At A Time (7x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Whiskey Glasses” (9x Platinum)

#4 George Strait

• Total Units: 113.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 77
• Platinum Certifications: 56
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Strait Out of the Box (8x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Amarillo By Morning” (4x Platinum)

#5 Luke Bryan

• Total Units: 111 Million
• Gold Certifications: 46
• Platinum Certifications: 34
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Crash My Party (6x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Play It Again” (8x Platinum)

#6 Kenny Chesney

• Total Units: 100.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 68
• Platinum Certifications: 45
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (5x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “American Kids” (5x Platinum)

#7 Tim McGraw

• Total Units: 94.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 52
• Platinum Certifications: 37
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Not a Moment Too Soon (6x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Live Like You Were Dying” (5x Platinum)

#8 Zach Bryan

• Total Units: 90 Million
• Gold Certifications: 66
• Platinum Certifications: 34
• Diamond Certifications: 1
• Best-selling album: American Heartbreak (3x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Something in the Orange” (12x Platinum)

#9 Chris Stapleton

• Total Units: 83.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 40
• Platinum Certifications: 14
• Diamond Certifications: 1
• Best-selling album: Traveller (7x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Tennessee Whiskey” (17x Platinum)

#10 Carrie Underwood

• Total Units: 72 Million
• Gold Certifications: 40
• Platinum Certifications: 32
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Some Hearts (9x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Before He Cheats” (7x Platinum)

#11 Blake Shelton

• Total Units: 65 Million
• Gold Certifications: 47
• Platinum Certifications: 33
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Based On a True Story… (3x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “God Gave Me You” (5x Platinum)

#12 Shania Twain

• Total Units: 61.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 17
• Platinum Certifications: 12
• Diamond Certifications: 3
• Best-selling album: Come On Over (2x Diamond)
• Best-selling song: “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” (3x Platinum)

#13 Eric Church

• Total Units: 60.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 36
• Platinum Certifications: 27
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Chief (4x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Springsteen” (8x Platinum)

#14 Toby Keith

• Total Units: 60 Million
• Gold Certifications: 43
• Platinum Certifications: 25
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Unleashed (4x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” (4x Platinum)

#15 Alan Jackson

• Total Units: 59 Million
• Gold Certifications: 26
• Platinum Certifications: 22
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (7x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Remember When” (4x Platinum)

#16 Kane Brown

• Total Units: 57.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 30
• Platinum Certifications: 19
• Diamond Certifications: 2
• Best-selling album: Kane Brown (3x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Heaven” (11x Platinum)

#17 Thomas Rhett

• Total Units: 57 Million
• Gold Certifications: 32
• Platinum Certifications: 24
• Diamond Certifications: 1
• Best-selling album: Tangled Up (2x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Die a Happy Man” (Diamond)

#18 Alabama

• Total Units: 56.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 35
• Platinum Certifications: 26
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Mountain Music (5x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Song of the South” (2x Platinum)

#19 Keith Urban

• Total Units: 56.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 49
• Platinum Certifications: 28
• Diamond Certifications: 0
• Best-selling album: Be Here
• Best-selling song: “Blue Ain’t Your Color” (6x Platinum)

#20 Sam Hunt

• Total Units: 53 Million
• Gold Certifications: 21
• Platinum Certifications: 15
• Diamond Certifications: 1
• Best-selling album: Montevallo (4x Platinum)
• Best-selling song: “Body Like a Backroad” (11x Platinum)

#21 Jason Aldean

• Total Units: 51.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 36
• Platinum Certifications: 27
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#22 Kenny Rogers

• Total Units: 49.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 32
• Platinum Certifications: 17
• Diamond Certifications: 1

#23 Reba McEntire

• Total Units: 48 Million
• Gold Certifications: 36
• Platinum Certifications: 22
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#24 Florida Georgia Line

• Total Units: 45 Million
• Gold Certifications: 25
• Platinum Certifications: 19
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#25 The Chicks

• Total Units: 45 Million
• Gold Certifications: 15
• Platinum Certifications: 11
• Diamond Certifications: 2

#26 Rascal Flatts

• Total Units: 42 Million
• Gold Certifications: 24
• Platinum Certifications: 16
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#27 Lee Brice

• Total Units: 41 Million
• Gold Certifications: 18
• Platinum Certifications: 16
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#28 Zac Brown Band

• Total Units: 40.5 Million
• Gold Certifications: 22
• Platinum Certifications: 17
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#29 Dierks Bentley

• Total Units: 40 Million
• Gold Certifications: 34
• Platinum Certifications: 22
• Diamond Certifications: 0

#30 Dan + Shay

• Total Units: 38 Million
• Gold Certifications: 21
• Platinum Certifications: 11
• Diamond Certifications: 0