Ed Sheeran's X album breaks 2m sales barrier

Sheeran plays three sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium later this year

Ed Sheeran has sold the two millionth copy of his second album, X, in the UK, nine months after it went on sale.

He is only the fifth artist to achieve the feat this decade, following in the footsteps of Adele, Emeli Sande, Take That and Michael Buble.

Surprisingly, X (pronounced multiply) sold its second million faster than its first - taking just 15 weeks.

The sales boost coincided with the release of Sheeran's chart-topping love ballad Thinking Out Loud, last year.

The album's biggest sales week came in December, when it sold 214,000 copies in just seven days, said the Official Charts Company.

In a statement, Sheeran said he was delighted.

"So chuffed to hear X has just hit the 2 million mark in the UK," he said. "Looking forward to getting back there for my Wembley shows in July and celebrating with you all."

The star has sold out three nights at Wembley Stadium, which he will play unaccompanied - performing solo with just his guitar - this summer.

The success of X also means Sheeran has two albums among the 10 biggest selling albums of the 2010s so far - with X at number five and his debut, +, at six.

According to the Charts Company, 39 albums have sold more than 2 million copies since 2000, but only eight have achieved the feat within 12 months.