Adele's 21 overtakes sales of Thriller in UK album list

Adele's second album 21 has overtaken Michael Jackson's Thriller in the list of best-selling UK albums.

It has sold 4,274,300 copies in the UK, 500 more than Jackson's 1982 classic.

Figures show 21 has been selling an average of 20,000 copies per week over the last four weeks.

"To add to her many landmark records, Adele's achievement in overtaking Thriller in the all-time sales list is truly remarkable," said Martin Talbot from the Official Charts Company.

"Thriller has long been recognised as one of the most iconic albums of all-time.

"There is now no doubt that 21 can be spoken of in the same breath."

In the 15 months since Adele's second album was released, it has spent 66 weeks on the Official Albums Chart.

It has outsold Amy Winehouse's Back To Black to become the biggest selling album of the 21st Century and has overtaken the sales of albums like Michael Jackson's Bad, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon and Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms in the UK.

The 23-year-old has also won six Grammy Awards and two Brits in the last year.

Michael Jackson's Thriller is still the best-selling album ever across the world.

It is estimated to have sold more than 70 million copies.

The top 10 biggest-selling albums in the UK are:

1 - Greatest Hits - Queen

2 - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

3 - Gold: Greatest Hits - ABBA

4 - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis

5 - 21 - Adele

6 - Thriller - Michael Jackson

7 - Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits

8 - The Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

9 - Bad - Michael Jackson

10 - Greatest Hits II - Queen