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  • The Billboard 200 tracks the most popular albums every week in the US.
  • Only 11 albums have spent 10 or more weeks at No. 1 on the chart so far this century.
  • Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is the newest album to join the ranks.

Since 2000, only 11 albums have spent double-digit weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, widely considered the definitive weekly ranking of best-selling albums in the US.

Taylor Swift has had three albums spend 10 weeks or more atop the chart this century, more than any other artist. Adele and Morgan Wallen trail Swift with two apiece.

Keep reading to see a complete list of the chart’s longest leaders in chronological order.

1. “Fearless” by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s sophomore album spent 11 weeks at No. 1 and was certified diamond by the RIAA. It’s still known as the most-awarded country album of all time.

Prior to “Fearless,” the top-charting album of the millennium was Usher’s “Confessions,” which reigned at No. 1 for nine weeks.

2. “21” by Adele

Adele’s sophomore LP spent a whopping 24 weeks at No. 1, the biggest nonconsecutive sum for any album by a woman.

“21” won album of the year at the Grammys and was later crowned the top-performing album in the history of the Billboard 200.

3. “Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” by Various Artists

“Frozen” spent 13 weeks at No. 1, the most of any film soundtrack since “Titanic” in 1998.

4. “1989” by Taylor Swift

Swift’s fifth studio album spent 11 weeks at No. 1 and went on to win album of the year at the Grammys, becoming Swift’s second win after “Fearless.” (She has since won four times, more than anyone else in history.)

5. “25” by Adele

Adele’s third album spent 10 weeks at No. 1. It also won album of the year at the Grammys, beating Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.”

6. “Views” by Drake

Drake’s fourth studio album spent 13 weeks at No. 1, besting Adele’s “25” for the top-charting album of 2016.

7. “Dangerous: The Double Album” by Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen’s second studio album spent 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1, becoming just the third album in history to spend its first 10 weeks atop the chart, joining Whitney Houston’s “Whitney” (1987) and Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976).

8. “Un Verano Sin Ti” by Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny’s fourth studio album spent 13 weeks at No. 1.

“Un Verano Sin Ti” was ranked among Business Insider’s best albums of 2022 and nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, but lost to “Harry’s House” by Harry Styles.

9. “SOS” by SZA

SZA’s sophomore album spent 10 weeks at No. 1.

“SOS” was the first R&B album by a woman to achieve the feat since Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut in 1991.

10. “One Thing at a Time” by Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen’s third studio album spent 19 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, surpassing “Un Verano Sin Ti” for the most weeks atop the chart this decade.

It’s also the biggest country album in the history of the Billboard 200; Garth Brooks previously held the record with “Ropin’ the Wind,” which reigned for 18 weeks in the early ’90s.

Wallen’s commercial success has come in spite of a string of controversies, including canceling concerts at the last minute, using a racial slur, and partying without a mask during the pandemic.

11. “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift

Swift’s 11th studio album spent its first 12 weeks at No. 1, the longest post-release run by a female artist since Houston’s “Whitney.”

“The Tortured Poets Department” joins Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” and Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” as the only three albums to spend their first 12 weeks in the chart’s top position. (Wonder holds the record with a 13-week streak.)

“Poets” later returned for five more weeks atop the Billboard 200 for a grand total of 17, the longest reign of Swift’s career.



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