Est. 1998
Seventeen years after his passing, Michael Jackson is once again dominating the UK album charts, outperforming some of today’s biggest stars, including Olivia Dean and Harry Styles.
According to new figures released by the Official Charts Company, Michael’s 2005 greatest hits compilation, The Essential Michael Jackson, is currently the UK’s best-selling album of 2026, having accumulated more than 508,000 chart units during the first nine months of the year.
The impressive achievement puts Michael ahead of Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving, which sits in second place, and Harry Styles’ Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, in third.
The figures combine physical sales, digital downloads and streaming activity, demonstrating the continued popularity of Michael’s music more than two decades after the compilation was originally released.
Michael’s success extends beyond his greatest hits collection. Two of his most celebrated studio albums have also secured places among the UK’s 20 biggest albums of the year so far. Thriller, originally released in 1982, occupies the No. 16 position, while 1987’s Bad sits at No. 20.
The renewed interest in Michael’s catalogue follows the April release of Michael, the highly anticipated biographical film starring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film has helped introduce Michael’s music to a new generation of listeners, contributing to a significant resurgence in streaming activity and album consumption throughout 2026.
With three albums appearing in the Top 20, Michael remains one of the most commercially successful artists in the UK, despite having passed away in June 2009.
Although the final rankings will not be confirmed until the end of December, Michael is currently on course to finish 2026 with the UK’s biggest album of the year.
