One Direction Score World's Best-Selling Album of 2013

One Direction scored the planet’s biggest selling record of 2013 with ‘Midnight Memories’, according to newly released figures.

Released on Monday 25th November, ‘Midnight Memories’ sold an impressive four million copies internationally in the final five weeks of the year.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) revealed that ‘Midnight Memories’ beat Eminem’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’ to the global sales summit.

Incredibly, British acts account for seven of the ten biggest selling global albums in the past decade thanks to releases by One Direction, Adele, Susan Boyle, Coldplay and Amy Winehouse.

"Around one in eight albums sold around the world are by British artists, and One Direction are certainly playing their part in maintaining this fantastic achievement," said Gennaro Castaldo of the BPI.

"It all helps to add up to a golden decade of global success for British music, and with some huge albums out later this year, not least from the likes of Coldplay in May and a rumoured new release from Adele, there must be another good chance that a British artist will again top the global best-sellers list come the end of 2014."

‘Midnight Memories’ was also the biggest selling record of 2013 in the UK with sales of 685,000 units. It also shot to the top spot in 19 countries including the UK, Australia and Canada.

The 10 best selling albums of the past decade are as follows:

2013: One Direction - Midnight Memories 2012: Adele - 21 2011: Adele - 21 2010: Eminem - Recovery 2009: Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream 2008: Coldplay - Viva La Vida 2007: Amy Winehouse - Back to Black 2006: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium 2005: Coldplay - X&Y 2004: Usher - Confessions