Wizkid Ranks First Among African Artists on ChartMasters’ All-Time Best-Selling Artistes List

Wizkid tops the ChartMasters ranking among African artists, boasting 13.18 million equivalent album sales globally.

Nigerian music star Wizkid has achieved the distinction of being the highest-ranked African artist on ChartMasters’ global “Best Selling Artists of All Time” list, with 13.18 million album sales recorded worldwide as of March 3, 2026.

The ranking, published by the music analytics platform ChartMasters, positions Wizkid at No. 544 among 641 artists listed worldwide. He occupies the top position among African artists on the chart, with fellow Nigerian Grammy winner Burna Boy closely behind at No. 547.

The platform elaborates on its methodology: “This ranking combines performance across various formats—physical sales, downloads, and streams—each given a specific weight to represent its relative impact on an artist’s success.” This approach is guided by our CSPC method. The ranking is updated on a daily basis.

ChartMasters’ CSPC (Comprehensive Sales Plus Consumption) methodology integrates physical album sales, digital downloads, streaming equivalents, physical singles, digital singles, and album track equivalents to assess lifetime commercial impact. Wizkid’s total of 13.18 million encompasses studio albums, compilations, single releases, and streaming data gathered throughout his career.

The acknowledgment arrives alongside the ongoing streaming success for the artist in 2026. His collaboration with Asake, titled “Jogodo,” has maintained the No. 1 position on Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top Songs chart for 46 days. The track topped the UK Official Afrobeats Chart for five weeks and concluded February as the most-streamed Nigerian song of the year to date.

Furthermore, the collaborative EP “REAL” by Wizkid and Asake has exceeded 80 million streams on Spotify. Wizkid has surpassed the 10 billion streams mark on the platform, making him the first African artist to achieve this milestone. He was also recognized among the artists featured on Billboard’s list of the 100 greatest pop songs of the streaming era.

ChartMasters characterizes its ranking as fluid, highlighting its daily refresh to capture both historical and current performance data across various markets. In contrast to certification bodies like the IFPI, the platform functions autonomously, utilizing its methodology to analyze publicly accessible sales and streaming data.

Although the latest calculations rank Wizkid as the top African artist on the global chart, music historians frequently highlight that numerous African legends attained significant commercial success well before the advent of digital tracking.

For instance, Prince Nico Mbarga’s 1976 classic “Sweet Mother” reportedly sold 13 million physical copies, making it one of the world’s best-selling singles. Icons like Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Chief Olisa Osadebe, Majek Fashek, General Ayinla Kollington, Sir Shina Peters, Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela, Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangaré, and Youssou N’Dour achieved notable commercial success, although detailed historical data is still scarce.

As streaming continues to transform global music consumption, ChartMasters’ latest update highlights Wizkid as a leading figure in Africa’s digital era commercial successes, with Burna Boy following closely on the all-time list.