The best-selling country musicians of all time

• The best-selling country artists of all time include Elvis Presley, Tim McGraw, and Shania Twain.
• We used RIAA’s data to compile this list based on total album units sold in the US.
• Only three artists on this list debuted in the 2000s: Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Luke Bryan.

Did you know two of the top three best-selling musicians of all time are country music artists?

Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks trail only the Beatles in record sales.

Country music is one of the most popular genres in music, with its own set of stars, award shows, and hall of fame.

We used the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) list of best-selling artists, ranked by albums sold, to pick out the top 25 most successful country musicians of all time.

To qualify as a country star, a musician’s output had to primarily appear on country charts, or the artist had to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, nominated in the country genre at the Grammys, or have received nominations at country award shows like the CMAs or the ACM Awards.

Here’s who made the cut, from No. 25 to No. 1.

25. Hank Williams Jr. — 19.5 million units

24. Luke Bryan — 20 million units

23. Brooks & Dunn — 21.5 million units

22. Carrie Underwood — 22.5 million units

21. Jimmy Buffett — 23 million units

19 (tie). Kid Rock — 23.5 million units

19 (tie). Johnny Cash — 23.5 million units

18. Vince Gill — 24 million units

16 (tie). Toby Keith — 25.5 million units

16 (tie). Faith Hill — 25.5 million units

15. Linda Ronstadt — 30 million units

14. Willie Nelson — 31.5 million units

13. The Chicks — 33 million units

12. John Denver — 33.5 million units

11. Kenny Chesney — 37 million units

9 (tie). Tim McGraw — 41 million units

9 (tie). Reba McEntire — 41 million units

8. Alan Jackson — 44.5 million units

7. Kenny Rogers — 47.5 million units

6. Shania Twain — 48 million units

5. Alabama — 49 million units

4. George Strait — 69.5 million units

3. Taylor Swift — 110 million units

2. Elvis Presley — 146.5 million units

1. Garth Brooks — 162 million units