- So far this year, 21 different albums have hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
- “Fine Line” by Harry Styles took the first top spot of the year.
- Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” has claimed the top spot for five straight weeks, tying Lil Baby’s “My Turn” for the year’s longest-running chart-topper.
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Notching a No. 1 album is one of the biggest achievements in today’s modern musical landscape – and it’s grown ever more unpredictable with the rise of streaming and the decline of pure sales.
Billboard began publishing a weekly albums chart in 1956. After a variety of iterations, the Billboard 200 adopted its current name in 1992.
Today, the chart’s weighted formula – which combines metrics like merchandise bundles, streams, YouTube views, and pure sales via Nielsen to calculate “equivalent units” – is roundly recognized as the most reliable ranking of the most popular albums in the US.
So far this year, 21 different albums have claimed the top spot, but only six of those have managed to hang on for more than one week.
Keep scrolling for a complete list in chronological order, updated weekly.
1. "Fine Line" by Harry Styles
Harry Styles' 2019 album "Fine Line" debuted at No. 1, then kicked off 2020 on top of the chart for its second straight week.
2. "JackBoys" by JackBoys and Travis Scott
"JackBoys," Travis Scott's compilation project with his label mates, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on the chart dated January 11, 2020.
3. "Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial" by Roddy Rich
Roddy Rich's 2019 debut album returned to No. 1 on the chart dated January 18, 2020, for its second nonconsecutive week on top.
"Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial" would go on to spend two more nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in February, for a total of four weeks on top.
4. "Rare" by Selena Gomez
"Rare" debuted on top of the chart dated January 25, 2020, marking Selena Gomez's third No. 1 album.
5. "Music to Be Murdered By" by Eminem
"Music to Be Murdered By" debuted on top of the chart dated February 1, 2020, marking Eminem's historic 10th No. 1 album.
6. "Funeral" by Lil Wayne
"Funeral" debuted on top of the chart dated February 15, 2020, marking Lil Wayne's fifth No. 1 album.
7. "Changes" by Justin Bieber
"Changes" debuted on top of the chart dated February 29, 2020, marking Justin Bieber's seventh No. 1 album.
8. "Map of the Soul: 7" by BTS
"Map of the Soul: 7" debuted on top of the chart dated March 7, 2020, marking BTS' fourth No. 1 album.
9. "My Turn" by Lil Baby
Lil Baby's sophomore album debuted on top of the chart dated March 14, 2020.
"My Turn" would return to No. 1 in June for four consecutive weeks, making it the year's longest leader with five weeks in total.
10. "Eternal Atake" by Lil Uzi Vert
"Eternal Atake" debuted on top of the chart dated March 21, 2020, marking Lil Uzi Vert's second No. 1 album.
The album remained at No. 1 for a second consecutive week.
11. "After Hours" by The Weeknd
The Weeknd's fourth studio album debuted on top of the chart dated April 4, 2020.
"After Hours" remained at No. 1 for an entire month, becoming the first album to notch four consecutive weeks at No. 1 since Drake's "Scorpion" in 2018.
12. "Blame It on Baby" by DaBaby
"Blame It on Baby" debuted on top of the chart dated May 2, 2020, marking DaBaby's second No. 1 album.
13. "38 Baby 2" by YoungBoy Never Broke Again
"38 Baby 2" debuted on top of the chart dated May 9, 2020, marking YoungBoy Never Broke Again's second No. 1 project.
14. "Here and Now" by Kenny Chesney
"Here and Now" debuted on top of the chart dated May 16, 2020, marking Kenny Chesney's ninth No. 1 album.
15. "Good Intentions" by Nav
"Good Intentions" debuted on top of the chart dated May 23, 2020, marking Nav's second No. 1 project.
16. "High Off Life" by Future
"High Off Life" debuted on top of the chart dated May 30, 2020, marking Future's seventh No. 1 album.
17. "Wunna" by Gunna
"Wunna" debuted on top of the chart dated June 6, 2020, marking Gunna's first-ever No. 1 album.
18. "Chromatica" by Lady Gaga
"Chromatica" debuted on top of the chart dated June 13, 2020, marking Lady Gaga's sixth No. 1 album.
19. "Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" by Pop Smoke
"Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon" debuted on top of the chart dated July 18, 2020, marking Pop Smoke's first-ever No. 1 album.
The 20-year-old rapper was killed during a home invasion in February.
20. "Legends Never Die" by Juice WRLD
"Legends Never Die" debuted on top of the chart dated July 25, 2020, marking Juice WRLD's second No. 1 album. The 21-year-old rapper died of an accidental overdose in December.
The album remained at No. 1 for a second consecutive week.
21. "Folklore" by Taylor Swift
"Folklore" debuted on top of the chart dated August 8, 2020, marking Taylor Swift's seventh No. 1 album.
According to Billboard, "Folklore" sold a whopping 846,000 equivalent units, making it the biggest week for any album since Swift's previous release, 2019's "Lover."
A vast majority of those units were pure sales - 615,000, to be exact - making "Folklore" the bestselling release of 2020 by far.
The album has remained at No. 1 for a fifth week, tying Lil Baby's record for the year - though it's the first album to log five consecutive weeks since Drake's "Scorpion" in 2018.