Burna Boy Overtakes Wizkid as Best-Selling African Artist of All-Time
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has overtaken fellow Nigerian superstar Wizkid to become the best-selling African artist of all-time in the modern streaming era, according to newly compiled global music sales data.
According to comprehensive metrics tracked by global music monitoring platform ChartMasters, Burna Boy now leads the rankings with global Equivalent Album Sales exceeding 14.46 million consumption units, narrowly edging past Wizkid, who trails closely behind with approximately 14.4 million equivalent units. The measurement, known as Equivalent Album Units, is a standard industry metric that converts album sales, digital downloads, physical singles, and streaming activity into a single comparable figure, allowing traditional album purchases to be weighed against modern streaming consumption.
Despite claiming the top spot in the modern streaming era, Burna Boy still trails Algerian music legend Cheb Khaled in traditional physical and career unit estimates, with Khaled’s career sales estimated at around 81 million records sold worldwide, reflecting a different, more historically weighted measurement standard.
Beyond the sales milestone, Burna Boy also set another record by becoming the first African artist to surpass 800 million monthly listeners on YouTube Music, further underlining his growing dominance in the global streaming landscape.
The Port Harcourt-born artist’s rise to the top has been years in the making. His international breakthrough gained significant momentum in 2018 following the success of his hit single “Ye,” before he went on to release a string of critically and commercially successful albums, including “African Giant” in 2019 and “Love, Damini” in 2022, both of which remain among the most-streamed African albums on Spotify and have helped cement his position as one of the leading figures in Afrobeats and Afrofusion music.
Beyond album sales, Burna Boy has also built a reputation as one of Africa’s biggest touring acts, having sold out major international venues including London Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and the Stade de France. His global profile received a further boost this year through his collaboration with Colombian superstar Shakira on “Dai Dai,” the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a partnership that saw the pair perform together at the World Cup final’s halftime show. He has also taken to the stage at other major global events, including the UEFA Champions League final, the NBA All-Star Game, and the Grammy Awards, further reinforcing his status as one of the most prominent African entertainers on the world stage.
The milestone marks another significant achievement in Burna Boy’s career and adds to an ongoing, good-natured rivalry between Nigeria’s top Afrobeats exports, with both artists having played a central role in bringing African music to unprecedented global commercial heights over the past decade.
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