Nigerian music star Wizkid has emerged as the highest ranked African artiste 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, released by music analytics platform ChartMasters, places Wizkid at No. 544 out of 641 artists listed globally. Among African artists featured on the chart, he holds the top position, while fellow Nigerian Grammy winner Burna Boy follows closely at No. 547.

Explaining its process, the platform states: “This ranking aggregates performance across multiple formats physical sales, downloads, and streams each assigned a specific weight to reflect its relative contribution to an artiste’s success.” It adds, “This approach is driven by our CSPC method. The ranking is refreshed daily.”

ChartMasters’ CSPC (Comprehensive Sales Plus Consumption) methodology combines physical album sales, digital downloads, streaming equivalents, physical singles, digital singles and album track equivalents to estimate lifetime commercial impact. Wizkid’s 13.18 million total reflects studio albums, compilations, single releases and streaming data accumulated over the course of his career.

The recognition comes amid continued streaming momentum for the singer in 2026. His collaboration with Asake titled “Jogodo” has spent 46 days at No. 1 on Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top Songs chart. The track also led the UK Official Afrobeats Chart for five weeks and ended February as the most-streamed Nigerian song of the year so far.

In addition, Wizkid and Asake’s joint EP “REAL” has surpassed 80 million streams on Spotify. Wizkid has also crossed the 10 billion streams mark on the platform, becoming the first African artist to reach that milestone, and was named among artists featured on Billboard’s list of the 100 greatest pop songs of the streaming era.

ChartMasters describes its ranking as dynamic, noting that it is updated daily to reflect historical and ongoing performance data across markets. Unlike certification bodies such as the IFPI, the platform operates independently, applying its own methodology to publicly available sales and streaming figures.

While the current calculations place Wizkid as the highest positioned African act on the global list, music historians often point out that several African legends achieved massive commercial success long before the digital tracking era.

For instance, Prince Nico Mbarga’s 1976 classic “Sweet Mother” reportedly sold 13 million physical copies, ranking among the best selling singles globally. Icons such as Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Chief Olisa Osadebe, Majeck Fashek, General Ayinla Kollington, Sir Shina Peters, Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela, Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangaré and Youssou N’Dour also recorded significant commercial peaks, though comprehensive historical data remains limited.

As streaming continues to reshape global music consumption, ChartMasters’ latest update positions Wizkid at the forefront of Africa’s digital era commercial achievements, with Burna Boy close behind on the all-time list. (Arise News)

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