Latin music has an ambiguous meaning in the music industry due to differing definitions of the term "Latin". For example, the Latin music market in the United States defines Latin music as any release that is mostly sung in Spanish, regardless of genre or artist nationality, by industry organizations including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard. International organizations and trade groups such as the Latin Recording Academy include Portuguese-language music in the Latin category. Billboard categorizes an artist as "Latin" if they perform in Spanish or Portuguese.
Music journalists and musicologists define Latin music as musical styles from Spanish-speaking areas of Latin America and from Spain. Music from Brazil is usually included in the genre and music from Portugal is occasionally included.
Either definition of "Latin music" may be used for inclusion in this list. For an artist to be considered, must have sold at least 10 million copies. This list focuses on performers who are Spanish and/or Portuguese-speaking or who have consistently recorded music in Spanish and/or Portuguese. This information cannot be officially listed because no organization has recorded global Latin music sales. Only Latin recordings, which are defined as a record with 51% of its content in Spanish or Portuguese, are counted in the certified units table. Instrumental musicians may also be included if they mainly perform any Latin music genre. For recordings with multiple versions, only Spanish and Portuguese version(s) will be counted towards certified units.
The tables are listed with each artist's reported sales figure(s) and their total independently certified units, and are ranked in descending order by reported sales. If two or more artists have the same reported sales, these are then ranked by certified units. The reported sales figure and the total of certified units for each country in the provided sources include sales of albums, singles, compilation albums, music videos, and downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those from SoundScan, which are sometimes published by Billboard magazine, have not been included in the certified units column.
Definitions
Gold and platinum certifications issued after 2016, especially on singles, are in some cases more-than-50% streaming generated. Some 20th-century artists can also have significant amount of streaming-based certifications. The certified units of more recently active artists may sometimes be higher in the list than their listed claimed figures because RIAA and almost all other certifying bodies include streaming in the thresholds required for gold and platinum Digital Single Award certification. For this reason, some singles and albums are over-certified by hundreds of thousands of units. The over-certified figures are often in millions of units for RIAA certifications.
The certified units for some artists and bands who have multi-disc albums can be higher than their listed claimed figures because RIAA counts each unit within a set as one unit toward certification. Certified units can also be inflated by the redundancy of certifications because each track's downloads and streams contribute to the certifications of both of the single and the respective album. RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual track as well as 1,500 audio/video streams, including those from singles released prior to the album release, as an equivalent to one unit of album. Theoretically, if one song is streamed 1.5 billion times on YouTube, the single would receive diamond certification and the whole album could be certified platinum, creating a combined total of 11 million certified units without any sales.
All artists included on this list, including charts, have their available claimed figures supported by available from countries with recording certifications. With the exception of certifications from Spain prior to 2003, the certified units are sourced from countries with local music industry associations including those with online databases. Certifications from Spain prior to 2003 are listed in the book Sólo éxitos. Año a año. 1959-2002 (2005) by Fernando Salaverri. In the case of recordings RIAA has simultaneously certified standard and Latin, only the unit with the highest number of certified copies will be counted. For example, Mi Tierra (1993) by Gloria Estefan has been certified standard platinum for one millions units and 16× platinum in the Latin genre for 1,600,000 units, thus only the latter certification is counted. Albums that have been certified in both fields for the same value, such as Sueños Líquidos (1997) by Maná, which was certified platinum and 10× platinum in the Latin field, may use either certification but not both. All certified units are converted from gold, platinum or diamond certification awards based on criteria provided by certifying bodies.
Issued certifications for songs multiple artists have recorded, including featured artists, are added to each artist's total of certified units because all of the artists would have played a significant part in the song. Certifications issued for songs that have been recorded by four or more artists are not included because the artists involved would have played minor roles.
Standards
- To ensure the highest level of fact-checking and editorial control, this list sources sales figures to news organizations and highly regarded music-industry related organizations such as Billboard.
- The figures of total certified units in the tables below are based on certified units of albums, singles—including digital downloads—and videos.
- The order of markets in the tables is based on retail value each market generates, respectively; the largest market is at the top and smallest is at the bottom.
Artists by reported sales
60 million or more
- Julio Iglesias
- Roberto Carlos
- Juan Gabriel
- Gloria Estefan
- Shakira
- Laura Pausini
- Enrique Iglesias
| Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified Latin sales | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julio Iglesias | Spain | 1968–present | Latin | Spanish • English • Portuguese • French • Italian | 35.964 million
| 150 million |
| Roberto Carlos | Brazil | 1959–present | MPB, rock and roll, soul, bossa nova, rhythm and blues | Portuguese • Spanish | 55.06 million
| 120 million |
| Juan Gabriel | Mexico | 1971–2016 | Latin ballad, Latin pop, norteño, cumbia | Spanish | 6.305 million
| 100 million |
| Enrique Iglesias | Spain | 1995–present | Pop, Latin pop, dance pop, adult contemporary, urban | Spanish • English | 42.354 million
| 100 million |
| Gloria Estefan | Cuba United States | 1980–present | Latin Pop, pop, dance, Pop rock, Salsa, Adult contemporary | Spanish • English | 5.84 million
| 100 million |
| Shakira | Colombia | 1988–present | Latin pop / pop / pop rock | Spanish • English | 31.88 million
| 95 million |
| Laura Pausini | Italy | 1993–present | Pop / latin | Italian • Spanish | 12.31 million
| 75 million |
| Nelson Gonçalves | Brazil | 1941–1998 | Samba, samba-canção | Portuguese | 8.8 million
| 75 million |
| Ricky Martin | Puerto Rico | 1991–present | Pop, Latin Pop, Dance | Spanish • English | 14.347 million
| 70 million |
| Luis Miguel | Mexico | 1982–present | Pop, Ballads, Bolero, Latin Pop, Mariachi, Dance, Adult Contemporary | Spanish | 60 million |
40 million to 59 million
- Rita Lee
- Vicente Fernández
- José Feliciano
- Raphael
- Ana Gabriel
- José José
- Eros Ramazzotti
| Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified Latin sales | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rita Lee | Brazil | 1968–2023 | Brazilian pop, tropicalia, MPB | Portuguese | 0.71 million
| 55 million |
| Vicente Fernández | Mexico | 1965–2013 | Ranchera, mariachi, norteña, tejano | Spanish | 11.79 million
| 50 million 45 million |
| José Feliciano | Puerto Rico | 1964–present | Pop rock, folk rock, soft rock, Latin pop | Spanish • English | 1.775 million
| 50 million |
| Raphael | Spain | 1966–present | Ballad, Latin pop | Spanish | 0.64 million
| 50 million |
| Ana Gabriel | Mexico | 1974–present | Mexican pop, Mariachi | Spanish | 9.13 million
| 40 million |
| José José | Mexico | 1965–2013 | Mariachi, Latin pop, bolero | Spanish | 7.785 million
| 40 million |
| Eros Ramazzotti | Italy | 1981–present | Pop, Latin pop, pop rock | Italian • Spanish | 40 million | |
| Leo Dan | Argentina | 1963–2025 | Tango, vallenato, cumbia, ballad | Spanish | 0.328 million
| 40 million |
| Nelson Ned | Brazil | 1961–2013 | Latin, Jazz | Portuguese • Spanish | 0.10 million
| 40 million |
21 million to 39 million
- J Balvin
- Los Tigres del Norte
- Daddy Yankee
- Marco Antonio Solís
- Xuxa
- José Luis Perales
| Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified Latin sales | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J Balvin | Colombia | 2009–present | Reggaeton, Latin pop, urbano, hip hop | Spanish | 37.215 million
| 35 million |
| Los Tigres del Norte | Mexico | 1972–present | Ranchera, norteña, tejano, corrido | Spanish | 8.51 million
| 32 million |
| Daddy Yankee | Puerto Rico | 1991–present | Reggaeton, Latin pop | Spanish | 30 million 25 million | |
| Marco Antonio Solís | Mexico | 1973–present | Norteño, tejano, ballad | Spanish | 8.128 million
| 30 million 25 million |
| Xuxa | Brazil | 1980–present | Children's music, dance, Latin pop | Portuguese • Spanish | 17.275 million
| 30 million |
| José Luis Perales | Spain | 1973–present | Ballad, Latin pop | Spanish | 2.7 million
| 30 million |
| Rocío Durcal | Spain | 1954–2006 | Ranchera, Ballad, Bolero, Flamenco, Chera | Spanish | 1.70 million
| 30 million 25 million |
| Camilo Sesto | Spain | 1964–2011 | Ballad, Latin Pop | Spanish | 0.92 million
| 30 million |
| Amália Rodrigues | Portugal | 1940–1999 | Fado | Portuguese | — | 30 million |
| Maria Bethânia | Brazil | 1965–present | Bossa nova, MPB, samba | Portuguese | 0.45 million
| 26 million |
| Alejandro Sanz | Spain | 1989–present | Latin Pop, Latin ballad, flamenco, pop rock, Latin rock | Spanish | 14.184 million
| 25 million |
| Maná | Mexico | 1986–present | Pop rock, Latin pop, rock en español | Spanish | 25 million 22 million | |
| Thalía | Mexico | 1981–present | Pop, Dance, Latin pop | Spanish | 25 million 20 million | |
| Mecano | Spain | 1981–1992, 1998 | Pop, synthpop, new wave, pop rock | Spanish | 4.55 million
| 25 million |
| Gloria Trevi | Mexico | 1989–present | Latin pop, pop rock | Spanish | 2.4 million
| 25 million 20 million |
| Rigo Tovar | Mexico | 1970–1995 | Mexican cumbia, grupera | Spanish | — | 25 million |
| Pedro Infante | Mexico | 1939–1967 | Mariachi, bolero, rancheras | Spanish | — | 25 million |
| Antonio Aguilar | Mexico | 1950–2005 | Regional Mexican | Spanish | — | 25 million |
| Romeo Santos | United States | 2011–present | Bachata | Spanish | 24.25 million
| 24 million |
| Amado Batista | Brazil | 1975–present | Brega | Portuguese | 6.605 million
| 22 million |
| Lucho Gatica | Chile | 1946–2013 | Bolero | Spanish | 0.1 million
| 22 million |
15 million to 20 million
- Luis Fonsi
- Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano
- Alejandro Fernández
- Carlos Vives
- Sandy & Junior
- Los Temerarios
- Ivete Sangalo
| Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified Latin sales | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Fonsi | Puerto Rico | 1991–present | Reggaeton, Latin pop | Spanish | 32.424 million
| 20 million |
| Alejandro Fernández | Mexico | 1988–present | Mariachi, Mexican pop | Spanish | 20 million | |
| Zezé di Camargo & Luciano | Brazil | 1990–present | Sertanejo, country | Portuguese | 9.3 million
| 20 million |
| Carlos Vives | Colombia | 1978–present | Vallenato, cumbia, Latin pop | Spanish | 7.966 million
| 20 million 14 million |
| Sandy & Junior | Brazil | 1989–2007, 2019 | Latin Pop | Portuguese | 6.75 million
| 20 million |
| Los Temerarios | Mexico | 1983–present | Ballad, Romantic | Spanish | 6.970 million
| 20 million 18 million |
| Ivete Sangalo | Brazil | 1992–present | Axé | Portuguese | 6.4 million
| 20 million |
| Ricardo Arjona | Guatemala | 1985–present | Latin pop, Latin ballad, folk, a capella | Spanish | 20 million | |
| Banda el Recodo | Mexico | 1938–present | Banda | Spanish | 2.99 million
| 20 million |
| Chitãozinho & Xororó | Brazil | 1969–present | Sertanejo | Portuguese | 2.4 million
| 20 million |
| Plácido Domingo | Spain | 1950s–present | Opera pop, Latin | Spanish | 2.18 million
| 20 million |
| Hombres G | Spain | 1982–1992, 2002–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.9 million
| 20 million |
| Dyango | Spain | 1960s–present | Bolero, Latin ballad | Spanish | 0.85 million
| 20 million |
| Yuri | Mexico | 1978–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.75 million
| 20 million |
| Lupita D'Alessio | Mexico | 1971–present | Bolero, Latin ballad | Spanish | 0.13 million
| 20 million |
| Menudo | Puerto Rico | 1977–1997, 2007–2009, 2022-present | Latin Pop, Pop Rock | Spanish | — | 20 million |
| Paquita la del Barrio | Mexico | 1970–present | Bolero, mariachi | Spanish | — | 20 million |
| Diego Verdaguer | Argentina | 1970–2022 | Latin ballad | Spanish | — | 20 million |
| Maluma | Colombia | 2010–present | Reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin pop | Spanish | 25.38 million
| 18 million |
| Selena | United States | 1980–1995 | Tecnocumbia, Cumbia, Latin Pop, Musica Tejana | Spanish • English | 17.35 million
| 18 million |
| Leandro e Leonardo | Brazil | 1983–1998 | Sertanejo | Portuguese | 4.05 million
| 17 million |
| Rocio Jurado | Spain | 1960–2006 | Ballad, Latin Pop, Flamenco, copla | Spanish | 0.97 million
| 17 million 16 million |
| Padre Marcelo Rossi | Brazil | 1997–present | Latin Christian | Portuguese | 8.9 million
| 16 million |
| Paloma San Basilio | Spain | 1970–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.45 million
| 16 million |
| Lucero | Mexico | 1980–present | Mexican pop, Latin pop | Spanish | 1.35 million
| 16 million |
| Ozuna | Puerto Rico | 2012–present | Reggaeton, Latin Trap, Urbano | Spanish | 25.13 million
| 15 million |
| Juanes | Colombia | 2000–present | Rock en Español, Latin Pop, Cumbia | Spanish | 15 million | |
| Don Omar | Puerto Rico | 1996–2017; 2019–present | Reggaeton | Spanish | 8.87 million
| 15 million |
| Los del Río | Spain | 1973–2008 | Latin pop, sevillanas | Spanish | 6.83 million
| 15 million |
| Wisin & Yandel | Puerto Rico | 1998–2013, 2018–2022 | Reggaeton | Spanish | 6.665 million
| 15 million |
| Chayanne | Puerto Rico | 1984–present | Ballad, Latin pop, salsa, dance pop | Spanish | 11.354 million
| 15 million |
| Roberta Miranda | Brazil | 1986–present | Sertanejo | Portuguese | 3.4 million
| 15 million |
| RBD | Mexico | 2004–2009 2020–2023 | Latin Pop, pop rock, pop, dance pop | Spanish | 3.22 million
| 15 million |
| Joan Manuel Serrat | Spain | 1965–present | Nova Cançó | Spanish • Catalan | 3.12 million
| 15 million |
| Paulina Rubio | Mexico | 1992–present | Latin Pop, Pop Rock, Dance | Spanish | 3.32 million
| 15 million |
| Gipsy Kings | France | 1978–present | Catalan rumba, flamenco | Spanish • Instrumental | 2.55 million
| 15 million |
| Kumbia Kings | United States | 1998–2006, 2009–2010 | Mexican cumbia | Spanish | 2.38 million
| 15 million |
| Juan Luis Guerra | Dominican Republic | 1983–present | Latin pop, adult contemporary, Merengue, Bachata, Salsa | Spanish | 2.44 million
| 15 million 10 million |
| Jenni Rivera | Mexico | 1992–2012 | Regional Mexican, Latin pop | Spanish | 1.99 million
| 15 million |
| Pimpinela | Argentina | 1981–present | Canción melódica | Spanish | 1.26 million
| 15 million |
| José Luis Rodríguez | Venezuela | 1961–present | Canción melódica, bolero, Latin pop | Spanish | 0.7 million
| 15 million |
| Raúl di Blasio | Argentina | 1983–present | Latin Easy listening | Instrumental | 0.6 million
| 15 million |
| Los Chichos | Spain | 1973–2008 | Rumba flamenca | Spanish | 0.18 million
| 15 million |
| Daniela Romo | Mexico | 1979–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.83 million
| 15 million |
| Pepe Aguilar | United States | 1981–present | Regional Mexican, Latin ballad | Spanish | 2.095 million
| 15 million |
| Amanda Miguel | Argentina | 1980–present | Latin pop | Spanish | — | 15 million |
| Palito Ortega | Argentina | 1962–2017 | Rock en español | Spanish | — | 15 million |
| Roberto Leal | Portugal Brazil | 1971–2019 | fado, MPB, forró | Portuguese | — | 15 million |
| Jon Secada | Cuba United States | 1984–present | Latin Pop | Spanish • English | 0.1 million
| 15 million |
10 million to 14.9 million
- Los Tucanes de Tijuana
- Marc Anthony
- Bronco
- Cristian Castro
- Joan Sebastian
- Franco De Vita
- Marisela
| Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified Latin sales | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nino Bravo | Spain | 1969–1973 | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.96 million
| 14 million |
| Parchís | Spain | 1979-1992 | Children's music | Spanish | — | 14 million |
| Los Tucanes de Tijuana | Mexico | 1987–present | Norteño | Spanish | 2.98 million
| 13 million 10 million |
| Marc Anthony | United States | 1987–present | Salsa, Latin pop | Spanish • English | 9.085 million
| 12 million |
| Bronco | Mexico | 1979–1997, 2003–present | Grupero | Spanish | 4.87 million
| 12 million |
| Cristian Castro | Mexico | 1991–present | Latin pop, bolero, mariachi | Spanish | 12 million 10 million | |
| Joan Sebastian | Mexico | 1975–2015 | Regional Mexican | Spanish | 0.88 million
| 12 million |
| Franco De Vita | Venezuela | 1982–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 0.83 million
| 12 million |
| Marisela | United States | 1981–present | Baladas, Latin pop | Spanish | 0.15 million
| 12 million |
| Só Pra Contrariar | Brazil | 1989–present | Pagode | Portuguese | 5.24 million
| 11 million |
| Daniela Mercury | Brazil | 1981–present | Latin pop, axé, samba reggae, MPB | Portuguese | 2.4 million
| 11 million |
| Prince Royce | United States | 2009–present | Bachata | Spanish | 16.31 million
| 10 million |
| Bruno & Marrone | Brazil | 1985–present | serteneja | Portuguese | 7.08 million
| 10 million |
| Miguel Bosé | Spain | 1977–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 4.555 million
| 10 million |
| Joaquin Sabina | Spain | 1978–present | Latin, rock, trova | Spanish | 4.52 million
| 10 million |
| Julieta Venegas | Mexico United States | 1992–present | Pop rock, indie pop, alternative music, folk rock | Spanish | 10 million | |
| Intocable | United States | 1993–present | Norteño | Spanish | 2.95 million
| 10 million |
| Isabel Pantoja | Spain | 1970s–present | Copla, Canción melódica | Spanish | 2.56 million
| 10 million |
| Rosana Arbelo | Spain | 1996–present | Latin pop, Folk, Pop rock | Spanish | 2.36 million
| 10 million |
| Ricardo Montaner | Argentina Venezuela | 1976–present | Latin ballad, Latin pop | Spanish | 1.94 million | 10 million |
| Juan Pardo | Spain | 1962-2004 | Pop, rock | Spanish | 1.45 million
| 10 million |
| Diego Torres | Argentina | 1980s– | Latin pop | Spanish | 10 million | |
| Los Bukis | Mexico | 1973–1996, 2021–present | Grupera | Spanish | 1.5 million
| 10 million |
| Emmanuel | Mexico | 1976–present | Latin ballad, Latin pop | Spanish | 1.39 million
| 10 million |
| Manuel Mijares | Mexico | 1985–present | Mexican pop, folk, mariachi | Spanish | 1.34 million
| 10 million |
| Fey | Mexico | 1979–present | Latin pop | Spanish | 1.11 million
| 10 million |
| Pandora | Mexico | 1985–present | Latin pop, Latin ballad, ranchera | Spanish | 1.035 million
| 10 million |
| Sandro | Argentina | 1959–2010 | Rock and roll, Latin pop, canción melódica | Spanish | 0.57 million
| 10 million |
| Celia Cruz | Cuba United States | 1948–2003 | Salsa | Spanish | 0.5 million
| 10 million |
| Mari Trini | Spain | 1968-2008 | Latin ballad | Spanish | 0.4 million
| 10 million |
| Banda Calypso | Brazil | 1999–2015 | Calipso, cumbia, lambada, zouk, merengtheue, carimbó | Portuguese | 0.35 million
| 10 million |
| Galy Galiano | Colombia | 1981–present | Mariachi, norteño, Latin pop, salsa | Spanish | 0.1 million
| 10 million |
| Valeria Lynch | Argentina | 1969–present | Balada | Spanish | 0.02 million
| 10 million |
| Miguel Gallardo | Spain | 1971–2005 | Latin pop | Spanish | — | 10 million |
| Los Baby's | Mexico | 1958–present | Latin rock and roll | Spanish | — | 10 million |
| Ariel Ramírez | Argentina | 1938–2005 | Folklore | Spanish | — | 10 million |
| Diomedes Díaz | Colombia | 1976–2013 | Vallenato | Spanish | — | 10 million |
See also
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about List of best-selling Latin music artists, What is List of best-selling Latin music artists? What does List of best-selling Latin music artists mean?