21 had its biggest sales week in week 52 after the 2012 Grammy's with 730k copies sold. In its first year, it sold: 7.3 million.

 

Adele's "25" crossed that in 5 weeks with its first 5 weeks of sales (3.4M debut, 1.16M weeks 2, 728k week 3, 825k Week 4, 1.19M week 5). 

 

Adele's "25" reached Diamond in its 45th week while Adele's "21" reached Diamond in its 92nd week.

 

25 had global smash "Hello" while 21 had 3 big hits "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain"

 

In the end, 21 was certified 14x platinum and 25 was certified 11x platinum.

 

Which one was more impressive in your opinion?

 

I'd say 21 due to its longevity x

25. Literally EVERYONE was tuned in.

Probably 25 but both albums are largely forgotten. 

21

 

25 wouldn't have as much success as it did, if it wasn't for the hype from 21

21 ofc, 25 smashed because of 21

19.

21 because of its insane longevity.

The world stopped when Adele released Hello and 25 though The only closest era that rivaled 25 release was TTPD.

gosh 25's success was truly monumental (considering the age it was released in).

People just don't consume music like that anymore 

While 25 is super successful as well but when people into pop culture are asked the most successful album of the 21st century, people mostly say 21 and not 25. I guess that answers the question. 

21 by FAR. 25's recurrent stats are decent but not great and it was totally carried by the monster that was 21. 21 also skyrocketed her from relative obscurity to a giant international star. 

 

25's Q4 performance is obviously insane and I actually like it more than 21, but 21's longevity was just incredible and totally out of the blue. 

21

 

25 was a beast but its success was somewhat predictable while 21 was just unbelievable, we were witnessing someone doing 90s album sales in real time, even as a kid who barely knew how charts worked I was aware of how monumental that was. Adele took over the world in a way I've never seen and felt untouchable.

25's success was obviously insane but 21 still beats it by a clear margin. Only a handful of albums ever released can compare to 21 in terms of commercial success and culture impact combined.

 

Keep in mind also that 21 is eligible for like 19x Platinum ATP while 25 is back at 13x Platinum or 14x Platinum eligible, with 21 gaining units quicker in 2025.

Edited August 23, 20251 yr by Nights

21, the album was pulling 100k weekly in US and stayed that way for months! Also those lengthy reigns in each country are almost untouchable

52 minutes ago, LanaDelRey said:

Probably 25 but both albums are largely forgotten. 

Pls… 21 is doing close to 4 million daily while being 14yo…

21 opened the doors for 25 to be frontloaded so 21.

58 minutes ago, LanaDelRey said:

Probably 25 but both albums are largely forgotten. 

Perhaps the most out of touch take I've ever seen on this site 

Hello + the first few weeks of 25. I think that was a unique cultural event that was truly unprecedented and will never be repeated. Because the follow ups to Thriller, The Bodyguard Soundtrack, Come On Over, etc. didn't have that intense, meteoric and anomalous phenomenon. Hello behaved like Candle in the Wind 1997 even without a historic, shocking, royal death and a globally viewed funeral. And 25's first week sales was... enough said.

 

21 was more of a slow burn and we've already seen eras like that before like the albums I mentioned. But 25's first week was truly unprecedented especially in the context of it being a follow up.

As an album…. 25 because it implies you need a 21 first and kept on going as opposed to 21 being a one album rarity.

 

As an era with singles…. 21. The punches left and right.  

25's success was a result of 21. 21 was the tipping point for both albums and the rest of Adele's career

25's success is more impressive because it was less deserved. Unlike 21 which was packed with undeniable, monumental classics and very justifiably flew off the shelves, 25 was a subpar album with four very mediocre singles, which all underperformed except for the lead and which are all dwarfed in recurrent streams by the 21 smashes. Not to mention she botched her big Grammy's promo with the All I Ask fiasco. So, the gazillion records 25 sold, it sold them for absolutely no good reason other than the fact that Adele was the world's favorite singer and everybody was tuned in, locked in and ready to buy regardless.

25's first month extravaganza was cause of 21, don't get it twisted

Although 25 is my absolute favorite record from her, 21 is more impressive and 25's success was a result of 21's massive impact and slow climb, benefiting off of the peak.

1 hour ago, KatyPrismSpirit said:

25. Literally EVERYONE was tuned in.

It really was a once in a lifetime phenomenon. Winter 2015 was all about Adele from Hello selling 1M+ downloads in its first week to 25 obliterating the debut sales record...21 on steroids 

Both in equal measure.