Wizkid Named Africa’s Top-Selling Artist in ChartMasters Global Ranking

Wizkid has been recognized as the highest-selling African artist of all time according to the global all-time rankings released by ChartMasters. The Nigerian star has accumulated 13.18 million equivalent album sales worldwide under the platform’s evaluation system.

In the global ranking of 641 artists, Wizkid occupies the No. 545 position, making him the highest-ranked African act on the list. Burna Boy follows closely behind at No. 548.

ChartMasters calculates these figures using its CSPC (Comprehensive Sales Plus Consumption) model. This method measures an artist’s total commercial performance by combining physical album purchases, digital downloads, streaming equivalents, sales of physical and digital singles, and album track equivalents. Each format is weighted to reflect its contribution to overall music consumption.

Wizkid’s total of 13.18 million equivalent album sales includes his studio albums, compilation projects, singles, and streaming numbers across platforms.

Continued Streaming Success in 2026

The recognition comes amid strong chart performance in 2026. Wizkid’s collaboration with Asake, the single Jogodo, has spent 46 days at No. 1 on Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top Songs chart. The track also topped the UK Official Afrobeats Chart for five consecutive weeks and finished February as the most-streamed Nigerian song of the year so far.

Additionally, Wizkid and Asake’s joint EP REAL has surpassed 80 million streams on Spotify.

Wizkid has reached other notable streaming milestones as well. He was included in Billboard’s list of the 100 greatest pop songs of the streaming era, becoming one of only three African artists featured. He also made history as the first African act to exceed 10 billion streams on Spotify, highlighting the global reach and longevity of his catalogue.

How ChartMasters Calculates Rankings

ChartMasters describes its list as dynamic, with rankings updated daily to reflect new and historical data. The platform estimates lifetime commercial performance across different markets using publicly available sales and streaming figures.

Unlike certification bodies such as International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) or national chart authorities, ChartMasters operates independently and applies its proprietary methodology to measure total consumption.

At the time of publication, Wizkid stands as the highest-ranked African artist on the platform’s all-time global best-selling list, although positions may change as the data is updated.

Recognizing African Music Legends Across Eras

While ChartMasters’ system crowns Wizkid as Africa’s top commercial performer under its methodology, the continent’s music history includes several legendary figures whose achievements predate the streaming era.

For instance, Prince Nico Mbarga’s classic song Sweet Mother reportedly sold 13 million physical copies in 1976, ranking among the best-selling singles in history.

Other influential Nigerian artists such as Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Chief Olisa Osadebe, Majeck Fashek, General Ayinla Kollington, and Sir Shina Peters achieved massive commercial success during their peak years.

Beyond Nigeria, African icons including Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela, Angélique Kidjo, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangaré, Youssou N'Dour, and Lucky Dube also reached remarkable commercial heights.

However, limited archival sales data from earlier decades often makes direct comparisons with today’s streaming-era stars difficult, as modern metrics capture consumption in ways that were unavailable to previous generations.