The singer has underlined her status as one of the most successful artists of this century now, with another sales landmark.

The album has taken just over seven months to break the 10 million mark and looks likely to reach 13 million sales by the end of the year.

In the UK, sales are likely to reach the 3 million mark this week.

Last year, Eminem's Recovery was recognised by the IFPI as the top seller worldwide having sold 5.7 million copies by year's end.

In 2009, Susan Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream led the listings after selling around 6 million.