List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1990s

The UK Albums Chart is a weekly record chart based on album sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom; during the 1990s, a total of 216 albums reached number one. Until 1 February 1994, the chart was compiled each week by Gallup – after this date, it was managed by Millward Brown, who expanded the number of sales figures sampled, and extended the use of electronic point of sale machines.^[1] From July 1998 onwards, compilation of the chart was overseen by the Chart Information Network, jointly operated by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the British Association of Record Dealers.^[1] Throughout the decade, the chart was based solely on physical album sales, and each week's number one was first announced on Sunday evenings on The Radio 1 Chart Show.^[2]

The most successful artist of the 1990s was British band Simply Red, who topped the UK Albums Chart for 19 weeks with four different albums.^[3] Stars, their fourth studio album, sold 3.29 million copies in total,^[4] and was the biggest-selling album of both 1991 and 1992.^[5] Stars was the second biggest-selling album of the decade; it was outsold by Manchester band Oasis's second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?,^[4] which spent 10 weeks at number one during 1995 and 1996,^[3] and sold 4.16 million copies.^[4] It was the highest-certified album of the 1990s, achieving platinum certification 13 times.^[6] Following the album's success, Oasis's follow-up, Be Here Now, sold 663,000 copies in the first four days of its release, making it the fastest-selling album in UK chart history.^[7]

The first number-one album of the 1990s was ...But Seriously by Phil Collins^[8] – released in 1989, ...But Seriously first reached number one in December of that year, and remained at the top for eight weeks.^[9] It stayed at number one for nine weeks during the decade, and was the biggest-selling album of 1990.^[3] The final number one of the 1990s was Come On Over by Shania Twain.^[10] Like ...But Seriously, Come on Over remained at number one into the following decade,^[11] and was the biggest-selling album of its year.^[12] In chart terms, the most successful album of the nineties was Spice, the debut album from the Spice Girls, which spent 15 weeks at number one over five separate runs.^[3] The Spice Girls' record label, Virgin Records, was the most successful label of the decade – with an artist roster that included the Spice Girls, Phil Collins and Meat Loaf, Virgin topped the albums chart with 19 different albums for a total of 62 weeks.^[13]