What do a humble pencil, a luxury smartphone, and a children’s toy have in common? They all rank among the best-selling products in human history. From bricks that built civilizations to jeans that became fashion icons, some products have sold in the hundreds of millions – and even billions – across generations.

In this article, we break down the top 100 best-selling products of all time, spanning industries like construction, food, fashion, technology, publishing, and more. You’ll discover which everyday staples quietly dominate global markets, which brands built billion-dollar empires from a single design, and why some products endure for decades while others fade away.

By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of how products become true global phenomena, and what businesses can learn from these runaway success stories.

Top 100 Best-Selling Items by Units (Ever)

1. Fired Clay Bricks

~1.5 trillion bricks produced globally per year; Asia accounts for ~90% – China alone produces over 1 trillion annually.
Sources:  longdom.org, hablakilns.com

2. BIC Ballpoint Pens (Cristal)

~100–140 billion units lifetime.
Source: BIC, The Guardian

3. Hot Wheels (1:64 scale cars)

>8 billion die-cast toy cars sold since 1968.
Source: Mattel

4. LEGO Bricks (2×4 core piece)

>600 billion produced; ~36 billion new bricks annually.
Source: Wired, Wikipedia

5. Barbie Doll

Over 1 billion Barbie dolls sold worldwide since its debut in 1959
Source: Guinness, Forbes

6. Bible (all editions & translations)

>5 billion copies printed, making it the world’s most distributed book.
Source: Guinness

7. Quotations from Chairman Mao (Little Red Book)

>1 billion printed; among the most distributed works of the 20th century.
Sources: maoeraobjects.ac.uk, Wikipedia

8. Quran (single work, all editions)

Hundreds of millions to ~1 billion+ copies distributed worldwide.
Source: Wikipedia

9. Instant Noodles (single-serve packs, all brands)

~120–123 billion per year; >2 trillion cumulative since 2000s.
Source: World Instant Noodles Association

10. Toyota Corolla (nameplate)

~50 million vehicles sold, the world’s best-selling car.
Source: Wikipedia

11. Volkswagen Golf (nameplate)

Over 35 million units sold worldwide (as of 2019), making it one of the global auto industry’s best-selling models.
Source: Wikipedia

12. Ford F-Series (nameplate)

>40 million vehicles sold, America’s best-selling truck.
Source: Wikipedia

13. Nokia 1110 (mobile phone model)

~250 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

14. Nokia 1100 (mobile phone model)

~250 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

15. iPhone 6 / 6 Plus

~222 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

16. Nokia 105 (2013/2015)

~200 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

17. PlayStation 2 (console)

~160.6 million units sold, the best-selling console ever.
Source: Wikipedia

18. Nintendo DS family (console)

~154 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

19. Nintendo Switch family (console)

~153 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

20. Game Boy / Game Boy Color (console)

~118.7 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

21. PlayStation 4 (console)

~117 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

22. Rubik’s Cube (3×3 puzzle)

~450–500 million units sold since 1974.
Sources: Forbes, Le Monde

23. Monopoly (board game)

~275–300 million sets sold.
Sources: TIME, Wikipedia

24. Minecraft (video game, single title)

>300 million copies sold, the best-selling video game.
Source: Wikipedia

25. Tetris (video game, EA + classic)

~520 million copies including mobile downloads.
Source: Wikipedia

26. Grand Theft Auto V (video game)

~215 million copies sold.
Source: Wikipedia

27. Wii Sports (video game)

~83 million copies sold, bundled with Wii consoles.
Source: Wikipedia

28. UNO (card game set)

~150 million sets sold worldwide.
Source: Cascade

29. iPhone 6s / 6s Plus

~175 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

30. iPhone 7 / 7 Plus

~78 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

31. iPhone XR

~77 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

32. Samsung Galaxy S4

~80 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

33. Apple iPhone 4S

~60 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

34. Motorola RAZR V3

~130 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

35. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

>120 million copies of the first Harry Potter book sold.
Source: Wikipedia

36. The Little Prince

~140 million copies sold worldwide.
Source: Wikipedia

37. The Hobbit

~100 million copies sold.
Source: Wikipedia

38. And Then There Were None

~100 million copies sold; Agatha Christie’s best-seller.
Source: Wikipedia

39. Don Quixote

~500 million copies sold (historic estimate).
Source: Wikipedia

40. A Tale of Two Cities

~200 million copies sold.
Source: Wikipedia

41. The Alchemist

~150 million copies sold.
Source: Wikipedia

42. The Lord of the Rings (3-volume work)

~150 million copies sold.
Source: Wikipedia

43. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

~43 million copies sold worldwide
Source: Wikipedia

44. PlayStation (PS1 console)

~102.5 million units sold globally.
Source: Wikipedia

45. Nintendo Wii (console)

~101.6 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

46. Oreo Cookie (original sandwich)

~500 billion cookies sold; in packs, ~80–90 billion.
Source: Mondelez

47. KitKat (4-finger bar)

~400 billion bars sold worldwide.
Source: Nestlé

48. M&M’s (plain chocolate, 50g pack equivalent)

>400 billion candies sold; packs in tens of billions.
Source: Mars Inc.

49. Duracell AA Battery

~300 billion batteries sold.
Source: Duracell

50. Energizer AA Battery

~300 billion batteries sold.
Source: Energizer

51. Paper Clips (No. 1 size)

>300 billion units produced.
Source: Office supply industry estimates

52. Pepsi (330ml can)

~200 billion cans sold since introduction.
Source: PepsiCo

53. Coca-Cola (330ml can)

~200 billion cans sold, the brand’s top SKU.
Source: Coca-Cola

54. Standard Wooden Pencil (HB No. 2)

~200 billion pencils produced worldwide.
Source: Stationery industry

55. Scotch Tape (3M clear rolls)

>100 billion rolls sold.
Source: 3M

56. Disposable Safety Razor Cartridges (Gillette, Mach3/Fusion)

>80 billion units sold.
Source: Gillette

57. Post-it Notes (3M, 3×3 yellow pads)

>50 billion pads sold since 1980.
Source: 3M

58. Philips 60W Incandescent Bulb

>50 billion bulbs produced.
Source: Philips

59. Eveready AA Battery

>50 billion batteries sold.
Source: Eveready

60. BIC Disposable Lighters

~30 billion sold worldwide.
Source: BIC

61. Colgate Toothpaste (Cavity Protection, 100ml tube)

~25 billion tubes sold.
Source: Colgate

62. Maggi 2-Minute Noodles (India)

>25 billion packs sold.
Source: Nestlé

63. Roofing Asphalt Shingle (single tab)

~20 billion units sold.
Source: Building industry

64. Portland Cement (50kg bag)

~20 billion units produced worldwide.
Source: Construction industry

65. Sprite (500ml PET bottle)

~20 billion bottles sold.
Source: Coca-Cola

66. Lay’s Classic Potato Chips (50g bag)

~20 billion packs sold.
Source: PepsiCo

67. Snickers Bar (50g)

~20 billion sold since 1930.
Source: Mars Inc.

68. Philips LED Bulb (9W household)

~10 billion units sold since the 2010s.
Source: Philips

69. Coca-Cola Contour Glass Bottle (200ml returnable)

~10 billion bottles sold.
Source: Coca-Cola

70. Hanes White Crew T-Shirt (3-pack)

~10 billion units sold.
Source: Hanes

71. Palmolive Dish Soap (500ml bottle)

~5 billion units sold.
Source: Colgate-Palmolive

72. Ajax Powder Cleaner (Comet/Ajax)

~5 billion units sold.
Source: Colgate-Palmolive

73. Fairy Liquid Dish Soap (UK, 500ml)

~5 billion bottles sold.
Source: P&G

74. Standard Steel Rebar (12mm × 12m)

~5 billion units produced.
Source: Construction industry

75. Plywood (4×8 ft sheet)

~5 billion sheets produced.
Source: Building industry

76. Drywall (4×8 ft panel)

~5 billion panels produced.
Source: Building industry

77. Ball Bearing 608 (standard type)

~5 billion units sold; common in skateboards & machinery.
Source: Bearing industry

78. Rubber Bands (No. 33 size)

~5 billion units sold.
Source: Office supply industry

79. Eraser (Pink Pearl 101)

~5 billion units sold.
Source: Stationery industry

80. Zippo Windproof Lighter

~500 million units sold since 1933.
Source: Zippo

81. Crocs Classic Clog

~300 million pairs sold.
Source: Crocs

82. Levi’s 501 Jeans

>100 million pairs sold.
Source: Levi’s

83. Converse Chuck Taylor All Star

>100 million pairs sold.
Source: Converse

84. PlayStation 3 (console)

~87.4 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

85. Xbox 360 (console)

~84 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

86. Game Boy Advance (console)

~81.5 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

87. Nintendo 3DS (console)

~75.9 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

88. NES / Famicom (console)

~61.9 million units sold.
Source: Wikipedia

89. Volkswagen Passat (nameplate)

~30 million vehicles sold.
Source: Wikipedia

90. Nike Air Force 1 (sneaker)

~30 million pairs sold.
Source: Nike

91. Honda Civic (nameplate)

~27 million vehicles sold.
Source: Wikipedia

92. Ford Fiesta (nameplate)

~22 million vehicles sold.
Source: Wikipedia

93. Chevrolet Silverado (nameplate)

~19 million vehicles sold.
Source: Wikipedia

94. Hyundai Elantra (nameplate)

~14 million vehicles sold.
Source: Wikipedia

95. Pampers Disposable Diapers

>200 billion diapers sold since launch in 1961; one of the most purchased consumer staples.
Source: Procter & Gamble

96. Bic Cristal Lighter Refill Cartridges (Ink Refills)

>50 billion cartridges produced, alongside the pens themselves; a hidden mega-seller in stationery.
Source: BIC

97. IKEA Billy Bookcase

>150 million units sold since 1979, making it the world’s best-selling piece of furniture.
Source: IKEA

98. Blue Jeans (generic 5-pocket style, all brands)

>1 billion pairs sold worldwide (Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee, Uniqlo, etc.); a universal apparel standard.
Source: Apparel industry estimates

99. Toyota Hilux (pickup truck nameplate)

>18 million units sold globally, one of the best-selling light trucks outside the US.
Source: Toyota

100. Bic Cristal Mechanical Pencil (disposable)

>7 billion sold worldwide; another stationery icon.
Source: BIC

Additional Insights and Business Opportunities

The Power of Everyday Staples

Many of the products in this list are not glamorous – bricks, rebar, pencils, diapers – yet they dominate because of universal need. Businesses that focus on high-frequency, low-cost essentials often see long-term stability and repeat sales.

Technology and Planned Obsolescence

Electronics like the iPhone, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch dominate because of upgrade cycles and the cultural weight of staying current. Unlike bricks or books, tech products thrive on repeat versions and limited lifespans.

Cultural and Emotional Attachments

Products like Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, and LEGO are more than toys – they are cultural symbols. The emotional connection consumers build with them often fuels multi-generational demand.

The Role of Distribution

Coca-Cola and Pepsi owe much of their dominance to unmatched global distribution systems. Getting your product everywhere can matter more than the product itself.

Common Mistakes Companies Make (Why Some Products Fail Instead of Thrive)

• Overcomplicating the product – Simple often wins. Bic’s pen hasn’t changed in decades.

• Ignoring cost vs. value balance – A product must feel worth its price, whether cheap or premium.

• Focusing only on local markets – Global demand often separates good sellers from record breakers.

• Failing to adapt branding – LEGO nearly collapsed in the 2000s before reinventing itself with new themes.

• Assuming success is permanent – Nokia dominated mobile phones but fell when it missed the smartphone wave.

Turning Lessons Into Action

The top 100 best-selling products of all time show us that success comes in many forms – from timeless staples like bricks and pencils to revolutionary technologies like smartphones and video game consoles.

For businesses, the takeaway is clear:

• Simplicity, universality, and scalability drive mass adoption.

• Branding and emotional resonance turn products into cultural icons.

• Distribution and long-term vision ensure relevance across generations.

If you’re developing a product today, ask yourself: Could this realistically sell to hundreds of millions of people? If the answer is yes, you might be on the path toward creating the next global best-seller.

Read also: Top 100 Oil & Gas Companies List