Chart-toppers One Direction led the UK’s global sales charge last year which ensured home-grown acts accounted for one in every eight artist albums sold around the world, according to new figures.

The group’s third album Midnight Memories was the biggest-selling release internationally, giving British acts the top seller for the sixth year out of seven. It clocked up sales of four million in the space of six weeks, beating US rapper Eminem into second place.

New analysis by music industry trade body BPI for its 2014 yearbook showed UK acts took a 13 per cent share of global sales, excluding those for compilations.

The figure is down marginally – by 0.3 per cent – on the 2012 figure but showed Brits still proved to be hugely popular, accounting for a quarter of the top 40 bestselling albums internationally.

Among the strong performers were Robbie Williams for Swings Both Ways (the 18th biggest seller around the world) and David Bowie’s comeback album The Next Day (at 35).

Adele’s 21 and Babel by Mumford & Sons continued to clock up huge sales.

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