About this chart race
Elvis Presley led in 1960 with four Hot 100 number ones. The Beatles matched his six in 1964, their first year at the top, and have led alone since 1965. They reached 20 in 1970, and no artist has caught them since.
Mariah Carey came closest. She had 18 by 2008 and reached 19 when "All I Want for Christmas Is You" first hit number one in December 2019. Taylor Swift is third with 15, ahead of Rihanna and Drake on 14 each.
This animated ranking shows how number-one singles on the billboard hot 100 changed across 50 series between 1959 and 2026. The bars re-order themselves as the years advance, so overtakes are visible as they happen rather than hidden inside a table. Use the list on the left to choose exactly who competes, drag the slider to jump to any year, or open the table view to read the underlying numbers.
As of 2026, The Beatles leads with 20.
Included in this race
The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake, Michael Jackson, The Supremes, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Usher, Paul McCartney, Katy Perry, Elton John, Beyoncé, Bee Gees, The Rolling Stones, Justin Bieber, George Michael, The Weeknd, Phil Collins, Elvis Presley, BTS, Post Malone, Paula Abdul, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Hall & Oates, Diana Ross, Travis Scott, The Four Seasons, Prince, Olivia Newton-John, Lionel Richie, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Eagles, Diddy, Christina Aguilera, Cardi B, Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Barbra Streisand, Adele, The Fleetwoods, Frankie Avalon.
Source
Data from Billboard Hot 100, via Wikipedia's lists of number-one singles. Every figure shown comes from this source — nothing is estimated or generated.
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