Christmas Chart: What is the most successful UK Christmas Number 1 of all time according to Spotify?

• With the 2024 Christmas chart race heating up, it’s time to get nostalgic for Christmas Number 1s of the past.
• But after 73 Christmas Number 1’s since the Official Chart began, who has had the most success from their single?
• According to Spotify data, this song is the most successful UK Christmas Number 1 of all time.

Sick to death of Christmas songs this time of year yet? Me neither, and nor do the millions that are using Spotify to ring in the holiday cheer with various seasonal playlists.

With the UK Christmas Chart seeing 27 songs this year vying to be crowned this year’s Christmas Number 1 winner, let’s pause and reflect for a moment on those songs that were crowned in previous years.

Who can forget when Rage Against The Machine topped the charts as an act of defiance against the previous years’ “guaranteed” number one by virtue of winning “The X Factor” or “Pop Idol,” or when Mr Blobby had his reign of terror keeping the likes of Take That off the charts.

But what has been the most successful UK Christmas Number 1 of all time? Frankly some of you might not care but let me pose to you why you might this time of year - it’s a pretty handy piece of trivia to have at the next pub quiz.

The science part

The experts at GIGAcalculator conducted an in-depth analysis to uncover the most successful Christmas Number 1s in the UK, beginning by consulting the official list of UK Christmas Number 1s and recording their current Spotify stream counts.

To determine the most popular Christmas tracks overall, GIGAcalculator reviewed multiple Spotify playlists and cross-referenced them with online lists from reputable sources like Billboard, Official Charts, and Time Out, carefully noting the current number of Spotify streams for each song.

To calculate estimated Spotify royalties, they used data from Music Gateway, ranking the tracks from highest to lowest earnings. All data was collected on November 25, 2024, ensuring accuracy up to that date.

What is the most successful UK Christmas Number 1 of all time?

Ed Sheeran’s 2017 hit “Perfect” stands out as the most successful Christmas Number 1 of the last 20 years, amassing an incredible 3 billion streams and generating an estimated £11 million in royalties.

Meanwhile, the iconic 2009 chart battle between Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine remains a memorable moment in Christmas chart history. Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” triumphed as the Christmas Number 1 that year and ranks as the fourth most successful Christmas chart-topper overall.

Beyond the Christmas Number 1 race, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” reigns supreme as the most popular Christmas song of all time. With 1.8 billion streams and estimated royalties of £6.5 million, the 1994 classic continues to dominate holiday playlists year after year - much to the chagrin of some…

The top ten most successful Christmas Numbers 1s, according to Spotify

1. Ed Sheeran - “Perfect” (2017 - 3,183,071,295 streams)
2. Clean Bandit “Rockabye ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie” (2016 - 1,613,572,181 streams)
3. Wham! - “Last Christmas” (2023 - 1,590,462,705 streams)
4. Rage Against the Machine - “Killing In The Name” (2009 - 982,153,798 streams)
5. Alexandra Burke - “Hallelujah” (2008 - 108,933,714 streams)
6. Leona Lewis - “A Moment Like This” (2006 - 46,667,866 streams)
7. Ben Haenow - “Something I Need” (2014 - 32,607,748 streams)
8. Shayne Ward - “That’s My Goal” (2005 - 16,007,143 streams)
9. Band Aid 20 - “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (2004 - 12,993,665 streams)
10. Matt Cardle - “When We Collide” (2010 - 12,875,058 streams)

Were you surprised with the entries on the list, including Mariah Carey not making it into the top ten according to Spotify? Let us know your thoughts on this list by leaving a comment down below.