Adele's 21 passes 10m sales in the US

Adele has become the first British female artist to sell 10m copies of an album in the US. The English singer hit the sales milestone for 21 within two years of its release, the third-fastest diamond-seller since Nielsen Soundscan began recording music data in 1991.

It's a very symmetrical accomplishment: 21 is the 21st album to sell 10m since Nielsen started keeping track. Two other albums passed the 10m mark this year, but Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory took 12 years to do so and Usher's Confessions took eight years. The last album to pass 10m sales more quickly than 21 was No Strings Attached by 'N Sync in 2000.

In the UK, Adele's 21 is the fifth-bestselling album of all time, selling 4.5m copies, with the British Phonographic Industry association certifying it 15x platinum. The LP spent 71 consecutive weeks in the top 10, and 22 months in the top 40. It only fell out of the 40 – slipping to No 42 – last week.

Adele is currently taking a break after giving birth to a son in October. Despite recording a one-off track for the new James Bond film, Skyfall, her label XL has warned that a new LP "may not come for some years". In 2011, XL took in $181m (£113m) – 400% more than in 2010, before 21's release. Barring another Adele blockbuster, the label told the New York Times: "We regard this year's figures as exceptional."