Adele sets highest sales figure for seven years

Adele's 2011 has ended on a high note after it emerged she's sold more albums in 12 months than any artist since Usher seven years ago.

The singer released her second disc, 21, in January (11) and, boosted by the worldwide success of lead single Rolling in the Deep, it enjoyed a long run in charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

Now sales figures for the year show 21 has shifted 5.28 million copies in the States alone - the highest annual sales since R+B star Usher's Confessions in 2004.

Lady Gaga's much-hyped Born This Way trails Adele with sales figures of 2.03 million, while Michael Buble's festive album Christmas sold 1.96 million copies.