Adele has been named the world's top selling recording artist of 2015 by officials at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The British superstar saw off competition from fellow singers Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift to be honoured with the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year award, which is given to the top selling act in a list compiled from global sales data from physical formats, downloads, and streaming.

British singer/songwriter Ed was the second biggest seller, and Taylor came in third. Rounding out the top five was Justin Bieber in fourth place and One Direction in fifth.

Bosses at the industry body credit the record-breaking success of Adele's album 25, which was released in November (15), with catapulting the Hello singer to the top of the list.

"I'm delighted to be able to honour Adele as the most popular global recording artist of 2015," declares IFPI chief executive Frances Moore. "Her album 25 has been the runaway global sensation of the year, breaking records across the world and reaching a vast audience of fans.

"All of the artists in our top 10 chart have achieved incredible success - and Adele's achievement is simply phenomenal."

Adele is the third recipient of the IFPI award, following One Direction and Taylor Swift's victories in 2013 and 2014 respectively.