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The Beatles have sold more albums than any other act in the UK

The Beatles' greatest hits album 1 is selling six copies per second around the world, according to their record company EMI.

The collection is due to be the Christmas number one in both the UK and US this year, and record company EMI has shipped more than 18 million copies out to shops around the world.

1 took five weeks to become 2000's top album

The album is set to be one of the biggest sellers of all time. The Eagles' Greatest Hits 1971-75 collection is the biggest-selling group release, with 25 million copies sold.

Michael Jackson's Thriller is the biggest seller of all time with 47 million sales.

EMI originally shipped eight million copies to retailers around the world when the album was released on 13 November.

But these sold out after two weeks, and in the UK it took just five weeks to become the year's top seller, beating Play by Moby, which was released in late 1999.

In the US, sales have increased each week in the run-up to Christmas, with 823,000 copies being sold last week alone.

EMI president Ken Berry said: "The incredible success of the album shows that The Beatles are as contemporary as they always have been.

"EMI is very proud of its long relationship with The Beatles and we are especially proud that the global appeal of their music is clearly as strong now as it ever was."

He added: "The 27 number one hits on 1, which changed the world when they were first released, are still as fresh and vibrant as the day they were first recorded."