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First-week sales of 56,335 easily enough to get MDNA to UK No.1, but it's about 40,000 less than Hard Candy sold in its first week.

MDNA - Madonna's first album for Interscope after more than a quarter of a century as a Warner Music artist - debuts at number one this week with some ease: sales of 56,335 copies are 155.84% higher than David Guetta's Nothing But The Beat, which continues at number two on sales of 22,020 copies.

MDNA is Madonna's 11th or 12th number one album depending on your point of view - she was, of course, the main but not the only artist on the Evita soundtrack, which hit the summit in 1996. Count MDNA as her 12th number one album, and she ahead of Elvis Presley as the solo artist with most number ones. otherwise she’s equal with Presley as the top solo artist. The Beatles remain the top artists overall, with 15 number ones.

Although it was way too strong for the opposition last week, MDNA sold considerably fewer copies on its first week than Madonna's last studio album, Hard Candy, which sold 94,655 copies on its May 2008 debut, itself falling far short of the career best 217,610 copies its predecessor Confessions On The Dance Floor sold on its 2005 debut.

MDNA replaces Paul Weller's Sonik Kicks- which slides to number 10 (11,520 sales), suffering the eighth biggest retreat from the summit in the 21st century - at number one. Both artists are 53 (Weller is the older by 85 days) and it is the first time in chart history that consecutive number ones have been by acts over 50. Madonna also becomes the second oldest female solo artist to have a number one album with new studio recordings, trailing only Barbra Streisand, who was 67 when she topped with Love Is The Answer in 2009. Madonna replaces Susan Boyle, who was 50 when she had her second number one album, Someone To Watch Over Me last year.

Although more than half of her career to date took place in the last century century, Madonna is far from a 21st century slouch. MDNA is her sixth number one since 2000, a total equalled by Westlife and Eminem and surpassed only by Robbie Williams (seven). Williams' total rises to eight if we add Take That's last album, Progress, and Eminem's is seven if we add his D12 chart-topper, D12 World. Madonna albums don't stay long at number one these days, however, and she has spent only eight weeks at the summit this century, a total surpassed by 15 other acts, with Robbie Williams (24 weeks in solo capacity), Eminem (23) and Adele (22) leading the way. Madonna albums do tend to stay around, however and the 337 weeks she has spent in the Top 75 this century place her ninth in the longevity list. Pink - fifth overall - is the only woman with more weeks on the list (372), which is led by Coldplay (436), Take That (389) and Robbie Williams (382).

Madonna is also one of the biggest selling acts of the 21st century, with sales up to Saturday 25 March (hey, these things take time to work out!) of 7,279,423. Ahead of her lie Robbie Williams (14,043,554), Westlife (11,703,404), Coldplay (10,723,737), Take That (10,698,446), Eminem (8,764,179 solo, plus 725,957 with D12), Michael Jackson (8,560,586 solo, plus 404,358 with the Jacksons/Jackson 5), and Michael Buble (7,864,929). That's enough to make her the top female solo artist, ahead of Adele (6,250,566), Pink (6,235,719), Dido (6,192,295) and Rihanna (5,860,745). If you think Lady Gaga should be in the list, think again - her sales to date are 3,892,092. Incidentally, her second album, Born This Way, ends its initial 44 week run in the Top 75 this week, slipping 56-79 (1,840 sales).

MDNA is not the only Madonna album to enter the Top 75 this week. The Complete Studio Albums 1983-2008 - a Maverick/Warner Bros./Sire/Rhino box set housing her 11 previous regular albums - debuts at number 70 (2,055 sales).