25 received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production and Adele's vocal performance. 25 became a massive commercial success, debuting at number one in 32 countries and breaking first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the UK and US. In the US, the album sold over 3.38 million copies in its first week of sales, marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Luminate Data began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991. 25 was the world's best-selling album of the year for 2015, with 17.4 million copies sold within the year, and has gone on to sell over 23.3 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth-best selling album of the 21st century, the second-best selling album of the 2010s (behind her own 21), and one of the best-selling albums of all-time. Following 21, it was certified Diamond by the RIAA, making Adele the only artist of the 2010s to achieve this certification with two albums.

Даже не успев выпустить свой первый полноценный альбом, родившаяся в Лондоне певица Адель Лори Блу Эдкинс, профессионально известная просто как Adele, уже пользовалась огромной популярностью как у себя на родине, так и за рубежом. Синглы Hometown Glory и Chasing Pavements сегодня являются любимыми песнями многих людей разных возрастов, поскольку для своих девятнадцати лет артистка демонстрирует недюжинную мудрость, выражаемую в кажущейся простой лирике.

19 became a global success, reaching number one in the United Kingdom, while also reaching the top 10 in fifteen other countries, including the United States. The album has sold over 8.5 million copies worldwide and has also sold over 2.5 million copies in the UK to become one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. The album was listed in the top 20 best-selling debut albums of all time in the UK. In support of 19, Adele embarked on concert tour An Evening with Adele across North America and United Kingdom which received critical acclaim.