The latest British invasion of the US charts accounts for around one in eight albums sold in the country, according to the latest sales figures.

Sam Smith led the charge with the best-selling album, single and most streamed track by a British artist in the US in 2014 according to the data.

The data from Nielsen Music, which was analysed by industry body BPI, showed almost one in eight (12.2%) artist albums were by British acts.

Adele
Adele’s 21 was a big seller across the pond (Ian West/PA)

Among the successful acts were Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Little Mix and Alt-J with old favourites like Adele’s 21 still selling well four years after its release.

Sam’s Stay With Me became the most-streamed track by a UK artist in the US, being played more than 147 million times in 2014 while One Direction topped the list of the most-streamed UK act overall with more than 533 million plays across 27 hits on different digital services.

BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: “British artists well and truly flew the flag in the world’s biggest and most competitive music market last year.

“The sensational achievements of Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, One Direction and the entire Class of 2014 demonstrate once again that the UK’s music industry is a world-beater.

Ed Sheeran on stage
Ed Sheeran is a hit in America (John Shearer/AP)

“The creative industries are the most important source of jobs and growth for the UK economy.

“The incoming government should act swiftly to boost further investment in British music, by extending creative tax credits so that more albums and music videos are produced here in the UK.

“This will create exciting new jobs for young people and further strengthen the UK’s reputation as a leading creative nation.”