List of Billboard Latin Pop Albums number ones from the 1980s

In June 1985, Billboard magazine established Latin Pop Albums, a chart that ranks the best-selling Latin pop albums in the United States. The chart was published on a fortnightly basis with its positions being compiled by sales data from Latin music retailers and distributors.^[1][2] According to Billboard, Latin pop includes "the music known as the balada romántica or música interacional" as well as "young pop sounds" and "the new Spanish-language rock".^[3] Latin pop emerged as the most commercially successful genre of Latin music throughout the 1980s and 1990s in the US,^[4] and the popularity of the balada was propelled by artists such as Julio Iglesias, Camilo Sesto, and Gloria Estefan (lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine at the time).^[5] During the 1980s, 22 albums topped the chart.

The first album to reach number one on the Latin Pop Album chart was Reflexiones (1984) by José José.^[1] José José was also the artist with the most number-one albums of the 1980s with Promesas (1985), Siempre Contigo (1986), and Soy Así (1987).^[6] The three records were the best-selling Latin pop albums of 1986–88, respectively.^[7][8][9] Promesas was the longest-running number one with 17 weeks.^[6] The Miami Sound Machine was the only band to reach number one in the 1980s with their album Primitive Love (1985). Primitive Love spawned the crossover single, "Conga",^[10] which peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[11]

Iglesias and Emmanuel were the only other artists to have more than two chart-toppers. Iglesias, who has been recognized as the best-selling male Latin artist of all-time by the Guinness World Records,^[12] spent a total of 29 weeks at the apex of the chart with his albums Libra (1985), Un Hombre Solo (1987), and Raíces (1989).^[13] Five female acts reached number one on the chart during the 1980s: Ángela Carrasco, Ana Gabriel, Rocío Jurado, Yolandita Monge, and Isabel Pantoja. Pantoja had the best-selling Latin pop album of 1989 with Desde Andalucía (1988) and won the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Album of the Year in the same year.^[14][15] Gabriel culminated the decade with Tierra de Nadie (1988). Recognized as her breakthrough album, it won the Pop Album of the Year award at the following Lo Nuestro Awards.^[15][16]