List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1996
These are the Billboard magazine number-one albums of 1996, per the Billboard 200.
Chart history
| Issue date | Album | Artist | Label |
| January 6 | Daydream | Mariah Carey | Columbia |
| January 13 | Daydream | Mariah Carey | Columbia |
| January 20 | Waiting to Exhale | Whitney Houston/ Soundtrack | Arista |
| January 27 | Waiting to Exhale | Whitney Houston/ Soundtrack | Arista |
| February 3 | Waiting to Exhale | Whitney Houston/ Soundtrack | Arista |
| February 10 | Waiting to Exhale | Whitney Houston/ Soundtrack | Arista |
| February 17 | Waiting to Exhale | Whitney Houston/ Soundtrack | Arista |
| February 24 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| March 2 | All Eyez on Me | 2Pac | Death Row |
| March 9 | All Eyez on Me | 2Pac | Death Row |
| March 16 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| March 23 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| March 30 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| April 6 | Anthology 2 | The Beatles | Apple |
| April 13 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| April 20 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| April 27 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| May 4 | Evil Empire | Rage Against the Machine | Epic |
| May 11 | Fairweather Johnson | Hootie & the Blowfish | Atlantic |
| May 18 | Fairweather Johnson | Hootie & the Blowfish | Atlantic |
| May 25 | The Score | Fugees | Ruffhouse |
| June 1 | The Score | Fugees | Ruffhouse |
| June 8 | The Score | Fugees | Ruffhouse |
| June 15 | The Score | Fugees | Ruffhouse |
| June 22 | Load | Metallica | Elektra |
| June 29 | Load | Metallica | Elektra |
| July 6 | Load | Metallica | Elektra |
| July 13 | Load | Metallica | Elektra |
| July 20 | It Was Written | Nas | Columbia |
| July 27 | It Was Written | Nas | Columbia |
| August 3 | It Was Written | Nas | Columbia |
| August 10 | It Was Written | Nas | Columbia |
| August 17 | Beats, Rhymes and Life | A Tribe Called Quest | Jive |
| August 24 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| August 31 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| September 7 | Jagged Little Pill | Alanis Morissette | Maverick |
| September 14 | No Code | Pearl Jam | Epic |
| September 21 | No Code | Pearl Jam | Epic |
| September 28 | Home Again | New Edition | MCA |
| October 5 | Falling into You | Celine Dion | 550 Music |
| October 12 | Falling into You | Celine Dion | 550 Music |
| October 19 | From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah | Nirvana | DGC |
| October 26 | Falling into You | Celine Dion | 550 Music |
| November 2 | Recovering the Satellites | Counting Crows | DGC |
| November 9 | Best Of – Volume I | Van Halen | Warner Bros. |
| November 16 | Anthology 3 | The Beatles | Apple |
| November 23 | Makaveli | Death Row | |
| November 30 | Tha Doggfather | Snoop Doggy Dogg | Death Row |
| December 7 | Razorblade Suitcase | Bush | Trauma |
| December 14 | Razorblade Suitcase | Bush | Trauma |
| December 21 | Tragic Kingdom | No Doubt | Trauma |
| December 28 | Tragic Kingdom | No Doubt | Trauma |