Even before its release in the United Kingdom, the compilation had broken a record as the album with most shipments before release, with 750,000 copies shipped, overtaking the previous pre-release high of 650,000 copies achieved by Simply Red's compilation album, "Greatest Hits" (1996). "GHV2" debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, after competing for the top spot with Westlife's third studio album, "World of Our Own", with the latter outselling Madonna by two to one in the midweek chart. The album was present for a total of 33 weeks inside the chart, and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). As of June 2019, the compilation has sold 868,500 copies according to the Official Charts Company. "GHV2" also debuted at number two, behind Westlife's album in Ireland and Scotland. Across Europe, the compilation reached the top of the chart in Austria, and reaching the top-ten in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. On the combined European Top 100 Albums, "GHV2" peaked at number five.