These are the Official Charts Company's UK Independent Albums Chart number ones of 2016.
| † | Best-selling indie album of the year |
| Issue date | Album | Artist(s) | Record label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | 25 † | Adele | XL | [1] |
| 8 January | [2] | |||
| 15 January | [3] | |||
| 22 January | [4] | |||
| 29 January | [5] | |||
| 5 February | [6] | |||
| 12 February | [7] | |||
| 19 February | [8] | |||
| 26 February | [9] | |||
| 4 March | [10] | |||
| 11 March | [11] | |||
| 18 March | [12] | |||
| 25 March | [13] | |||
| 1 April | [14] | |||
| 8 April | Everything You've Come to Expect | The Last Shadow Puppets | Domino | [15] |
| 15 April | 25† | Adele | XL | [16] |
| 22 April | [17] | |||
| 29 April | [18] | |||
| 6 May | [19] | |||
| 13 May | A Moon Shaped Pool | Radiohead | [20] | |
| 20 May | [21] | |||
| 27 May | These People | Richard Ashcroft | Righteous Phonographic Association | [22] |
| 3 June | 25† | Adele | XL | [23] |
| 10 June | Facing Time | Bugzy Malone | Il Gotten | [24] |
| 17 June | 50 | Rick Astley | BMG | [25] |
| 24 June | A Moon Shaped Pool | Radiohead | XL | [26] |
| 1 July | 25† | Adele | [27] | |
| 8 July | California | Blink-182 | BMG | [28] |
| 15 July | 25† | Adele | XL | [29] |
| 22 July | Chaleur Humaine | Christine and the Queens | Because Music | [30] |
| 29 July | [31] | |||
| 5 August | [32] | |||
| 12 August | Landlord | Giggs | SNL | [33] |
| 19 August | Chaleur Humaine | Christine and the Queens | Because Music | [34] |
| 26 August | Blonde | Frank Ocean | Boys Don't Cry | [35] |
| 2 September | [36] | |||
| 9 September | Foreverland | The Divine Comedy | Divine Comedy | [37] |
| 16 September | Skeleton Tree | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Bad Seed | [38] |
| 23 September | [39] | |||
| 30 September | Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea | Passenger | Black Crow | [40] |
| 7 October | 22, A Million | Bon Iver | Jagjaguwar | [41] |
| 14 October | The Last Hero | Alter Bridge | Napalm | [42] |
| 21 October | Like an Arrow | Blackberry Smoke | Earache | [43] |
| 28 October | In Winter | Katie Melua | BMG | [44] |
| 4 November | Mapping the Rendezvous | Courteeners | Ignition | [45] |
| 11 November | I Have a Dream | Daniel O'Donnell | DMG T.V | [46] |
| 18 November | Unfinished Business | Nathan Sykes | Global Music | [47] |
| 25 November | 50 | Rick Astley | BMG | [48] |
| 2 December | [49] | |||
| 9 December | 25† | Adele | XL | [50] |
| 16 December | 50 | Rick Astley | BMG | [51] |
| 23 December | 25† | Adele | XL | [52] |
| 30 December | 50 | Rick Astley | BMG | [53] |