Morrissey's album Ringleader of the Tormentors was out on Monday

Morrissey is expected to top the first integrated album chart.

Full album downloads will become part of the main rundown a year after digital single sales were merged into the singles top 40.

Only about one in 50 albums are currently sold in download form and digital albums are so far not proving as popular as digital singles.

Official UK Charts Company (OCC) charts director Omar Maskatiya said: "Digital album download data is significant and robust enough to be integrated into the main official albums chart.

"With a catalogue of over 80,000 albums available online through legal service providers, the number of digital album downloads will certainly increase."

Growing popularity

The Arctic Monkeys' debut was the most downloaded album from January to March 2006, followed by Jack Johnson and Corinne Bailey Rae, the OCC said.

More than 825,000 albums were downloaded in the UK in the first three months of this year and their popularity is growing.

In the singles stakes, 26 million individual songs were downloaded in the UK in 2005 - compared with 21 million CD and vinyl singles.