Can you imagine a world with no YouTube?
Believe it or not, that red play button didn’t mean anything before 2005. That’s right: Pre-YouTube society consisted of Evanescence songs, velour tracksuits, and George W. Bush. (We’ve come a long way, folks.)
When YouTube’s beta phase launched in May 2005, the platform could only draw around 30,000 visitors on a daily basis. Nearly two decades later—after the emergence of the Ryan Higas, KevJumbas, and PewDiePies of the world—YouTube has 2.6 billion monthly active users across the globe.
Speaking of 10-digit numbers, YouTube also reported in 2021 that users watched more than one billion hours of video on a daily basis. Give that fact a minute to sink in. (While you ponder it, 500 hours’ worth of video will be uploaded to the platform.)
In other words, YouTube is now the land of opportunity for content creators. As an elite circle of YouTubers has demonstrated, you can make a fortune if you have the total package of subject matter, delivery, marketing, and algorithm know-how. A willingness to make a fool of yourself every now and then also helps a lot.
Let those viewers laugh all they want. You can do your crying on your diamond play button.
To find out how much money the world’s top YouTubers make, check out the list below!
Blippi (Stevin John)
Estimated annual earnings: $17,000,000
Year of estimate: 2020
Dan TDM (Daniel Middleton)
Estimated annual earnings: $16,500,000
Year of estimate: 2021
David Dobrik
Estimated annual earnings: $15,500,000
Year of estimate: 2020
Dude Perfect
Estimated annual earnings: $23,000,000
Year of estimate: 2020
VanossGaming (Evan Fong)
Estimated annual earnings: $15,500,000
Year of estimate: 2021
PewDiePie (Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg)
Estimated annual earnings: $13,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Jake Paul
Estimated annual earnings: $45,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Jeffree Star
Estimated annual earnings: $17,000,000
Year of estimate: 2022
KSI (Olajide Olayinka Williams)
Estimated annual earnings: $4,500,000
Year of estimate: 2020
Like Nastya (Anastasia Radzinskaya)
Estimated annual earnings: $28,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Lilly Singh
Estimated annual earnings: $10,500,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Logan Paul
Estimated annual earnings: $20,000,000
Year of estimate: 2020
Markiplier (Mark Edward Fischbach)
Estimated annual earnings: $38,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson)
Estimated annual earnings: $54,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
PrestonPlayz (Preston Arsement)
Estimated annual earnings: $19,000,000
Year of estimate: 2020
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Rhett & Link
Estimated annual earnings: $30,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Ryan’s World (Ryan Kaji)
Estimated annual earnings: $36,000,000
Year of estimate: 2022
Smosh
Estimated annual earnings: $15,000,000
Year of estimate: 2021
Unspeakable (Nathan Johnson Graham)
Estimated annual earnings: $28,500,000
Year of estimate: 2021
