Forbes list of the world's highest-paid models

This is a list of the highest-paid models—applicable to either sex— in the world as ranked by Forbes magazine. For measurement, the magazine used pretax earnings, and fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted, based on the report of 2018.[1] The estimated figures are based on interviews with managers, agents, brand executives, and industry experts.[1] Models income came from multiples entries, including endorsements, licensing ventures, runway shows, and commercial catalogs.[2][3]

Forbes logo

The lists are nearly exclusive to female models, as the magazine rarely compiles a list based on male models—the last time being in 2013.[4][a] The modeling industry is a women-dominated sector, one of the few industries where the gender pay gap is reversed, where male models typically earn far less than their counterparts.[5] According to PayScale in 2013, female models had an average salary of $41,300, earning 148% more than male models.[3] By 2008, a successful male model could earn a mid-six-figure range, maxing out around $500,000 a year.[5]

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was the highest-ranked model on Forbes earning lists till 2017 before being overtaken by Kendall Jenner, in different measurements, including the largest string of appearances on the top, and the highest sum registered ($47 million in 2014). Sean O'Pry has the highest sum reported by Forbes for a male model in a year ($1.5 million in 2013).

Highest-paid models by year

edit
 
Gisele Bündchen has more appearance within the top five, and on the top.
 
Sean O'Pry became the most "successful" male model on Forbes earning lists
 
Kendall Jenner ousted Bündchen's string, leading the top since 2017.
 
Adriana Lima made at least sixteen appearances in the top five.
 
Kate Moss made at least ten appearances in the top five.
 
Heidi Klum made at least nine appearances in the top five.
 
David Gandy is one of the few male models to appear twice in a Forbes-earning list, including the last one dedicated to it (2013).

2022

edit

The 2022 list:[6]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Kendall Jenner United States $40 million
2 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $33 million
3 Rosie Huntington-Whiteley United Kingdom $32 million
4 Cara Delevigne United Kingdom $31 million
5 Adriana Lima Brazil $30 million

2021

edit

The 2021 list:[7]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Kendall Jenner United States $40 million
2 Adriana Lima Brazil $30 million
3 Cara Delevingne United Kingdom $19 million
4 Rosie Huntington-Whiteley United Kingdom $9 million
5 Gigi Hadid United States $9 million

2020

edit

The 2020 list:[8]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Kendall Jenner United States $40 million
2 Chrissy Teigen United States $39 million
3 Rosie Huntington-Whitely United Kingdom $32 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $31 million
5 Cara Delevingne United Kingdom $31 million

2018

edit

The 2018 list:[1]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Kendall Jenner United States $22.5 million
2 Karlie Kloss United States $13 million
3 Chrissy Teigen United States $11.5 million
4 Rosie Huntington-Whitely United Kingdom $11.5 million
5 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $10 million
Cara Delevingne United Kingdom $10 million

2017

edit

The 2017 list:[9]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Kendall Jenner United States $22 million
2 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $17.5 million
3 Chrissy Teigen United States $13.5 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $10.5 million
5 Gigi Hadid United States $9.5 million

2016

edit

The 2016 list:[10]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $30.5 million
2 Adriana Lima Brazil $10.5 million
3 Gigi Hadid United States $10 million
4 Kendall Jenner United States $10 million
5 Miranda Kerr Australia $9 million
Karlie Kloss United States $9 million

2015

edit

The 2015 list:[11]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $44 million
2 Cara Delevingne United Kingdom $9 million
3 Adriana Lima Brazil $9 million
4 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $7.5 million
5 Natalia Vodianova Russia $7 million

2014

edit

The 2014 list:[12]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $47 million
2 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $8 million
3 Adriana Lima Brazil $8 million
4 Kate Moss United Kingdom $7 million
5 Kate Upton United States $7 million
Miranda Kerr Australia $7 million
Liu Wen China $7 million

2013

edit

The 2013 list:[13]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $42 million
2 Miranda Kerr Australia $7.2 million
3 Adriana Lima Brazil $6 million
4 Kate Moss United Kingdom $5.7 million
5 Liu Wen China $4.3 million

The 2013 list (male models):[3][14]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Sean O'Pry United States $1.5 million
2 David Gandy United Kingdom $1.4 million
3 Simon Nessman Canada $1.1 million
4 Arthur Kulkov Russia $905,000
5 Noah Mills Canada $740,000

2012

edit

The 2012 list:[15]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $45 million
2 Kate Moss United Kingdom $9.2 million
3 Natalia Vodianova Russia $8.6 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $7.3 million
5 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $6.9 million

2011

edit

The 2011 list:[16]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $45 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $20 million
3 Kate Moss United Kingdom $14.5 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $8 million
5 Alessandra Ambrosio Brazil $5 million

2010

edit

The 2010 list:[17]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $25 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $16 million
3 Kate Moss United Kingdom $9 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $7.5 million
5 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $6 million

2009

edit

The 2009 list:[18]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $25 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $16 million
3 Kate Moss United Kingdom $8.5 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $8 million
5 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $6 million

The 2009 list (male models) also known as "World's Most Successful Male Models" list:[19]

Rank Name Nationality
1 Sean O'Pry United States
2 Matt Gordon Canada
3 David Gandy United Kingdom
4 Danny Schwartz United Kingdom
5 Garrett Neff United States

2008

edit

The 2008 list:[20]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $35 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $14 million
3 Kate Moss United Kingdom $7.5 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $7 million
5 Doutzen Kroes Netherlands $6 million

The 2008 list (male models), also known as "World's Most Successful Male Models" list:[5]

Rank Name Nationality
1 Taylor Fuchs Canada
2 Mathias Lauridsen Denmark
3 Matt Gordon Canada
4 Cole Mohr United States
5 Nick Snider United States

2007

edit

The 2007 list:[21]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $33 million
2 Kate Moss United Kingdom $9 million
3 Heidi Klum Germany $8 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $6 million
5 Alessandra Ambrosio Brazil $6 million

2006

edit

The 2006 list:[22]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $33 million
2 Kate Moss United Kingdom $9 million
3 Heidi Klum Germany $8 million
4 Adriana Lima Brazil $6 million
5 Alessandra Ambrosio Brazil $6 million

2005

edit

The 2005 list:[23]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $15.2 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $7.5 million
3 Tyra Banks United States $6 million
4 Kate Moss United Kingdom $5 million
5 Adriana Lima Brazil $4.5 million

2004

edit

The 2004 list:[24]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Milla Jovovich Ukrainian SSR $10.5 million
2 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $10 million
3 Heidi Klum Germany $8 million
4 Carolyn Murphy United States $5 million
5 Tyra Banks United States $4 million

2003

edit

The 2003 list:[25]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $12.8 million
2 Heidi Klum Germany $8.2 million
3 Milla Jovovich Ukrainian SSR $7.6 million
4 Christy Turlington United States $7.2 million
5 Carolyn Murphy United States $6.8 million

2002

edit
Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $12.5 million[26]

2000

edit

The 2000 list:[2]

Rank Name Nationality Earnings
1 Claudia Schiffer Germany $9 million
2 Christy Turlington United States $8.5 million
3 Gisele Bündchen Brazil $8 million
4 Cindy Crawford United States $6.3 million
5 Tyra Banks United States $5.5 million

Notes

edit
  1. ^ First known lists were made in late 2000s, called "World's Most Successful Male Models".

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Robehmed, Natalie (December 13, 2018). "Highest-Paid Models 2018: Kendall Jenner Leads With $22.5 Million". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Business of Modeling". ABC News. February 28, 2001. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Le, Vanna (October 8, 2013). "The World's Top-Earning Male Models Of 2013". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (August 30, 2016). "The World's Highest-Paid Models 2016: Karlie Kloss And Kendall Jenner Storm Top Three With $10 Million Apiece". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Streib, Lauren (May 7, 2008). "The World's Most Successful Male Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023. Streib, Lauren (May 7, 2008). "In Pictures: The World's 10 Most Successful Male Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  6. ^ Mason, Courtney (July 26, 2022). "Meet the highest-paid models in the world for year 2022". L'Officiel. Malaysia. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Maisey, Sarah (May 13, 2022). "How the five highest-paid models in 2021 made their money, from Gigi Hadid to Adriana Lima". The National. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Agarwal, Sejal (May 31, 2021). "Watch: World's Highest Paid Models of 2020". Ed Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (November 20, 2017). "The World's Highest-Paid Models 2017". Forbes. pp. 13–22. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (September 15, 2016). "The World's Highest-Paid Models 2016". Forbes. pp. 30–40. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Barton, Merrilee (September 1, 2015). "The World's Highest-Paid Models 2015". Forbes. pp. 2–11. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Robehmed, Natalie (August 18, 2014). "The World's Highest-Paid Models 2014". Forbes. pp. 3–30. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Le, Vanna (August 19, 2013). "The World's Highest-Paid Models Of 2013". Forbes. pp. 1–11. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Le, Vanna (October 8, 2013). "The World's Highest-Paid Male Models Of 2013". Forbes. pp. 1–9. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Solomon, Brian (July 14, 2012). "The World's Highest Paid Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 19, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  16. ^ Blankfeld, Keren; Bertoni, Steven (May 5, 2011). "The World's Top-Earning Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  17. ^ "Slide Show: The World's 10 Top-Earning Models". Forbes. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "In Pictures: The World's Top-Earning Models". Forbes. May 27, 2009. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  19. ^ "In Pictures: The Most Successful Male Models". Forbes. June 6, 2009. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  20. ^ Blakeley, Kiri (April 30, 2008). "In Pictures: The World's 15 Top-Earning Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Blakeley, Kiri (July 9, 2007). "In Pictures: The World's Top-Earning Models". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  22. ^ "Forbes Top Fifteen Richest Models". Houston Chronicle. July 18, 2007. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Rose, Lacey (February 1, 2006). "The World's Best-Paid Supermodels". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Milla: The world's richest model". Rediff.com. July 28, 2004. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "The Best Paid Models". Forbes. June 25, 2003. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  26. ^ "Forbes Celebrity 100: 2002". Forbes. 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.

Further reading

edit