They accumulate millions of subscribers and annual earnings of more than 15 million euros.
They are true privileged in the world of YouTube thanks to their perseverance and ability to attract subscribers, with multi-million dollar earnings whose income transcends the video channel itself to other marketing methods such as product sales or external advertising.
As a whole, Youtubers collectively earned around 300 million dollars (269 million euros) in 2021, setting a new record with a growth of 40% compared to the previous year. This success is mainly due to the increase in views on their YouTube channels and the advertising revenue they generate from those videos.
The growth of this platform is increasing, with nearly 2 billion users, which represents an increase of 40% in the last five years. About half of his earnings come from advertising revenue. To further increase their salary, all of these stars have their own product lines. And they are engaged in various ways to generate additional income from Twitch, Snap, Facebook, podcasts, NFTs, and even by selling hamburgers. Some have signed lucrative deals with Spotter, a Los Angeles startup that buys the rights to old YouTube videos.
Forbes has published the list with the youtubers who earned the most in 2021, where MrBeast stands out, a 24-year-old who earned 54 million dollars (48.4 million euros) in 2021. His videos added 10 billion views, doubling figures from the previous year, and has more than 90 million subscribers on the platform.
One of his most prominent projects last year was 'MrBeast Burger', an app and menu that allows you to order MrBeast-branded meals from 1,600 restaurants that have partnered with him to fulfill orders. So far, he has sold 5 million sandwiches, the profits of which are split between him and his affiliated restaurants.
In second place in the classification is Jake Paul, with a turnover of 45 million dollars (40.3 million euros) in 2021, thanks mainly to his boxing matches. In third position on the podium is Markiplier, with earnings of 38 million dollars (34.1 million euros).
8. Dude Perfect
This daring quintet of sports comedy will make its third live tour in 24 cities this summer. The twins Coby and Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones and Tyler Toney have published a book where they put instructions for anyone who wants to follow their adventures. They entered 20 million dollars (18 million euros) in 2021.
7. Ryan Kaji
This 10-year-old boy generated revenue of 27 million dollars (24 million euros) in 2021 thanks to the great acceptance of videos of him playing and reviewing toys. He started at the age of four and his YouTube channel, Ryan's World, has 31 million subscribers.
6. Nastya
At the age of seven, he has attracted 87.5 million subscribers to his channel Like Nastya, where he recounts his life in all kinds of detail. Nastya, who has struck a deal with Spotter to sell the rights to his old YouTube videos and retain the rights to any new videos he posts, had a turnover of $28 million in 2021.
5. Unspeakable
Minecraft is part of his success on the channel. More than 20 million people are subscribed to his four YouTube channels, where he posts videos of himself practicing with this video game and others. In 2021 he generated an income of 28.5 million dollars (25.6 million euros).
4. Rhett and Link
They started out as a duo hosting a daily talk show called 'Good Mythical Morning', but have now grown into their own empire with spin-offs and brand extensions. One of his most successful examples has been 'Mythical Kitchen', a cooking series with another presenter, Josh Scherer, which has accumulated 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube in just two years. In 2021 they reached a turnover of 30 million dollars (26.9 million euros).
3. Markiplier
Thanks to his YouTube videos he has become a merchandising machine, with a high turnover of t-shirts, sweatshirts and other items related to his Unus Annus series, the main reason why his earnings have almost doubled compared to the previous Forbes list, up to 38 million dollars (34.1 million euros).
2. Jake Paul
Jake Paul returns strongly to the list since in 2018 he entered 21.5 million dollars (19.3 million euros). In 2021 his turnover grew to 45 million dollars (40.3 million euros), largely thanks to his earnings in boxing, with three highly publicized matches with MMA fighters and which he won.
1. Mr Beast
Jimmy Donaldson, better known as Mr. Beast, earned 54 million dollars (48.4 million euros) in 2021, with 10 billion views of his YouTube videos, double the previous year. Between his performances, he spent 50 hours buried alive, offered $10,000 (8,740 euros) to anyone willing to sit in a bathtub of snakes, and presented his own version of the Squid Game, building replicas of the sets from the show. Netflix series.
