Forbes ranks talent across the entire entertainment world including, stars from Hollywood to Bollywood, creating a truly worldwide list in which over one third of the celebrities are from outside the U.S.
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Swift’s massive haul largely came from her massive World Tour for the album 1989, which grossed $200 million in North America, breaking a Rolling Stones record, according to Forbes.
Swift’s ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris landed at No. 21 with $63 million in earnings, but her current beau, Tom Hiddleston, did not make the list. Perry fell to No. 63 this year with $41 million. A Forbes estimate from last month pegged Swift’s net worth at $250 million.
She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($80.5 million), Madonna ($76.5 million), Rihanna ($75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million).
The Shake It Off singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry who was last year’s top-earning musician at US$135 million, according to Forbes magazine’s annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities.
Swift’s income in the last year was more than double her preceding year’s earnings of $US80 million, or $106 million. Swift’s big earning year includes revenue from a world tour and lucrative endorsements for brands such as Diet Coke and Apple. Had they stayed together, they would have been the top-earning Celebrity 100 couple, more than doubling Beyonce and Jay Z’s $107.5 million total.
One Direction’s combined earnings came in second place, with the band estimated to be worth $110m (£84.7m). Rounding out the top 5 were author James Patterson ($95 million); talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw and soccer superstar Christiano Rinaldo (both $88 million); and comedian Kevin Hart ($87.5 million).
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Forbes made the decision to feature Kim Kardashian on the cover of the magazine containing the list despite the fact that she was only number 42 with $51 million earned.
