YouTube is the world’s most popular video platform. Every hour, thousands of videos are uploaded, racking up millions of views from users across the globe. This growth has turned many YouTubers into big earners.
Recently, Forbes released the list of the highest-earning YouTubers of 2021. Let’s check out the top 5!
Unspeakable
Coming in at number 5 is the YouTube channel Unspeakable. This channel just hit YouTube’s Diamond Play Button and has over 12 million subscribers. The creator has been playing Minecraft on YouTube for over 10 years. He also sold the rights to his back catalog to the company Spotter, adding to his $28.5 million earnings alongside YouTube ad revenue from his viral videos.
Despite having a relatively modest subscriber count of under 5 million, this creator made a whopping $30 million, according to Forbes.
Rhett and Link are some of YouTube’s longest-standing stars. They’ve been producing their comedy show Good Mythical Morning since 2012. Not just this year, but also in 2020, Forbes named them among the highest earners. Their income comes mainly from YouTube ads as their show continues to attract a huge audience.
Markiplier
Markiplier ranks third on Forbes’ list of top-earning YouTubers in 2021. His channel has over 30 million subscribers and focuses on gaming content, including business insights and analysis of popular video games.
In 2021, Markiplier earned $38 million.
Jake Paul
Jake Paul is a familiar name to many online communities, including in Vietnam. Known as the “YouTube Boxer,” his channel has over 20 million subscribers. Despite multiple controversies involving his statements and personal life, he still pulled in over $45 million in 2021.
By branching into boxing, Jake Paul gained more attention than ever before, especially since he wasn’t even on the list in 2020.
MrBeast
MrBeast, one of the top 3 biggest YouTube channels worldwide, earned $54 million in 2021. He holds the record for the highest annual income ever made by a YouTuber.
Forbes reports that in 2021, MrBeast spent huge sums recreating the real-life Squid Game, playing hide-and-seek in an 80,000-seat stadium, and even being buried underground. He’s also known for videos where he freezes himself in ice, blows up a Toyota, spins a wheel 1,000 times, and builds the world’s largest Lego tower.
With 10 billion views and a burger franchise deal, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) nearly doubled his income in 2021 compared to the previous year when he ranked second.
