It’s not easy becoming world-famous. Just ask any of the people on this list. From actors and singers to politicians and business people, these are some of the most famous people in the world. They’ve all achieved a level of notoriety that few can rival. What do they have in common? Talent, hard work, and a lot of luck, probably. But whatever their story, one thing is for sure: These are some of the most famous people on Earth. Let’s explore the list of the top 20 most famous people in the world according to Forbes.
1. Elon Musk
With an anticipated wealth of $239.6 billion in 2024, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc and SpaceX, is the world’s wealthiest person. Twitter is where he spends the most of his time.
A co-founder of Tesla Motors with Elon Musk in 2003, Musk currently owns a 23% share in the firm. That he has revolutionized transportation on Earth as well as in space is a testament to his brilliance.
Throughout his life, he has worked hard and achieved great success. Elon Musk was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for the year 2021 on December 13th, a month ago.
2. Jeff Bezos
Amazon Inc. founder and chairman Jeff Bezos will be one of the world’s wealthiest and most well-known individuals in 2024. By Forbes Magazine’s estimation, Bezos has a net worth in excess of $180 billion.
Before recently resigning to pursue his passion in space, he was the president and CEO of Amazon. He recently made headlines after completing an 11-minute solo space flight. It was just a matter of time until Jeff Bezos became the second billionaire to set foot on the moon.
Founded in 1993 as an online bookshop, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon has grown to be the second-largest corporation in the world, with a market worth of $1.6 trillion dollars.
3. Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is known as “The Rock” and is currently the most well-known person in the world. Dwayne, who was previously a WWE champion wrestler, is now an actor as well as a producer. He is one the most respected professional wrestlers in the history of the sport.
Dwayne Johnson, now the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood, has an estimated net worth close to $320million.
He also shares his workout videos with his 295000k followers on Instagram.
4. Joe Biden
Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States, is not only one of the most well-known people in the world, but he is also the most often Googled person in 2021. Joe Biden was barely 30 years old when he became the sixth youngest senator in the history of the United States.
For eight years, Joe Biden, the democratic party’s nominee for vice president, served as president Obama’s running mate. Vice President Joe Biden beat President Trump in the high-stakes 2020 presidential election.
There was a song penned by Taylor Swift and other celebrities in favour of Vice President Biden.
5. Bill Gates
One of the co-founders of Microsoft, Bill Gates is a business magnate, investor, author, and philanthropist with a net worth of $89 billion. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of chairman, CEO and chief software architect, while also being the largest individual shareholder until May 2014. In 1975, Gates and Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft, which became the world’s largest PC software company.
Born: October 28, 1955 (age 63 years), Seattle, WA
Spouse: Melinda Gates
Net Worth $89 billion
Children: Jennifer Katharine Gates, Phoebe Adele Gates, Rory John Gates
Parents: Bill Gates Sr., Mary Gates
Books: Business at the Speed of Thought, more
6. Robert Downey Jr.
It’s no secret that Robert Downey Jr. is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. He is thought to have a fortune in excess of $300 million. Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and Chaplin are just a few of his many well-known credits.
When Robert was a youngster, he lived in New York and worked as a painter. After making his debut on Saturday Night Live in 1980, he became embroiled in a drug-abuse scandal. The actor has even been arrested on drug-related offences many times.
Finally, after nearly five years of dealing with drug misuse and arrest, he relaunched his profession from the ground up. He is one of the most famous performers in Hollywood.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, a professional footballer from Portugal, is one of the world’s most renowned people. With a fortune above $1 billion, he is the wealthiest soccer player in the world. In the Forbes 2020 list, he is the highest-earning celebrity. He has a sizable fan base on social media because to his frequent postings. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s most charitable individuals and footballers.
Real Madrid fans showed their appreciation for Ronaldo’s exceptional performances as a member of the team during a celebration at the Santiago Bernabe Stadium. His five UEFA Champions League victories are the most in history. Ronaldo has scored the most goals in Real Madrid’s history.
8. Lionel Messi
Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays in the forward position known as Leo Messi. He leads the Argentina national team as its head coach. In the world of football, he is widely regarded as the finest there is.
Among Messi’s many honors are the Ballon d’Or and European Golden Shoes trophies, as well as the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year title. He amassed 672 goals and 35 championships throughout his illustrious career. Messi has become only the second player in the history of the sport to earn more than $1 billion in a career.
Between 2009 and 2014, he was the highest-paid player in the world. Messi was included to Time’s list of the world’s most important people twice (in 2011 and 2012).
9. Donald Trump
The 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump is a businessman and television personality with a net worth of $3.1 billion. He began his career working for his father’s real estate business before going on to become a successful developer in New York City. Trump also starred on the reality TV show The Apprentice, which helped him to gain even more fame. In 2016, he ran for president as a Republican and won the election.
10. Mark Zuckerberg
Social media tycoon Facebook counts Mark Zuckerberg as one of its three co-founders, chief executive officers, and chairman. Rebranding efforts have recently been undertaken by Facebook to emphasis its metaverse objectives.
As part of its Person of the Year award, Time magazine has recognized Zuckerberg as one of the world’s top 100 most important individuals every year since 2008. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ranked 10th on Forbes’ annual list of the world’s most powerful people.
11. Oprah Winfrey
Media mogul Oprah Gail Winfrey is estimated to be worth $2.7 billion. Oprah Winfrey started her career as a news anchor and her famous talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, used to garner the highest ratings which was the world record in its category.
She was featured as the most influential woman in the world in 2007. Oprah was born in 1954 in extreme poverty in rural Mississippi to a housemaid single teenage mother.
Oprah started working in a local grocery store when she was a teenager and she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant at the age of 17. Oprah Winfrey was the first black news anchor and also the youngest at Nashville’s WLAC-TV. She is now Chairwoman and CEO of Harpo Productions. Also, she is the Chairwoman, CEO, and CCO of the Oprah Winfrey Network.
12. Justin Beiber
Justin Bieber is a very famous singer with a huge fan following across the world. Justin’s youtube videos racked up more than 10 million views just from word of mouth. His debut album, My World, sold more than 137,000 copies in less than a week in 2009.
13. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is a singer and actress from the United States. Two Grammy Awards, one Brit Award, nine MTV Video Music Awards, and 27 Guinness World Records have all been bestowed upon her over her illustrious career.
As for Ariana Grande’s discography, she’s released six studio albums, a compilation album, a live album and a remix album in addition to two extended plays, 52 singles and 12 singles for promotional purposes.
14. LeBron James
In addition to winning four NBA titles and four NBA MVP awards, LeBron James also took home two Olympic gold medals throughout his illustrious career as a professional basketball player.
In product endorsements, he generates between $50 and $60 million a year. As soon as he agreed to a $1 billion deal with Nike, he became a household name. It is Nike’s first-ever lifetime deal since its establishment.
15. Kylie Jenner
American media personality and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner comes in at number six on our list of the most famous people in the world. Known as the world’s youngest self-made millionaire, Kylie Jenner is a household name. 1997 marked the year of Kylie’s birth in the Golden State.
Her involvement in the reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” catapulted her to stardom. As the creator of Kylie Cosmetics, she benefited from the notoriety her family enjoyed. Kylie’s hallmark product, the Kylie Lip Kit, was a great hit, bringing in millions of dollars for the reality star.
Social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram have a large fan base for Kylie. With 300 million Instagram followers in January of 2024, she became the first woman to achieve that milestone. She was named one of the world’s most influential teenagers by Time magazine.
16. Will Smith
Will Smith, well known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is a well-known black actor in Hollywood. When he was born, he was born in Pennsylvania, the United States. Five Golden Globes and two Oscar nominations are among Will Smith’s many honor’s. Four Grammy Awards have also been bestowed to him.
As of 2021, his films have grossed more over $9.3 billion worldwide at the box office. Among the actor’s many accolades are several box office records in the United States and abroad.
In addition to acting, Will Smith is a producer, a singer, and a lyricist. He was adored by millions because of his exceptional acting abilities. More than 9.8 million people have subscribed to Will Smith’s YouTube channel since it was launched last year.
17. Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift, a well-known singer and songwriter from the United States, is a household name. All throughout the world, her songwriting abilities have gained her praise and considerable media attention.
The Recording Industry Association of America awarded her second album, 2008’s Diamond-certified self-titled effort, widespread success (RIAA). Swift has sold more than 200 million records globally, making her one of the most popular performers in the world. Swift has racked up an impressive list of accolades, including 11 Grammys, two Brit Awards, and 49 Guinness World Records.
18. Tiger Woods
Among the most well-known golfers in the world is one named Tiger Woods. One of the finest golfers in history, he’s also the holder of multiple golf records.
According to Forbes, Tiger Woods has a net worth in excess of $800 million. For a record 11 years, Tiger Woods was the wealthiest player in the world according to Forbes.
It was necessary for him to take a self-imposed vacation from professional golf in 2010 to handle marital troubles, but he came out of it stronger. For the longest period of time, he was the world’s best golfer.
19. Selena Gomez
Singer and actress Selena Gomez is well-known in the United States. There have been over 7 million albums and 22 million singles sold globally by Gomez to date. She has a devoted following across a wide range of social media outlets. More than 295 million people follow her Instagram account.
20. Kim Kardashian
American media personality and actress Kim Kardashian is known as Kimberly Noel Kardashian West. As of this writing, she has more than a million Twitter and Instagram followers.
KKW Beauty, the celebrity-owned cosmetics company, was founded by Kim Kardashian and she is the principal owner. With the launch of her KKW Beauty line, she made a number of new cosmetics available to consumers. Also in 2015, she was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most powerful people in the world.
