MrBeast has retained his position as the world’s highest-earning digital creator after topping the 2026 Forbes Top Creators ranking.
This is as the industry’s 50 biggest influencers generated a combined $1.02 billion over the past year.
The annual ranking, released by Forbes on July 1 and sighted on Sunday ,showed the top creators increased their combined earnings by 20 per cent from $853 million in 2025 and by 80 per cent from the inaugural list in 2022.
According to the publication, the creator economy has evolved into a mainstream entertainment industry, with social media personalities producing films, television content and large-scale business ventures that increasingly rival traditional Hollywood studios.
“The creator economy is no longer trying to break into show business it is show business,” Forbes said in its report.
Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast, topped the list with estimated earnings of $300 million, supported by a global social media following of 873 million.