Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

9-year-old Ryan Kaji is this year's highest-paid YouTuber

9-year-old Ryan Kaji is this year's highest-paid YouTuber

The child influencer also made estimated $200m from branded toys and clothing and has a massive following of 27.6 m subscribers.

Not only is 9-year-old Ryan Kaji unboxing and reviewing toys and games on YouTube, but he's also having loads of fun and bagging a whole new title because of it.

The child influencer, whose YouTube channel goes by the name of Ryan's World, is an interactive space for children to get their hands on some cool science experiments, music videos, skits, challenges as well as some DIY arts and crafts — that too straight from the comfort of their homes!

Residing in Texas, the little one not only made $29.5m from his YouTube channel, but also a further estimated $200m from Ryan’s World branded toys and clothing, including Marks & Spencer pyjamas. He also recently signed a deal for his own TV series on Nickelodeon.

His most popular video, Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge, has more than 2 billion views, making it one of the 60 most-viewed videos ever on YouTube.

As an influencer, many companies reached out to Ryan so he could unbox, introduce and play with the latest toy in the market, for other children to see. However, owing to his fast-paced popularity, the influencer has become his own brand, being put into Walmart, Target and Amazon as its own force, according to The Guardian.

However, Kaji is not the only one to make it to the list. According to Forbes List of Highest Paid Youtube Stars of 2020, in second place was Jimmy Donaldson, the 22-year-old, better known as Mr Beast, who earned an estimated $24m and was the a new entry to the YouTube rich-list.

Popular for freezing himself in ice and giving away huge sums of money to strangers who compete in his challenges, Donaldson earns a huge sum from merchandise and partnerships.

Following in third, fourth and fifth place are Dude Perfect, $23m, Rhett and Link, $20m, and Markiplier, earning a sum of $19.5 million respectively.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
×