Who Is the Highest Paid Model in the World? Latest Ranking, Earnings and How It’s Calculated

If you clicked to get a straight answer, you’re not alone. The fashion business moves fast, and the top earner can shift with a single beauty deal or a big luxury campaign. Here’s the quick version: the most consistently cited top earner across 2023-2024 is Kendall Jenner, thanks to high-value beauty ambassadorships, luxury campaigns, and category-spanning endorsements. Earnings change year to year and sources vary, so I’ll show you how to read the numbers, who else is right behind her, and what it means if you’re a brand or an aspiring model.

• Kendall Jenner is widely reported as the top earner in 2023-2024 based on industry analyses and beauty contracts.
• There’s no single official list anymore. Use multiple sources and focus on contract types, not just runway buzz.
• Beauty deals, fragrance campaigns, and global luxury ambassadorships drive the biggest checks.
• Expect estimates, not exact figures. Ranges are more honest than clicky headlines.
• In Dubai, brands can book elite talent through global agencies’ regional partners or vetted production houses with clear briefs and realistic budgets.

Direct answer: who is the highest paid model in the world right now?

Across late 2023 and 2024, the model most often reported at the top is Kendall Jenner. The backbone of her earning power is beauty and prestige lifestyle deals, which typically pay in the mid to high seven figures per year and can go into eight figures for a global role. In 2023 she was announced as a global ambassador for L'Oréal Paris, and she continued headlining luxury campaigns that stack real money far beyond runway rates. Industry trackers like Vogue Business and Models.com’s Money List consistently place her in the very top earning tier.

Does that mean she is always number one every single month? Not exactly. Earnings are lumpy. A Louis Vuitton or fragrance campaign can move a rival up for a year, which is why you’ll sometimes see Gisele Bündchen or Gigi Hadid hovering near or briefly ahead depending on which contracts renew. Since Forbes stopped publishing an annual models income list years ago, there’s no single arbiter. That’s why the best practice is to look at the contract mix and credible trade reporting.

How the money is counted: the only way rankings make sense

Model income is not one neat salary. It’s a pile of contracts with wildly different pay scales. If you want the truth behind any highest paid model claim, sanity-check it with this breakdown:

• Beauty and fragrance contracts: The big ticket. Global beauty deals can run from low seven figures to eight figures annually. Fragrance campaigns are premium because they sell for years.
• Global luxury ambassadorships: Think top-tier houses in leather goods, jewelry, and watches. Pay varies, but multiyear global roles can rival beauty money.
• Mass-market endorsements and athleisure: Sportswear, skincare, mass beauty, and high-street fashion pay well at scale, often mid six to seven figures.
• Runway and editorials: Great for prestige and momentum, but the cash is modest compared to campaigns. The runway matters because it leads to the big ads.
• Founder income: Some models own brands. That can dwarf modeling income, but most rankings try to separate brand founder profits from modeling and endorsements.

What about sources? Here’s what industry people actually watch:

• Trade reporting and brand announcements: Beauty and luxury houses announce ambassadors. While they rarely reveal pay, the scope hints at value. L'Oréal Paris naming a global face in 2023 is not a small check.
• Vogue Business and Business of Fashion features: They cover the economics of modeling with context, not rumors.
• Models.com Money List: It doesn’t give dollars, but it benchmarks who is landing the highest-paying categories.
• Financial press and public company filings: When a public brand signs someone, you can sometimes infer marketing outlay and contract length from investor materials.

Red flags to ignore: single-source “lists” with oddly precise numbers and no methodology, or rankings that confuse net worth with annual earnings. Net worth is a lifetime pile. We’re talking about one year of income.

The current leaderboard and why they’re there

Here’s a grounded snapshot of who sits at the top and why. Amounts are honest ranges, not made-up decimals. They reflect 2023-2024 cycles, cross-checked with industry reporting, brand announcements, and the Money List logic.

Important context:

• Beauty equals bank. A global beauty contract often outweighs three fashion campaigns put together.
• Runway drives influence, not the check. Walking a marquee show is a door-opener to the high-paying ads.
• Geography matters. A single China-wide beauty deal can rival a Western luxury campaign because of market size.
• Longevity wins. Models with 5 to 10 years of top-tier work often renegotiate to bigger retainers.

So yes, Kendall Jenner is the safest current answer to the question. But if Gisele fronts a global fragrance push with a long media tail, or Gigi signs a new multi-year beauty deal, the top slot can flip for that earnings window. That’s the nature of the business.

Dubai perspective: how brands actually book elite talent

I live in Dubai, and I see the money flow on Sheikh Zayed Road billboards and at The Dubai Mall every week. When a global model’s face lands here, there’s a real machine behind it. If you’re a regional brand or agency trying to book A-list faces, you need two things: a clear brief and a serious budget. Here’s the clean playbook I share with clients and friends in the industry.

Quick checklist for booking top earners out of Dubai:

• Start with the right partner: Go through the model’s global agency or their EMEA representative. For A-list talent, this is not a cold DM situation.
• Bring a tight brief: Creative deck, usage terms, territories, media plan, and timelines. Top agents won’t quote until they know exactly where the images live.
• Know your usage math: Digital-only UAE usage for 6 months is a different number than global OOH plus TV for 2 years. Fees scale with usage and geography.
• Budget tiers: Regional face fees for an A-lister can start in mid six figures for limited digital. Global beauty-level usage moves quickly into seven or eight figures.
• Production matters: Models at this level expect A-grade production. Set aside adequate budget for crew, glam, and post.
• Lead time: Global availability is planned months out around fashion weeks and campaign windows. Last-minute costs more.

If you’re not ready for the full A-list commitment, build your ladder:

• Cast regional stars with rising global value. You’ll get strong impact and efficient usage.
• Use a two-tier approach: A regional face plus performance creators for tactical content.
• Focus on assets that sell for months. Think hero film and key visuals with clean usage rights.

As a mom juggling school runs for my daughter Kalveda and shoots that sometimes stretch past sunset, I’ll say this bluntly: the smoothest Dubai campaigns are the ones where the production house and agency are aligned on usage and delivery before a name ever hits the table.

FAQ and next steps

Here are the questions people ask right after they learn who tops the pay list.

Who decides these rankings?
There is no single authority. Forbes stopped publishing an annual list years ago. Credible trade coverage, brand announcements, and Models.com Money List status are the best triangulation tools.

Why do some sites list different number ones?
Timing and methodology. If a site counts founder profits or includes a fragrance back-end payout that hit that year, they might put someone else at the top. Stick to modeling and endorsement income for apples-to-apples.

How much does runway pay?
Much less than you think. Fees vary widely by house and model seniority, but runway is a prestige driver, not the paycheck. The ads and ambassadorships are the money.

Does social media following equal income?
It helps, but it’s not everything. A strong follower base makes brands confident in reach and can increase rates, but a prestige beauty contract still requires the right look, track record, and market fit.

Could someone overtake Kendall this year?
Absolutely. A new global fragrance plus a luxury ambassadorship could push Gigi or Gisele to the top for that period. It’s a contracts game.

How can an aspiring model aim for the big leagues?
Prioritize agency representation with a clear plan. Chase the runway slots that lead to campaigns, build a clean portfolio, and treat beauty castings like finals week. Your first major beauty contract changes everything.

As a Dubai brand, what’s a realistic starting budget for a known international face?
For limited GCC digital-only usage with a recognized model, plan at least mid six figures plus production. For a global-tier name with broader usage, you’re likely in seven figures before production.

Next steps if you’re a brand or producer in Dubai:

1. Define your must-haves: markets, usage duration, hero deliverables.
2. Shortlist talent by category: beauty faces vs fashion icons vs lifestyle crossover.
3. Engage the right agency or regional partner and request availability holds.
4. Lock the shoot plan around fashion week calendars to avoid conflicts.
5. Build a contingency roster. Elite calendars shift, and a clean plan B saves your launch.

Next steps if you’re an aspiring model:

1. Sign with a reputable agency that works internationally and understands your category fit.
2. Target castings that lead to paid campaigns, not just cool editorials.
3. Invest in comp cards, digitals, and video that match your target clients.
4. Be strategic about social. Quality over spam. Your feed is your storefront.
5. Track your rights. Know your usage terms on every job and protect yourself.

If you need a mental shortcut for earnings talk, use this rule of thumb: beauty first, luxury ambassadorship second, everything else supports. That’s why Kendall is the name you’re hearing most right now. And if you’re reading this from Dubai, you already know it whenever you walk past a beauty counter at The Dubai Mall and see who’s staring back at you.