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For most of us, Instagram is the ex-“square photo-sharing app” that’s free to use (not counting all the swag that you’re influenced into buying).
But for a select bunch of heartily followed users, the platform offers an even better deal: a decent annual income in return for a handful of sponsored posts. Even so-called nano-influencers with four-figure follower numbers can charge hundreds of dollars per sponsored post. Those with over a million followers average $15,356 per month, while top celebrities make more with one or two posts than most Americans will earn in a lifetime.
The total Instagram earnings from influencer to influencer depend not only on their follower count but on how often they’re prepared to sell their name and the power of that name in their particular market.
This led NetCredit to wonder how top Instagram earnings differ around the world. So, they created an algorithm to determine who is the top Instagram earner from every country and every U.S. state.
To create the Instagram Rich List 2022, we first built a list of the most-followed Instagram stars from every country. We then found every post each of these stars published in 2021 and analyzed how many of their posts were sponsored. We then multiplied their ad number by the amount each celebrity could charge per post by cross-referencing our dataset with figures from Hopper HQ’s Instagram Rich List.
For celebrities excluded from Hopper HQ’s list, we calculated the average cost-per-follower ratio for each type of celebrity on Hopper HQ (e.g., sport, fashion, influencer, etc.) using the Random Forest statistical method and applied these calculations to our celebrities.
Our definition of a sponsored post is either fully disclosed (with the “paid partnership” label) or contains branded sequences or hashtags such as #ad and #sponsored.
Which Celebrity Earns The Most From Instagram in the World?
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to out-earn all other celebrities on Instagram. The Portuguese superstar made an estimated $85.2 million from sponsored posts in 2021 – over two and a half times his yearly salary at Manchester United.
The Top 10 Highest-Earning Celebrities on Instagram
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the Instagram Rich List, earning an estimated $85.2m in 2021 through sponsored posts on the app alone. His great rival Lionel Messi is a distant second – he made $72m from Instagram in 2021. Indian cricket star Virat Kohli rounds out the top three, earning $36.7m last year.
The Top 10 Highest-Earning Musicians on Instagram
Female musicians are the clearest ‘demographic’ at the top, with Beyonce, Jisoo, Anitta, and Dua Lipa raking in a combined $81,671,561 per year from sponsored posts.
The Top 10 Highest-Earning Sportspeople on Instagram
Unsurprisingly, Juventus football star Cristiano Ronaldo is at the top of the list. He can charge up to USD 1 million per post. Lionel Messi taking the second spot. Indian skipper Virat Kohli sits in the third position.
North America
With earnings of $33.7m in 2021, Ellen DeGeneres is the wealthiest influencer in the United States, bringing in more from sponsored posts than Canada’s pop superstar Justin Bieber ($4.4m) and Mexican YouTuber Kim Loaiza ($2.7m)
The Top 10 Highest-Earning Celebrities on Instagram in the United States
TV personality Ellen DeGeneres ($33.7 million) made slightly more than Beyonce in 2021, with only one sportsperson – LeBron James, appearing in the top 10. The LA Lakers star made $5.1 million in sponsored posts last year.
South America
Argentina’s Lionel Messi tops the list. After winning his seventh Ballon d’Or in 2021, he earned $72m from his Instagram feed. Brazil’s superstar entertainer, Anitta, made herself $16m, making her South America’s second-richest Instagrammer. Colombia’s Maluma ($4.3m) came third.
Europe
Nineteen of Europe’s 41 countries have a sports personality as their leading earner on Instagram. With $85.2m made in 2021, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is in a different league to his former French teammate Paul Pogba, who brought in just $8.3m from sponsored posts in 2021. Britain’s pop superstar Dua Lipa earned $13m from posting sponsored content on the app, making her the second-highest earner in Europe.
The Middle East and Central Asia
The research has found the most lucrative Instagram feeds in the region. With $3.5m of income from sponsored posts in 2021, Israeli actress Gal Gadot out-earned Saudi Arabian musician Tareq Al Harbi ($1.2m) and Lebanese model and fashion influencer Nour Arida ($695k).
The Rest of Asia and Oceania
Despite missing out on the World Test Championship and T20 World Cup, India’s talisman Virat Kohli became Asia’s most lucrative Instagram personality, earning $36.6m on the platform in 2021. His income is almost double that of South Korea’s Jisoo ($18.9m). Thai rapper Lisa, who also made her fame in South Korea, is third with $8.7m in sponsored post income.
Africa
After analyzing each country’s most popular celebrities, the study revealed that legendary Egyptian singer Amr Diab is Africa’s most affluent, earning $3.6m from sponsored posts in 2021. He out-earned Tanzania’s singer and model Hamisa Mobetto ($2.9m) and the Nigerian ‘king of afrobeats’ Davido ($1.5m).
Key findings
Cristiano Ronaldo is the top Instagram earner in the world, making $85.22 million from sponsored posts.
Competing soccer player Lionel Messi is in close 2nd place, with $71.96 million.
Ellen DeGeneres is the top Instagram earner in the United States, making $33.73 million annually.
Justin Bieber is Canada’s top Instagram earner, earning $4.43 million.
