BTS Ranks First as the Highest-Earning Celebrity at 33.4 Billion Won, with All Members in the Top Tier

In the 2026 “Power Celebrity 40” list published by the source, BTS took first place with an estimated income of 33.4 billion won. During the 2025–2026 assessment period, BTS generated some of the highest global earnings through a diversified business portfolio that included music sales, concerts, appearances in broadcasts, films, and dramas, as well as advertising activities. The source determined the rankings by combining four key evaluation criteria: estimated income, media coverage volume, social media buzz level, and fan voting results.

BTS’s earnings included large upfront payments resulting from the release of their new album “ARIRANG” in March of this year, along with incentives from renewed contract terms with global distribution partners. In particular, the artist fees for nine concerts held as part of the large-scale world tour “BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG,” which started at the Goyang Stadium on April 9 shortly after their comeback, were factored into these figures by May. This tour is a massive schedule that will run until March 2027 across 34 cities in 23 countries worldwide, totaling 79 (or more than 85) stadium-scale performances.

Furthermore, all seven members of BTS have signed a total of 31 exclusive ambassador and advertising contracts with world-leading fashion, beauty, and jewelry brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Valentino, Celine, Cartier, and Tiffany, which constitute a major source of their income. Right after completing their military service, BTS signed high-value exclusive ambassador contracts worth hundreds of millions to over a billion won each. In addition, their estimated income included earnings from global exclusive streaming rights granted by Netflix and rights for original documentaries.

In a recent ranking of “the highest-earning musicians” compiled by the U.S.-based source, the world’s top artist is The Weeknd, with earnings reaching 298 million dollars (approximately 450 billion won), followed by Taylor Swift at 220 million dollars (approximately 304.8 billion won).

BLACKPINK ranked second, with an estimated income of 15.18 billion won. Converted to dollars, this amounts to 160 million dollars, placing them among the world’s top pop stars such as Beyoncé (223.1 billion won) and Kendrick Lamar (164.3 billion won), thus bringing them into the “billion-dollar club.” For the 2025–2026 period, BLACKPINK’s earnings included minimum guarantees from 33 world tours, as well as payments from ticket sales and merchandise. The 33 exclusive ambassador contracts for luxury brands signed by the four members accounted for 32.9% of their total estimated income.

G-Dragon ranked third, with an estimated income of 9.26 billion won. It is noteworthy that, unlike BTS and BLACKPINK, he achieved these results solely through his solo activities. His main sources of income came from 22 world tours held last year and fan meetings this year. His hit songs “HOME SWEET HOME,” “TOO BAD,” “POWER,” and “삐딱하게” remained in the upper ranks of various charts for extended periods, generating significant music revenue. Additionally, seven of his advertising and ambassador contracts were included in his earnings during the assessment period.

The top ten earners were dominated by individual members of BTS and BLACKPINK. They ranked as follows: Jin in fourth place, Jungkook in fifth, V in sixth, Jimin in seventh, J-Hope in eighth, RM in ninth, and Jennie in tenth. Beyond group activities, BTS members earned income from their solo luxury brand ambassador roles and documentary films focusing on their individual musical careers. They also built diverse activity portfolios that included variety shows, collaborations with artists in the visual arts field, production work, and solo music royalties.

BTS also ranked first in terms of media coverage volume during the assessment period. With a total of 371,943 mentions, they surpassed Son Heung-min, who had held the top spot for several years with 366,245 mentions, by 5,698 mentions. In particular, the event in which Netflix streamed the full group’s comeback concert held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul in March 2026 to over 190 countries for the first time in its history was a major topic in the media industry and was analyzed as a massive deal worth hundreds of billions of won.

Even more noteworthy is the news that FIFA selected BTS as the first headliner for the halftime show at the CONCACAF World Cup final. As a result, media outlets across not only South Korea but also around the world predicted that BTS, performing in front of 1.4 billion viewers, would join global giants such as Taylor Swift at the top of this year’s list of highest-earning artists.