Topic summary
Forbes list of the world's highest-paid models

This is a list of the highest-paid models—applicable to either sex— in the world as ranked by Forbes magazine. For measurement, the magazine used pretax earnings, and fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted, based on the report of 2018. The estimated figures are based on interviews with managers, agents, brand executives, and industry experts. Models income came from multiples entries, including endorsements, licensing ventures, runway shows, and commercial catalogs.
The standalone Forbes highest-paid models list existed between 2003 and 2018, although some models made appearances in the broad-general list Celebrity 100 as top model earners, including in 2000 and 2002. The lists are nearly exclusive to female models, as the magazine rarely compiles a list based on male models—the last time being in 2013. The modeling industry is a women-dominated sector, one of the few industries where the gender pay gap is reversed, where male models typically earn far less than their counterparts. According to PayScale in 2013, female models had an average salary of $41,300, earning 148% more than male models. By 2008, a successful male model could earn a mid-six-figure range, maxing out around $500,000 a year.
Gisele Bündchen holds the record for the most times being the highest earner (14), the most consecutive times being the highest earner (12), the most times being one of the top 5 earners (19), and the highest annual earnings ($47 million in 2014). Sean O'Pry has the highest annual sum reported by Forbes for a male model ($1.5 million in 2013).