9-Year-Old Ryan Kaji is Forbes’ Highest Paid Star on YouTube with $29.5 Million
Loann Kaji, Ryan Kaji and Shion Kaji attend "My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising" North American Premiere at Regency Village Theatre on February 19, 2020 in Westwood, California. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Funimation Films

Forbes released a list of the top 10 highest paid YouTube stars and nine-year old Ryan Kaji took the top spot.

Complex noted that since the age of seven, Kaji had already been earning big on YouTube. In this years on the platform, this is already his third time in a row to land the highest paid creator spot.

From June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2020, Kaji earned an estimated $29.5 million, getting far ahead of other big YouTube stars like Jimmy "Mr. Beast" Donaldson ($24 million), Dude Perfect ($23 million), Rhett and Link ($20 million) and Mark "Markiplier" Fishback ($19.5 million).

Forbes described his content as "DIY science experiments, family storytime and reviews of new toys." It's just one of the world's simple reminders that, somehow, children can earn more while having fun.

The figures on Forbes' list are pre-tax and payment for managers, lawyers, etc.

The data was gathered from Captiv8, SocialBlade, Pollstar and interviews with industry insiders.

Forbes only considered people whose primary means of revenue come from YouTube.

Kaji's YouTube Channel Proves to Be Fast-Growing

Kaji started his YouTube journey in 2015 through Ryan Toy Review. But he later changed the name of the channel to Ryan's World in October 2019.

It currently has over 27.7 million subscribers.

His content included unboxing videos for toys, playing games, conducting simple experiments and teaching viewers about proper hygiene.

He also shares some education content like teaching his fellow young viewers about the U.S. states and capitals or how tsunamis are formed.

Most of Kaji's Earnings Aren't From YouTube Views

Ryan's World had 12.2 billion views during Forbes' set time frame. But despite the large number, it wasn't the major driving force for his bucks.

According to Forbes, most of Kaji's earnings actually come from the licensing deals he gets from more than 5,000 Ryan's World products like action figures, cloths and walkie-talkies.

He also had a preschooler-aimed series on Nickelodeon titled Ryan's Mystery Playdate that added to his overall earnings, reported People.

As part of a marketing campaign, Kaji was also featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a float based on his channel's superhero alter ego.

The float made for a thrilling experience for kids who enjoyed watching his videos.

Mr. Beast did cut close in earnings to Kaji, even though he's only been fairly new to YouTube with three billion views and 48.5 million subscribers.

Kaji Not the Only Youngster on Forbes List

While Kaji's massive earning is an interesting feat, he is not the only kid YouTuber to earn big on the video-streaming site.

On the seventh spot is Russian YouTuber, the six-year-old Anastasia "Nastya" Radzinskaya with 66 million subscribers on her channel "Like Nastya."

Some content in her channel mostly include skits with her father ranging from playing with legos to telling stories about viruses.

Videos on "Like Nastya" are colorful and use simple English words so it is easy to watch for children all over the globe.

She was also on the list last year and her reach expanded to TikTok where she attracted three million followers. She is also expected to launch her licensing program next year.