PewDiePie Net Worth

The PewDiePie net worth sum of $90 million comes from his YouTube channel earnings minus estimated tax and expenses, plus investments.

PewDiePie’s net worth comes mostly from his stratospherically popular YouTube Channel. The star has earned an estimated $155 million since 2010. Since he’s in a 45% tax bracket, about half of that goes to PewDiePie’s net worth. Numbers are current as of 12/13/16.

PewDiePie Net Worth Facts

PewDiePie Net Worth Facts
PewDiePie net worth vs UberHaxorNova net worth5 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs HolaSoyGerman net worth7 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs TheDiamondMinecart net worth15 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs VanossGaming net worth10 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs Vegetta777 net worth5 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs JennaMarbles net worth13 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs Bernie Sanders net worth148 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs Hillary Clinton net worth2.5 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs LeBron James net worth3 times smaller
PewDiePie net worth vs Beyonce net worth5 times smaller
PewDiePie net worth vs Miley Cyrus net worth3 times smaller
PewDiePie net worth vs the typical American household net worth625 times larger
PewDiePie net worth vs Bill Gates net worth1,881 times smaller

Compared to other top YouTubers, PewDiePie net worth is king. PewDiePie’s net worth of $90 million is 16 times larger than UberHaxorNova’s net worth of $5 million. PewDiePie’s net worth is 11 times larger than HolaSoyGerman’s $7 million dollar net worth. TheDiamondMineCart’s net worth of $15 million is 5 times smaller than PewDiePie’s net worth. PewDiePie’s net worth is also 8 times larger than VanossGaming’s $10 million dollar net worth and 13 times larger than JennaMarbles’ $6 million dollar net worth.

Outside of YouTube, PewDiePie’s net worth still shines. PewDiePie’s net worth is 148 times larger than Bernie Sanders’ $528,014 net worth and 2.5 times larger than Hillary Clinton’s net worth of $31.2 million. Stars with larger net worth than PewDiePie include LeBron James with $210 million, Miley Cyrus with $247 million and Bill Gates with $80 billion. In case you’re wondering, that’s 1,025 times larger than PewDiePie’s net worth. PewDiePie’s net worth is 1,147 times larger than the median American household’s net worth of $68,000.

Also see: Miley Cyrus Net Worth

PewDiePie Net Worth in the News

In early December PewDiePie announced that he would delete his YouTube channel. The news came in the wake of accusations by PewDiePie that YouTube is somehow decreasing his views. It certainly does seem like something is pushing his view count down. The star traditionally racks up hundreds of millions of views per week. In the past month, his viewership has screeched to a halt, allowing pop star Justin Bieber to catch up to him fast. If this continues, Bieber will soon surpass PewDiePie as the #1 YouTuber. PewDiePie did delete a minor channel of his but will not delete his main channel.

PewDiePie Net Worth Over Time

PewDiePie’s net worth has grown steadily since 2010. Based on our calculations, PewDiePie has cleared over $10 million a year since he started posting videos to YouTube. The chart below shows our estimates of PewDiePie’s net worth through the years. Since our estimate of PewDiePie’s net worth has a straight line growth, the graph reflects this with a constant slope. In reality, PewDiePie’s net worth probably follows a more jagged path.

pewdiepie net worth over time

PewDiePie’s wealth has grown even more because he’s famous for being wealthy. The star added another billion views to his YouTube channel since November of 2015. At around that time, his name was in the news a ton for his YouTube millionaire status.

To figure PewDiePie’s net worth over time, we didn’t just add up earnings. We figured in taxes, expenses and probable investment income.

PewDiePie Net Worth Through Time
PewDiePie Net Worth 2010$7,141,192
PewDiePie Net Worth 2011$18,754,540
PewDiePie Net Worth 2012$30,674,480
PewDiePie Net Worth 2013$42,909,107
PewDiePie Net Worth 2014$55,466,728
PewDiePie Net Worth 2015$68,355,870
PewDiePie Net Worth 2016$90,841,830

Also see: Beyonce Net Worth

Figuring PewDiePie’s Net Worth

PewDiePie, or Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is a Swedish YouTube star and comedian who built his wealth by commenting on video games and other hot topics. The star started posting YouTube videos in April of 2010. Since then he has amassed over 41 million subscribers and 11 billion YouTube views.

How Much Does YouTube Pay?

pewdiepie net worth youtubeTo figure PewDiePie’s net worth, we started by asking, “How much do you make for a YouTube view” or “How much does YouTube pay?”

According to ad firm TubeMogul, YouTube paid $9.35 for every 1,000 views through 2012. After that, they paid about $7.60 per 1,000 views. That’s a great clue to figure out PewDiePie’s net worth.

Since PewDiePie started posting in mid 2010, he earned the $9.35 rate for the first 2.5 years of his career. For the next three years, he earned the $7.60 rate. While those figures are just estimates, they give us a starting point to figure PewDiePie’s net worth.

We split the YouTuber’s views based on time, then figured his approximate earnings at $113 million. Since England has a 45% tax rate, we estimate $51 million of that went toward taxes. That left $62 million to contribute to PewDiePie’s net worth. We also estimate PewDiePie has earned an average of $10 million per year, after taxes. Including merchandise sales, our calculations for PewDiePie net worth figures are in the table below.

PewDiePie Net Worth Calculations
PewDiePie YouTube Subscribers41,449,697
PewDiePie YouTube Views13,924,893,764
Earnings Per 1,000 YouTube Views (2010-2013)$9.35
Earnings Per 1,000 YouTube Views (2013-2016)$7.60
Date PewDiePie Joined YouTube4/29/2010
YouTube Views 2010-20134,638,471,292
YouTube Views 2013-20169,286,422,472
PewDiePie Earnings 2010-2013$43,369,707
PewDiePie Earnings 2013-2016$70,576,811
Total PewDiePie Net Worth Earnings From YouTube Views$113,946,517
PewDiePie Merchandise Earnings$41,774,681
Total PewDiePie Earnings$155,721,199
UK Tax Rate for PewDiePie's Income Bracket45%
Swedish Government Portion of PewDiePie Earnings$70,074,539
Portion Left for PewDiePie Net Worth$85,646,659
PewDiePie Investment Income (Estimated at 6% per year minus 56% taxes)$5,895,171
Approximate PewDiePie Annual Salary$14,274,443

Also see: Selena Gomez Net Worth

Even knowing PewDiePie earns about $12 million a year or a total of $84 million after taxes by 2015 doesn’t give us the full PewDiePie net worth picture. That’s because it doesn’t allow for cost of living or income from investments.

An internet star doesn’t have much overhead. We estimated PewDiePie’s cost of living at $100,000 per year. We also figure he invested the bulk of his earnings, making about 6% per year in investment income. After taxes, this adds almost $6 million to PewDiePie’s net worth.

Taxes, Expenses, Investments and PewDiePie Net Worth

pewdiepie net worth taxesThe table below shows our full PewDiePie net worth calculations. Knowing the star has over 11 billion YouTube views was our starting point. Multiplying that by $9.35 per 1,000 views for the first 2.5 years and $7.60 for the next 3 years, we arrived at earnings of about $12 million per year. This gives about $7 million per year in taxes and a total of $6 million in estimated investment income. The column on the right shows the growth of PewDiePie’s net worth over time, ending at a final PewDiePie net worth of $90 million in 2016.

PewDiePie Net Worth Calculations
YearApprox. Earnings From YouTube ViewsPewDiePie Merchandising IncomeTaxesPewDiePie Portion After TaxExpensesPewDiePie Earnings After Tax and ExpensesPewDiePie Investment Income at 6%PewDiePie Net Worth
2010$7,788,415$5,377,389$5,924,612$7,241,192$100,000$7,141,192$0$7,141,192
2011$15,576,830$5,377,389$9,429,399$11,524,820$100,000$11,424,820$188,527$18,754,540
2012$15,576,830$5,377,389$9,429,399$11,524,820$100,000$11,424,820$495,120$30,674,480
2013$15,576,830$5,377,389$9,429,399$11,524,820$100,000$11,424,820$809,806$42,909,107
2014$15,576,830$5,377,389$9,429,399$11,524,820$100,000$11,424,820$1,132,800$55,466,728
2015$15,576,830$5,377,389$9,429,399$11,524,820$100,000$11,424,820$1,464,322$68,355,870
2016$28,273,952$9,510,347$17,002,935$20,781,365$100,000$20,681,365$1,804,595$90,841,830
Totals$113,946,517$41,774,681$70,074,539$85,646,659$700,000$84,946,659$5,895,171
Total PewDiePie Net Worth 2015$90,841,830

How Accurate Are Our PewDiePie Net Worth Figures?

pewdiepie net worth figuresIt’s possible PewDiePie’s net worth is larger or smaller than our estimate, but not by much. It all depends exactly how much the star gets paid per YouTube view, how much he pays in taxes and how much his other expenses are.

For example, we put PewDiePie’s tax rate at 45%. If his tax rate were 60%, PewDiePie’s net worth would drop to $70 million.

It’s also possible the YouTuber’s expenses are more than our estimates. He might spend as much as $500,000 a year. If so, his net worth would drop to around $80 million. Even if the star was spending extravagantly, his net worth wouldn’t dip too low. Someone who buys big houses can always sell them again. For that reason, we haven’t figured any property into our PewDiePie net worth calculations.

Max and Min PewDiePie Net Worth Range

It’s possible PewDiePie’s net worth is as low as $70 million. It could be as high as $100 million. It’s far more likely that the YouTuber has a net worth of $90 million as our original estimate suggests.

PewDiePie Net Worth in the Future

pewdiepie net worth futureThere’s no indication that PewDiePie’s net worth will slow its growth any time soon. The comedian is extremely popular and it’s not hard to see why. Anyone who watches even a few of his videos will quickly see a broad, energetic (if profane) wit that never fails to entertain.

The idea of being able to amass a fortune so directly is incredibly exciting to many. YouTube has created several stars like PewDiePie, but PewDiePie’s net worth is the champ. In the past, a comedian like him would have to work his way up through clubs and onto TV, possibly getting movie deals and building a career the slow way. YouTube has changed all that, taking a young man with a great deal of raw talent and rocketing him straight into fame and fortune almost literally overnight.

Could You Match PewDiePie’s Net Worth?

While the story is enticing, the vast majority of YouTubers will never build wealth anywhere near PewDiePie’s net worth. It takes a great deal of brains, talent, perseverance and luck to get 10 billion YouTube views. That said, PewDiePie’s net worth and the way he built it are an inspiration and a sign that the world of entertainment has been turned on its head.

Also See: Bernie Sanders Net Worth

The table below shows how many YouTube views it would take to approach even 6% of PewDiePie’s net worth. There’s some evidence beginning YouTubers earn less per view. Because of that, we’ve scaled down the earnings per YouTube view to about half of PewDiePie’s.

Could You Match PewDiePie's Net Worth?
YouTube Views Per MonthEstimated Monthly IncomeEstimated Annual Income% of PewDiePie Annual Income
100$0$40.00%
1,000$4$480.00%
50,000$180$2,1600.00%
100,000$380$4,5600.01%
250,000$950$11,4000.01%
500,000$1,900$22,8000.03%
750,000$2,850$34,2000.04%
1,000,000$3,800$45,6000.05%
2,500,000$9,500$114,0000.13%
5,000,000$25,333$304,0000.33%
7,500,000$38,000$456,0000.50%
10,000,000$76,000$912,0001.00%
PewDiePie Net Worth$90,841,830

PewDiePie Net Worth in His Own Words

The video below tells the PewDiePie net worth story in his own words. The YouTube star explains money doesn’t make him happy. He says he’s just as happy as he was five years ago before his trip to fame and fortune began. He also addresses some hate mail from people distressed by how much money he makes for “making lame jokes and shouting at nothing.” He finishes by saying, “Honestly I don’t know why I became big either.” The YouTuber also says he doesn’t understand why anyone would care about how much he makes. One reason could be simply hope. If PewDiePie can do it, maybe millions of others think they might have a shot as well.

PewDiePie Net Worth vs Other YouTube Channels

pewdiepie net worth vs youtubersPewDiePie has amassed more views than any other YouTube channel. Using views as a base, we applied similar taxes and expenses to the other top 10. If each YouTube channel were a single person like PewDiePie, they would be worth $23 million to $36 million. That’s $55 million to $42 million less than PewDiePie’s net worth.

Four of the top ten are Vevo channels for big stars like Rihanna and Taylor Swift, with multi million dollar promotional budgets. Emimusic and Spinnin’ Records are both record labels with multiple videos by various music stars. The only other YouTube single YouTuber who approaches PewDiePie’s net worth is FunToyzCollector, who unwraps collectible toys on video.

PewDiePie Net Worth vs Top YouTube Channels
ChannelViewsApproximate Earnings After Tax/Expenses
PewDiePie13,924,893,764$84,946,659
Emimusic9 billion$36 million
FunToyzCollector7 billion$34 million
RihannaVEVO7 billion$30 million
TaylorSwiftVEVO7 billion$27 million
JustinBieberVEVO6 billion$26 million
KatyPerryVEVO6 billion$26 million
Spinnin' Records6 billion$25 million
Get Movies6 billion$24 million
Machinima5 billion$23 million

PewDiePie Salary

PewDiePie’s net worth is built on an average salary of $12 million per year. How does that compare to teachers, doctors, fry cooks and software engineers? Take a look at the chart below. We assumed each category worked 40 hours a week.PewDiePie Net Worth and Salary

Scare PewDiePie

PewDiePie fans probably already know about the YouTube star’s big news. On October 21, YouTube announced a new show created especially for their new YouTube Red channel: Scare PewDiePie. The show looks absolutely hilarious.

PewDiePie has built most of his fortune on being hilariously scared by horror game content. What better vehicle for him than a real, live horror game show complete with zombies, chainsaws and other beasties for him to run from, screaming?

The star hasn’t released dollar details for the deal, so we don’t know yet how it’ll affect his net worth. The YouTuber has addressed concerns that the new YouTube Red channel will stop up and coming YouTubers from building net worth like PewDiePie has, by getting rid of the ads. PewDiePie’s side in the argument? Third party ad blocker apps forced YouTube’s hand.

PewDiePie Merchandise Earnings

PewDiePie merchandise earningsWhat about PewDiePie’s merchandise earnings? The YouTuber’s net worth likely also benefits from sales of swag. A quick trip to PewDiePie.com shows fans can buy anything from books to hats to hoodies, tee shirts to beach towels, a backpack with his dog’s face and a giant foam bro fist.

With PewDiePie’s 11 billion YouTube views, even if only one in every five thousand viewers buys something from his website, that’s still about $35 million in merchandise revenue. After taxes, that brings PewDiePie’s net worth up to $78 million.

PewDiePie Merchandising
PewDiePie YouTube Views13,924,893,764
Est. PewDiePie merchandise sales per 10,000 views$15
Total PewDiePie merchandise sales$41,774,681

PewDiePie Book

In October of 2015, PewDiePie’s book, This Book Loves You hit the market like a bro army howitzer shell. The book almost instantly became the #1 young adult paperback on the New York Times best seller list. The book gets high marks from Amazon readers and is basically a coffee table book for teens. It’s chock full of wise PewDiePieisms like “Never forget that you’re beautiful compared to a fish” and “To fly, you must get rid of all the things that weigh you down. This is why all your friends left you.”

Sales of the book are hot, so it’s definitely shoveling more money into the PewDiePie net worth furnace. We’ll add more details here as we learn them. Watch the hilarious trailer below.

The PewDiePie Network

Disney is backing a new venture that will likely add to the PewDiePie net worth total. It’s a YouTube network called Revelmode. It’s a network of several top YouTubers and PewDiePie is in charge of it. PewDiePie announced the new network on 1/13/16. According to PewDiePie, Revelmode will be centered around video creation, game development, charity and anything “awesome” in the eyes of fans.

Other PewDiePieness

On 5/2/16, PewDiePie tweeted a pic of his inclusion in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. Influential translates to money. With 43.7 million YouTube subscribers and 7.5 million Twitter followers, the leader of the bro army gets a ton of ad money.

Sources

The New York Times