Paul McCartney's Fortune Passes $1.4 Billion, Forbes Says
Paul McCartney's fortune has passed $1.4 billion, according to a Forbes estimate published on 9 November 2026. Billboard reported that the figure puts the former Beatle third on Forbes' list of the world's richest musicians. Jay-Z sits above him at an estimated $2.8 billion, and Taylor Swift at an estimated $2 billion.
Forbes gives music as the source of his wealth. Much of that comes from songwriting, which pays through publishing, the income from owning and licensing a song. McCartney once advised Michael Jackson to invest in publishing. Jackson then bought McCartney's Beatles publishing catalogue. Forbes also notes that McCartney has regained the US rights to his Beatles songs, while Sony owns those rights in the rest of the world.
Live work is the other big earner. Billboard reported in 2022, citing Billboard Boxscore, that his career touring grosses had passed $1 billion. Gross means the total from ticket sales, before costs are paid. Forbes says he took just over $100 million from solo shows in 2019 alone.
His recording career is still a large part of the story. The Beatles hold the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, with 20. McCartney has topped the chart nine times, through his solo work and with Wings, the band he formed in 1971 after the Beatles split.
Past estimates have varied widely. The UK's Sunday Times Rich List valued him at £680 million in 2013, and Forbes did not place him on its billionaires list that year. In 2008, press reports put his fortune at £825 million, about $1.6 billion, a figure Forbes disputed. Reuters has described McCartney as the first British musician to reach billionaire status.
Taylor Swift became a billionaire in October 2023, according to Forbes. McCartney, who Forbes lists as 84, is the third name on the musicians' list, and the first Briton on it.
