Gilberto Gil Highest-Paid Musician in the World

By Carol Kearney
Brasília
Last updated on April 17, 2025

Gilberto Gil led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid musicians” released on Wednesday.

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It's been a rough year for the musician, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 82-year-old Gilberto Gil has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid musicians for 2025 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 17/04/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Gilberto Gil tops annual list of highest-paid musicians

In 2022 it looked like the musician’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Wednesday (April 16) that Gil is the highest-paid musician in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between March 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $50 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Brazilian musician-guitarist-singer has an estimated net worth of $245 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Gil Burger” chain) in Brasília, a Football Team (the “Salvador de Bahia Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondergil - Brazil), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Gilberto) and a fashion line called “Gilberto Gil Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Gilberto fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.