Juan Manuel Santos Highest-Paid Politician in the World

By Carol Kearney
Bogotá
Last updated on June 24, 2025

Juan Manuel Santos led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid politicians” released on Monday.

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It's been a rough year for the politician, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 73-year-old Juan Manuel Santos has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid politicians for 2025 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 24/06/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Juan Manuel Santos tops annual list of highest-paid politicians

In 2022 it looked like the politician’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (June 23) that Santos is the highest-paid politician in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between May 2024 and May 2025, a nearly $40 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 Colombian politician has an estimated net worth of $215 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 Santos Burger” chain) in Bogotá, a Football Team (the “Bogotá Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondersantos - Colombia), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Juan Manuel) and a fashion line called “Juan Manuel Santos Seduction”.

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