Liya Kebede Highest-Paid Actress in the World

By Carol Kearney
Addis Ababa
Last updated on March 18, 2025

Liya Kebede led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid actresses” released on Monday.

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It's been a rough year for the actress, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 47-year-old Liya Kebede has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid actresses for 2025 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 18/03/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Liya Kebede tops annual list of highest-paid actresses

In 2022 it looked like the actress’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (March 17) that Kebede is the highest-paid actress in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between February 2024 and February 2025, a nearly $20 million lead over her 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 Ethiopian actress-model-business woman-fashion designer has an estimated net worth of $145 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Kebede Burger” chain) in Addis Ababa, a Football Team (the “Addis Ababa Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderkebede - Ethiopia), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Liya) and a fashion line called “Liya Kebede Seduction”.

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