Mark Knopfler Highest-Paid Guitarist in the World

By Carol Kearney
Edinburgh
Last updated on July 22, 2025

Mark Knopfler led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid guitarists” released on Monday.

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It's been a rough year for the guitarist, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 75-year-old Mark Knopfler has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid guitarists for 2025 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 22/07/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Mark Knopfler tops annual list of highest-paid guitarists

In 2023 it looked like the guitarist’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (July 21) that Knopfler is the highest-paid guitarist in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between June 2024 and June 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 Scottish guitarist-singer-songwriter 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 Knopfler Burger” chain) in Edinburgh, a Football Team (the “Glasgow Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderknopfler - Scotland), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Mark) and a fashion line called “Mark Knopfler Seduction”.

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