Youssou N'Dour Highest-Paid Singer in the World

By Carol Kearney
Dakar
Last updated on April 11, 2025

Youssou N'Dour led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid singers” released on Thursday.

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It's been a rough year for the singer, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 65-year-old Youssou N'Dour has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid singers for 2025 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 11/04/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Youssou N'Dour tops annual list of highest-paid singers

In 2022 it looked like the singer’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Thursday (April 10) that N'Dour is the highest-paid singer in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between March 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $20 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 Senegalese singer-business man-politician has an estimated net worth of $145 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 N'Dour Burger” chain) in Dakar, a Football Team (the “Dakar Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondern'Dour - Senegal), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Youssou) and a fashion line called “Youssou N'Dour Seduction”.

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