Forbes names highest paid stars in annual Rich List

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What do Judge Judy and Paul McCartney have in common?

At 74 they are the two "oldest" people on the Forbes Celebrity Rich List, which names the world's highest paid stars of 2017.

McCartney is in 32nd spot with $US54 million ($A71.6 million) in earnings over the 12-month scoring period and Judy Sheindlin, who made $US47 million over that period, is in 43rd place.

kylie jenner kim kardashian forbes celebrity rich list

forbes celebrity rich list sir paul mccartney

Nineteen-year-old Kylie Jenner - a member of the Kardashian family who earns a small fortune from endorsements, her family's reality TV show, a namesake cosmetics company and clothing line - is the youngest person to make the cut, earning $US41 million, which puts her at 59 on the list.

But which celebrity made the most money of all? That would be Sean Combs, aka Diddy.

He raked in $US130 million thanks to his Bad Boy Family Reunion tour, a partnership with Diageo's Ciroc vodka and selling a third of his Sean John clothing line for an estimated $US70 million, according to Forbes.

Last year's top earner, Taylor Swift, dropped to 49th place this year, bringing in $US44 million, down from $US170 million.

"Even though Swift stayed relatively quiet in 2016, her net worth has benefited from continued earnings from her music, endorsements and merch," says Forbes.

With earnings of $US105 million, superstar Beyonce is second on the list. Her Formation world tour, which wrapped up in late 2016, grossed $US250 million, according to Forbes, and she also owns a stake in the streaming service Tidal.

In third place is JK Rowling, who made $US95 million and is one of only two authors to make the top 100. James Patterson is 9th with earnings of $US87 million.

forbes celebrity rich list cristiano ronaldo

Athletes also do well for themselves with 30 featuring on the list.

The top performers are FIFA's best player in the world last year, 32-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in fifth spot with $US95 million, and basketballer LeBron James, also 32, in 10th place with earnings of $US86 million.

No Australians make the cut this year but actor Chris Hemsworth may make it next year based on his expected earnings for Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

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Maria Bekiaris is editorial campaigns manager for Canstar and former deputy editor of Money. She holds a Bachelor's degree in business.