It is difficult to determine the “most famous people in the world” as fame is subjective and can vary depending on a person’s region, profession, and personal interests. However, some who are widely recognized and considered to be influential or famous include celebrities such as athletes, tech giants’ founders, actors, and fashion influencers.
In this post, we will take a look at the top 20 most famous people in the world. You can skip the well-known names and read the list to know the most famous person in the world.
Take a look at the list of the 20 most famous people in the world, and tell us if you think someone else should be included in the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the greatest football players of all time, with an impressive record of over 700 goals scored for club teams and over 100 goals scored for his national team. He is also highly active on social media, with a large following of over 525 million followers on Instagram, making him the first person to surpass 500 million followers on the platform.
Additionally, according to Forbes’ 2020 list, he is the world’s highest-paid celebrity. His skill on the field, social media presence, and commercial endorsements have made him one of the most popular and successful athletes in the world.
Ronaldo joined Al Nasser after departing from Manchester United. He is a family man and has six children and lives with his mother and his long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.
Dwyane Johnson
Dwayne Johnson, commonly referred to as “The Rock,” is a globally renowned individual. His career as a professional wrestler in WWE and his current pursuits as an actor and producer have all contributed to his immense popularity.
Johnson recently starred in the film “Black Adam” and is considered one of Hollywood’s highest-earning actors, with 355 million followers on Instagram.
Leo Messi
Lionel Andres Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is a renowned footballer from Argentina who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and has previously played for Barcelona. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players in the world, alongside legends such as Pele and Ronaldo.
Messi has helped lead Argentina to victory in the World Cup, ending a 36-year drought that began with Maradona. As Peter Durry stated, “Lionel Messi has shaken hands with paradise.”
He was among the highest-paid footballers in the world for five consecutive years, from 2009 to 2014. Messi has also won the Ballon d’Or award six times and has been named on numerous lists of the world’s most influential people.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift (born Taylor Alsion Swift) is an American singer-songwriter. Five of her songs have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Shake It Off” (2014), “Blank Space” (2014), and “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017). She won several awards for her music.
Taylor Swift has set numerous streaming and sales records with her recent release of her 10th studio album, “Midnights.” Since her debut album was released on October 24, 2006, at the age of sixteen, Swift has established herself as a leading artist in the music industry. The first single from her debut album, “Tim McGraw,” was released on June 19 of that same year. Swift has received 46 Grammy nominations and has won 11 Grammy awards. In addition, she is highly popular on social media, with 238 million followers at the time of writing.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande Butera, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is a versatile artist from the United States. She began her career in the entertainment industry at the age of 15, starring in the 2007 Broadway production of “14.” She gained fame as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon shows “Victorious” and “Sam and Cat.”
Ariana has sold over 85 million records worldwide and all of her studio albums are certified platinum or higher. She has a large social media following and in 2019, she was the most followed woman on Instagram with over 300 million followers on the platform.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder, CEO, and chairperson of Facebook, as well as the parent company Meta Platforms. Since 2008, Time magazine has named Zuckerberg one of the world’s 100 most influential people as part of its Person of the Year award.
He is also among the top five wealthiest individuals in America. Zuckerberg’s net worth was $42.4 billion as of December 2022, making him the world’s 26th richest person. A film based on his life, “The Social Network,” was released in 2010.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a renowned entrepreneur and investor, and as of 2022, he is the world’s richest man with an estimated net worth of $228 billion. He is the founder, CEO, and chief engineer of Tesla, as well as the owner and CEO of Twitter. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and later moved to Canada at the age of 18, where he acquired Canadian citizenship through his Canadian-born mother.
He is one of the world’s most famous people in 2022, known for his ambitious and innovative business ventures.
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos is the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon. According to Forbes, he is the world’s fourth richest person, with a net worth of $114 billion as of November 2022. He held the title of the wealthiest person in the world from 2017 to 2021.
In 2021, his space trip with his half-brother, Mark, made headlines. The flight lasted over ten minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 66.5 miles (107km).
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr., commonly known as LeBron James, is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely referred to as “King James,” he is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and is often compared to the all-time great, Michael Jordan.
Throughout his career, James has achieved numerous accolades, including four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player awards, four NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards, three All-Star Game Most Valuable Player awards, and two Olympic gold medals.
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty, known professionally as Rihanna, is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She released her debut album “Music of the Sun” in 2005 and her second album “A Girl Like Me” in 2006, both of which peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart. Throughout
Throughout her career, Rihanna has sold over 250 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has received numerous awards, including nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and 6 Guinness World Records.
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, commonly known as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer, widely considered one of the most popular and highest-paid actors in the world. His films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $11 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time.
He began his acting career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence with leading roles in the films “Risky Business” and “Top Gun.”
Throughout his career, Cruise has primarily appeared in science fiction and action films, establishing himself as a prominent action star, known for performing many of his own stun
He has been married three times, to actresses Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes, and has three children, two of whom were adopted during his marriage to Nicole Kidman and the other of whom is a daughter he had with Holmes.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. is an American actor and producer, known for his diverse and accomplished career in the entertainment industry. Despite facing some personal challenges, including a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, he has managed to revive his career and become one of the most successful and respected actors in Hollywood.
In 2008, he was named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Additionally, from 2013 to 2015, he was listed by Forbes as Hollywood’s highest-paid actor.
Robert Downey Jr. made his acting debut at the young age of 5 in his father’s film “Pound” in 1970. He then went on to gain global recognition for his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man in ten films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with “Iron Man” and ending with “Avengers: Endgame”. This role has solidified him as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and cemented his place in pop culture history.
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian, commonly known as Kim Kardashian, is an American media personality and businesswoman. She rose to prominence as a friend and stylist for Paris Hilton, and has since become widely popular on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, where she has over 300 million followers.
In 2015, she was included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. Along with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, she launched the fashion boutique chain Dash, which operated from 2006 to 2018. Kim also founded KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance in 2017.
She and her family starred in the reality television series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (2007-2021) which led to other spin-off shows such as “Kourtney and Kim Take New York”, “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami”, and “Kardashians: The Next Generation”.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American media personality and businesswoman. She starred in the reality television series, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” from 2007 to 2021. Kylie has a strong presence on social media and is currently the third-most-followed person on the platform.
Jenner founded Kylie Cosmetics and launched her own cosmetics line, originally called Kylie Lip Kits, which was later renamed Kylie Cosmetics. In 2017, she was included on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list, making her the youngest person to be featured on the list.
Bill Gates
William Henry “Bill” Gates III, commonly known as Bill Gates, is the co-founder of Microsoft, which became the world’s largest personal computer software company. He held the title of the richest person in the world from 1995 to 2017, with the exception of 2010 to 2013. As of November 2022, his estimated net worth was $107 billion, making him the fifth richest person in the world.
In addition to his work with Microsoft, Gates and his then-wife, Melinda, founded a private charitable foundation called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He is also known as one of the most famous people in the world in 2022, known for his philanthropic work and his role in shaping the technology industry.
Justin Beiber
Justin Drew Bieber, commonly known as Justin Bieber, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor. He has played an influential role in modern popular music, gaining recognition around 2008 and establishing himself as a teen idol with the release of his debut seven-track EP “My World” in 2009.
e became the first artist in history to have five number-one US albums by the age of 18. He is considered one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 150 million records worldwide.
Time magazine named Bieber one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and he was included in Forbes’ list of the top 10 most powerful celebrities in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey, commonly known as Oprah, is an American media executive, talk show host, television producer, actress, and author. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry. She is best known for her long-running talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed “the Queen of All Media,” she was the richest African American of the 20th century and once the world’s only black billionaire.
She is also a philanthropist and actively involved in various humanitarian causes. Her Harpo Productions has produced shows like Dr.Phil, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show, and many more. She was also honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013.
Oprah was born into poverty and faced many struggles in the early phases of her life. However, she persevered and by the age of 19, she had become a co-anchor for the local evening news. She continued to rise through the ranks of the media industry, and in 1994, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Oprah is considered one of the most famous people in the world in 2022.
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont Tiger Woods (aka Tiger Woods) is an American professional golfer. Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time and is one of the most famous athletes in modern history.
Tiger Woods turned professional at age 20 in August 1996, and immediately signed advertising deals with Nike, Inc, and Titleist that ranked as the most lucrative endorsement contracts in golf history at that time.
Woods has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings.
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez is an American singer, actress, and producer, who rose to prominence for her role as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place” (2007-2012).
For her music career, she has received various accolades and was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2017, and she also broke 15 Guinness World Records. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
In addition to her career in the entertainment industry, Gomez has been actively involved in charitable work and has served as a UNICEF ambassador since the age of 17. She is considered among the most famous people in the world in 2022, known for her talent and her philanthropic efforts.
Instagram: @selenagomez – 367 million followers
Facebook: Selena Gomez – 60 Million followers
Twitter: @selenagomez – 66.5 million followers
Net Worth: $95 million
Tell us what you think about the list. If you would like to add more to the list who would it be? Read more: Top 10 Most Handsome Men in 2022
