Sir Paul McCartney has become a billionaire and is now the world's third-richest musician, according to Forbes, which has ranked his net worth at approximately 1.4 billion dollars (£1 billion).
The 84-year-old rose to fame with the Beatles and went on to build a hugely successful solo career after the band disbanded in 1970. He is now one of the best-selling music artists of all time and has been awarded an Academy Award, an Emmy and 19 Grammys.
How McCartney's fortune is built
Forbes cited Sir Paul's catalogue, legal manoeuvres, tours and art collection as making up the majority of his fortune. The biggest share derives from MPL Communications, his publishing company launched in 1969, which manages both his catalogue and other artists' copyrights.
The company owns thousands of songs, including catalogues acquired from other artists such as Buddy Holly, as well as Broadway musical scores and Christmas standards like It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas and The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire). These account for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, according to Forbes.
Beatles earnings and tours
As one of the four Beatles – also including Ringo Starr and the late John Lennon and George Harrison – McCartney receives 25% of earnings from the band's Apple Corps holding company, which generates 50 million dollars (£37 million) annually from streaming, vinyl sales and merchandise. Forbes estimated this income stream was worth more than 150 million dollars (£111 million) for each member or their estate.
The musician also earns 10 million dollars (£7 million) annually based on his share of songwriting copyrights from the Beatles, worth at least 200 million dollars (£148 million). His revenue also includes world tours, including his most recent one, Got Back, which ran for 79 shows from 2022 until 2025.
His real estate portfolio includes properties across the UK and the Hamptons, and his art collection includes paintings from Picasso and Magritte.
Career highlights and recent releases
The Beatles became the best-selling musical act of all time and one of the most influential groups in the world, achieving 16 UK number one albums and 18 UK number one singles including Help!, Hey Jude and She Loves You. Following their split in 1970, Sir Paul released his debut solo album McCartney and formed the band Wings with his late wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.
In May this year he released his latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which debuted at number one on the UK official album charts. He also appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live and performed the Beatles song I Want To Hold Your Hand at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Garden in July.
McCartney is now the world's third-richest musician, behind Jay-Z with 2.8 billion dollars (£2 billion) and Taylor Swift with two billion dollars (£1.4 billion).
