Forbes has valued former Beatle Paul McCartney's fortune at US$1.4 billion, placing him behind only Jay-Z and Taylor Swift among the world's richest musicians.

Published 10 Nov 2026, 19:33 GMT

2 min read

Paul McCartney seated in front of his record collection — Paul McCartney

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Former Beatle Paul McCartney has joined the world's billionaires after *Forbes* valued his net worth at US$1.4 billion (£1.04 billion) on Monday, November 9.

The valuation places McCartney as the world's third-richest musician, behind American rapper Jay-Z at US$2.8 billion (£2.01 billion) and pop star Taylor Swift at US$2 billion (£1.49 billion).

The 84-year-old British songwriter draws most of his wealth from his publishing company, MPL Communications. He established it in 1969 to control his intellectual property after early Beatles deals paid under a penny for each album sold.

"No matter how successful we made the company, we didn't get a raise," McCartney recalled in a 2017 essay quoted by CNN.

Beyond his solo songs, MPL's acquired copyrights—including the catalogue of Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes", Broadway musicals *Grease* and *Annie*, and Christmas standards like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"—are worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.

As a surviving Beatle alongside Ringo Starr, McCartney receives 25 per cent of earnings from Apple Corps, which generates about US$50 million (£37.2 million) a year from streaming, vinyl and merchandise.

After two decades of US and UK court battles to reclaim music royalties, his share of the Beatles' songwriting copyrights is valued at US$200 million (£148.8 million) and brings in roughly US$10 million (£7.4 million) annually.

His portfolio also includes UK and Hamptons properties, paintings by Magritte and Picasso, and revenue from 79 shows on his 2022–2025 *Got Back* tour, highlighting catalogue ownership in musicians' financial security.

Still active in his eighties, McCartney released *The Boys of Dungeon Lane* in May 2026 and sang "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at Madison Square Garden in July when Swift married Travis Kelce.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Paul McCartney becomes a billionaire at US$1.4bn, ranks as world&#39;s third-richest musician – Forbes

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Paul McCartney becomes a billionaire at US$1.4bn, ranks as world's third-richest musician – Forbes

2027 Budget: We'll protect the economic gains with greater fiscal discipline - Finance Minister