At just 9 years old, Ryan Kaji has been YouTube’s highest earner (child or otherwise) for three years running, according to Forbes.
In 2015, when Ryan Kaji was three years old, he asked his parents why he wasn’t on YouTube like the other kids he was watching. So, Ryan’s parents created the channel Ryan ToysReview that same year, uploading videos of Ryan opening and playing with toys and conducting at-home science experiments.
Initially, they thought YouTube would be just another hobby for Ryan, like swimming or gymnastics. At the very least, it was a fun way to keep their extended families in Vietnam and Japan up-to-date on Ryan’s life in Texas. But in less than a year, Ryan ToysReview, which they later renamed Ryan’s World, was one of YouTube’s top kids’ channels.
Today, at just nine years old, Ryan is YouTube’s highest earner (child or otherwise) for three years in a row, pulling in an estimated $29.5 million in revenue in 2020 alone. Ryan’s World has more than 45 million subscribers across nine channels and has generated more than 62 billion lifetime views.