Top 20 most famous people in the world in 2024 (updated)
To gain fame, one must be exceptionally talented or do something extraordinary that captivates many people. It is difficult to draw people's attention, but some have stood out and gained immense popularity, especially on social media. These personalities have excelled in their professions and have a massive following, making them some of the most popular celebrities globally.
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There are different opinions on how to identify the most famous personality in the world. It can be challenging to pinpoint who owns the title. However, some measure popularity based on the number of followers one has on social media, based on wealth, and many more factors.
Who's the most famous person in the world?
Many people, including footballers, musicians, politicians, content creators, and other professionals, are considered famous due to their achievements and work.
Who is the #1 most popular celebrity? Here is a list of the most famous people in no particular order.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
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- Full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
- Date of birth: 5 February 1985
- Age: 39 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, Funchal, Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best football players in history. He is an accomplished footballer and has won the prestigious Ballon d'Or award five times and other trophies, such as the Champions League, English Premier League, and Spanish La Liga.
Ronaldo has played for top European football clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo first rose to prominence in 2003 when he joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon and impressed many football fanatics with his athleticism and goal-scoring skills.
2. Lionel Messi
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- Full name: Lionel Andrés Messi
- Date of birth: 24 June 1987
- Age: 36 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Rosario, Argentina
Who is the most loved person in the world? Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional soccer player widely regarded as one of the greatest and most loved footballers ever. He spent most of his professional career playing for FC Barcelona, where he achieved numerous individual and team accomplishments.
Messi is known for his incredible dribbling skills, precise ball control, exceptional vision, and ability to score goals from various positions on the field. Lionel Messi has won numerous awards multiple times, including the prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or.
3. Kylie Jenner
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- Full name: Kylie Kristen Jenner
- Date of birth: 10 August 1997
- Age: 26 years (as of June 2024)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Kylie Kristen Jenner is an American TV personality, model, and businesswoman. She has a thriving TV career, featured in multiple television series, including Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Early Ventures, and Rise of Kylie Cosmetics.
She is a regular Instagram user boasting a significant following on the platform and is one of the most well-known person in the world. Kylie Jenner also endorses numerous brands, such as Madden Girls and Sinful Colors.
4. Selena Gomez
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- Full name: Selena Marie Gomez
- Date of birth: 22 July 1992
- Age: 31 years (as of June 2024)
- Place of birth: Grand Prairie, Texas, United States
She is an American actress, singer, and film producer. Selena Gomez is recognized for her Spring Breakers, Monte Carlo, and Getaway movie roles.
The entertainer has three solo music albums and several songs, such as Calm Down, Taki Taki, It Ain't, Back to You, Wolves, and Lose You to Love Me.
5. Dwayne Johnson
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- Full name: Dwayne Douglas Johnson
- Date of birth: 2 May 1972
- Age: 51 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Hayward, California, United States
Dwayne Johnson, famous as The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He has been in the entertainment scene since 1996, when he debuted as a wrestler on WWF and was then known as Rocky Maivia.
He is also a bigwig in the movie industry, boasting over 90 acting credits. His popular movies include Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Moana, Doom, and Ballers.
6. Ariana Grande
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- Full name: Ariana Grande-Butera
- Date of birth: 26 June 1993
- Age: 30 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Boca Raton, Florida, United States
She is an Italian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Ariana Grande is famous for her thriving music career and has released over ten music albums.
The singer gained popularity due to her powerful vocals and detail of her personal life, which grabbed the media's attention. She has starred in a few movies, such as Don't Look Up (2018).
7. Kim Kardashian
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- Full name: Kimberly Noel Kardashian
- Date of birth: 21 October 1980
- Age: 43 years (as of June 2024)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Kim is another most known person in the world. She is an American media personality, model, and businessperson. Kim Kardashian first attracted public attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton. Later, she became a TV personality, appearing in 2 Broke Girls, Love Advent, Ocean's Eight, and For SKIMS.
8. Beyoncé
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- Full name: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter
- Date of birth: 4 September 1981
- Age: 42 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Houston, Texas, United States
She is an American singer, songwriter, and actress regarded as one of the most influential female musicians of the 21 century. Beyoncé Knowles sings hip-hop, R&B, and soul music and has been in the US-music industry since 1997.
Her famous hits include Irreplaceable, Brown Skin Girl, Already, and Crazy in Love. She is also an actress and has been featured in movies such as Obsessed (2009).
9. Khloe Kardashian
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- Full name: Khloé Alexandra Kardashian
- Date of birth: 27 June 1984
- Age: 39 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Khloe is a reality TV star, model, and businesswoman from the United States of America. She is also known as Kim Kardashian's younger sister.
She gradually rose to fame following her appearance on the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and has been featured in multiple TV shows since then. Khloe Kardashian enjoys a massive following across social media platforms, especially Instagram, where she shares pictures.
10. Justin Bieber
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- Full name: Justin Drew Bieber
- Date of birth: 1 March 1994
- Age: 29 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: St. Joseph's Hospital, London, Canada
He is a Canadian singer and songwriter focusing on Pop, R&B, and dance-pop music genres. The singer ventured into the music industry in 2007 and has released several albums and hits.
His well-known songs include Sorry, Despacito, Essence, Love Yourself, and Mistletoe. Justin Bieber is married to American model Hailey Rhode Bieber.
11. Elon Musk
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- Full name: Elon Reeve Musk
- Date of birth: 28 June 1971
- Age: 52 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla and Space X and the owner of Twitter. He co-founded Tesla in 2003, owning 23% of the stake. Elon Musk is one of the world's richest man, with an estimated net worth of $217.7 billion. Time Magazine also named him Person of the Year in 2021.
12. Bill Gates
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- Full name: William Henry Gates III
- Date of birth: 28 October 1955
- Age: 68 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Seattle, Washington
Bill Gates is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, a company that has become the biggest PC software entity.
He also held many positions during his career journey, including chairman, CEO, president, and chief software architect, which gave him much respect and insight in his industry.
13. Robert Downey Jr.
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- Full name: Robert John Downey Jr.
- Date of birth: 4 April 1965
- Age: 58 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: New York City, US
Robert is a world-renowned Hollywood actor, producer, and singer. Robert Downey Jr. exemplary skills have made him one of the highest-paid actors, with blockbuster hit movies like Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and Chaplin.
14. Will Smith
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- Full name: Willard Carroll Smith Jr.
- Date of birth: 25 September 1968
- Age: 55 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Known by his stage name, The Fresh Prince, Will Smith is a black Hollywood actor, producer, singer, and lyricist. He has several accolades, including 5 Golden Globe Awards, 4 Grammy Awards, and 2 Academy Award nominations.
His best films include Bad Boys (1995) and the sequel (2003). Will also has a YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers and has staged with other actors and music icons, such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he worked on five albums.
15. Jeff Bezos
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- Full name: Jeffrey Preston Bezos
- Date of birth: 12 January 1964
- Age: 60 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon Inc, an American multinational tech company estimated to have a market cap of about $1.6 trillion. He also founded a space exploration company, Blue Origin, in 2000.
Bezos recently resigned as the company president to pursue his Space interest, becoming the second billionaire to travel to space, which he completed in 11 minutes. Jeff Bezos' net worth is estimated to be $147 billion.
16. Tiger Woods
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- Full name: Eldrick Tont Woods
- Date of birth: 30 December 1975
- Age: 48 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Cypress, California
As an American professional golfer, Tiger Woods is among the greatest golfers of all time, with numerous records. He was also ranked 1st in the Forbes list of richest players 11 times.
He took a break from the field in 2010 to resolve his marital issues but emerged later stronger and became the world's first golfer for consecutive weeks.
17. Mark Zuckerberg
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- Full name: Mark Elliot Zuckerberg
- Date of birth: 14 May 1984
- Age: 39 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: White Plain, New York
Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most famous people in the world, known as the co-founder, CEO, and chairman of Facebook, a social media platform recently rebranded to include the metaverse.
Time magazine named Mark Zuckerberg among the 100 most influential people in the world as part of the Person of the Year award. He was also ranked 10th in the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People.
18. Rihanna
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- Full name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
- Date of birth: 20 February 1988
- Age: 36 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: St. Michael, Barbados.
Rihanna is a talented singer, songwriter, and actress who rose to fame due to her fashion style, versatility, and melodious voice.
She discovered her singing talent while still in high school, and her debut album, Pon de Reply, gave her much recognition during her early musical journey. Besides her singing career, Rihanna runs a Fenty Beauty cosmetic company and a Savage X Fenty lingerie company.
19. Taylor Swift
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- Full name: Taylor Alison Swift
- Date of birth: 13 December 1989
- Age: 34 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: West Reading, Pennsylvania
Taylor Swift is an American singer and songwriter who has won global recognition due to her songwriting skills. Her second studio album was certified as a Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2008.
From the records, Taylor Swift is among the best-selling female music artists, with 11 Grammy Awards, 2 Brits Awards, and 49 Guinness World Records.
20. Jennifer Lopez
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- Full name: Jennifer Lynn Lopez
- Date of birth: 24 July 1969
- Age: 54 years (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: New York City
Jennifer Lopes, popularly known as J.Lo, is an American singer and actress who started her music career as a dancer in 1991. She was also the first Latin actress to pocket over $1 million in her leading role in a 1997 film. Her films have garnered over $3.1 billion with over 70 million global sales.
Source: UGC
It may be difficult to determine who the most famous person in the world is. Certain individuals have attained global fame and enormous appeal across varied audiences. Factors such as talent, achievements, influence, media visibility, and widespread appeal contribute to their fame.
Legit.ng recently published a list of the best rappers in Nigeria. Nigeria is home to some of Africa's most talented music artists. Some of the country's music bigwigs have graced international music events and bagged coveted music awards.
The Nigerian music industry is mushrooming with talented rappers, and knowing who tops the list is challenging. This article highlights some rappers who have gained recognition in the entertainment sector due to their rapping prowess.
Source: Legit.ng
