10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World (2022)

This article contains the list of the world’s top 10 highest-paid female athletes in 2022. According to Forbes, Naomi Osaka is the current highest-paid female athlete in the world, overtaking Serena Williams.

Who are the remaining highest-paid female athletes in the world? — Find out as you read on. These athletes have amassed wealth through earnings from their careers and even endorsement deals. And according to findings made by RNN, it has been deduced that a large part of the amount earned by these female athletes is from “Off-field earnings” such as endorsements. Below is the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world.

READ: Forbes Top 10 Highest-Paid Athletes In The World 2022

The Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World

1. Naomi Osaka – $57.3 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athlete in the World – Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka is currently the highest-paid female athlete in the world. She is a Japanese Tennis player who has been able to secure for herself several endorsement deals alongside her career earnings, thereby amassing up to $57.3 million earnings over the years. Some of the brand partners she had worked with over the years include Loius Vuitton, Sweetgreen, and Tag Heuer. After then, she picked up shares in VR startup StatusPro and Daring Foods. And later, she released a collection of NFTs on Tom Brady’s Autograph platform and launched a skincare line; Kinlò.

Naomi Osaka on-the-field earnings equal $2.3 million, while her off-the-field earnings equal $55 million. She is also considered one of the best female athletes in the world due to her tennis career records.

READ: Top 10 Richest Tennis Players in the World (2022)

2. Serena Williams – $45.9 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Serena Williams

Serena Williams is second on the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. She is also considered one of the best female athletes as she has several winning records to her name. Serena Williams is a tennis legend but unfortunately experienced a drop in the World Tennis Association rankings. But despite the drop, her sponsorships and businesses still sustained her, she still made it to second on the list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world.

Serena Williams has deals with Nike, Gatoade, and even DirecTV. She is an executive producer on the 2021 film, King Richard. And she also has investments in more than 60 startups through her firm, Serena Ventures.

Serena Williams’ on-the-field earnings are equal to $0.9 million ($900,000), while her off-the-field earnings are equal to $45 million.

3. Venus Williams – $11.3 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Venus Williams

Venus Williams is an American Tennis player and sister to Serena Williams. She is also considered one of the best female athletes in the game. Although she has been making more minor appearances in the WTA Tour recently, she still remains third on the list of the highest-earning female athletes in the world. Most of her earnings are from sponsorships and brand deals (this includes her own brand). And she also owns a small stake in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins with her sister Serena.

Also, she was an executive producer alongside her sister on the film, King Richard. And her brand, EleVen, is in collaboration with K-swiss.

Venus Williams on the field earnings is $300,000, while her off-the-field earnings are $11 million. All together, her earnings equal $11.3 million.

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4. Simone Biles – $10.1 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Simone Biles

Simone Biles is fourth on the Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes in the world. She is also one of the most popular and highest-earning female gymnasts in the world. Like others, she earns more from sponsorships and brand deals. Even after having to withdraw from many events during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she is still on the list of the highest-earning female athletes with a total earning of $10.1 million. Unfortunately, she had to withdraw from the finals citing mental health issues, but she still managed to win the Bronze Medal on the balance beam.

Simone Biles is no doubt one of the best and most popular female gymnasts in the world and her records are quite intriguing. She had partnered with Autograph to release NFTs starting in August 2021 and also joined the Cerebral mental health startup as Chief Impact Officer — this was where she had a mental health therapy session. Also, she was the face of a cross-country post-Olympics gymnastics tour, “the Gold Over America Tour”, with its initials spelling GOAT—an affirmation of her reputation as the sport’s greatest of all time.

Simone Biles’ on-the-field earnings equal $100,000, while her off-the-field earnings equal $10 million.

5. Garbiñe Muguruza – $8.8 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Garbiñe Muguruza

Garbiñe Muguruza had picked up on her career in 2021, she won three tournaments. This led to a push to the number 3 spot in the women’s tennis rankings that ended up triggering significant sponsor bonuses. She has gotten endorsement deals from companies including Babolat, Jaguar, Adidas, and Nivea.

Garbiñe Muguruza’s on-the-field earnings equal $2.8 million, while her off-the-field earnings equal $6 million.

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6. Jin Young Ko – $7.5 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Jin Young Ko

Jin Young Ko is one of the highest-earning female athletes in the world and one of the top female golfers in the world. She earns from sponsorships from her native South Korea; an acclaimed golf-crazy country. Her partners include LG Electronics, Korean Air, Jeju SamDaSoo mineral water, and, Rejuran Skincare products. She also had a win in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November where she earned $1.5 million.

Jin Young Ko’s on-the-field earnings are estimated at $3.5 million and her off-the-field earnings are $4 million.

7. P.V Sindhu – $7.2 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – P.V Sindhu

Following her silver-medal-winning performance in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, P.V Sindhu also won a bronze Olympic medal in 2021. Making her the first Indian woman with two Olympic medals. Adding about four sponsors since her return home, she is now one of the highest-earning female athletes in the world. These sponsors include Spinny to mention but a few and also, partners such as Li-ning sportswear and India’s Bank of Baroda.

P.V Sindhu’s total on-field earnings are $200,000, while his off-the-field earnings are $7 million.

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8. Ashleigh Barty – $6.9 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty is one of the world’s top-ranked women’s tennis players and also the reigning Wimbledon champion. She recently signed a sponsorship deal with Marriott Bonvoy. She is also currently 8th on the Forbes list of the highest-paid female athletes in the world in 2022.

Ashleigh Barty’s on-the-field earnings are $3.9 million, while her off-the-field earnings are $3 million.

9. Nelly Korda – $5.9 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Nelly Korda

Nelly Korda is an American Golfer and the top-ranked women’s golfer. She has more than 10 sponsors including Hanwha Q Cells, a manufacturer of Solar Cells, and UKG, a Tech Company.

Nelly Korda earns up to $2.4 million on the field and $3.5 million off the field, making her one of the highest-earning female athletes in the world in 2022 according to Forbes.

10. Candace Parker – $5.7 Million

Highest-Paid Female Athletes in the World – Candace Parker

Candace Parker is an American Basketball player who makes most of her money from endorsements and partnering with brands. It is so because her annual off-the-court pay is more than double her 14 years salary in the WNBA. She is the first woman to appear on the cover of an NBA 2K video game in 2021. And was also among the star athletes to invest in the trading-card exchange Alt in a funding round announced in November 2021. Also, she has a lucrative contract which was extended last year as an NBA analyst for Turner Sports.

Candace Parker’s on-the-field earnings are $200,000, while her off-the-field earnings are estimated at $5.5 million.

READ: The Top 10 Richest NBA Players (2022)

Infographics Representation of the Highest-Paid Female Athletes’ Net Worth

Top 10 Highest-Paid Female Athletes in 2022

• Naomi Osaka – $57.3 Million
• Serena Williams – $45.9 Million
• Venus Williams – $11.3 Million
• Simone Biles – $10.1 Million
• Garbiñe Muguruza – $8.8 Million
• Jin Young Ko – $7.5 Million
• P.V Sindhu – $7.2 Million
• Ashleigh Barty – $6.9 Million
• Nelly Korda – $5.9 Million
• Candace Parker – $5.7 Million

Conclusion

Conclusively, it is evident that most of these athletes do not get to acquire their wealth through their career earnings but through additional endorsements, sponsorships, and partnerships. And in this article, only Barty’s career earnings were a bit higher than her other earnings. But yet, it isn’t so for every other female athlete on this list.