Forbes has reported that the group collectively made around £90 million in 2016 despite being on hiatus.
The band comfortably beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (£72 million), Adele (£66 million), and Roger Federer (£56 million). In the world stage only Taylor Swift earned more than the boys with a staggering £170 million.
British artists dominated the list with The Rolling Stones, Calvin Harris, Sir Paul McCartney, and U2 making the top 10.
Forbes made the list based on information from Nielsen, Pollstar, Box Office Mojo, Songkick and IMDB, as well as interviews with the some of the celebrities and insiders. One Directions earnings appear to have come from sponsorship deals with Pepsi and Colgate as well as their huge On The Road Again world tour. The tour took in a massive £170 million over 80 shows.
@clairevendi I’m ?certain that we will
— Liam (@LiamPayne) December 17, 2016
Although the band are on hiatus a recent tweet from member Liam Payne has given hope to fans by saying he is “100% certain” the band will reunite in a recent Twitter Q&A.
