The job market is dynamic; while some of the jobs that are known today as some of the highest paying jobs in the world have always been important and highly rated, there are also new jobs that have recently risen in importance.
Young people are therefore faced with a wider range of jobs to choose from as they look for career options that are financially rewarding, and that can give them the power to live the lives they want.
Note that in some cases, while there is an average salary which is what most people in a certain position earn, there are always people earning far above, and far below that amount.
Top 100 Highest Paying Jobs In The World
1. Cardiologists
Average Salary: $351,821 Per Year
Cardiologists are special doctors. They are special in the sense that they have received special training in preventing, diagnosing, and treating heart conditions. Cardiologists are few and far in between, they are like the highest order in the medical profession.
Whenever people have heart conditions that require surgery, cardiologists are on hand to carry out these surgeries. They are experts on the heart muscle, and on all the blood vessels that carry blood to it.
With such a scarce, important, and inimitable skill set, it is no surprise that Cardiologists earn so much. While the average salary is $351,821 per year, some Cardiologists make well over $2 million per year.
2. Anesthesiologists
Average Salary: $326,296 Per Year
Anesthesiologists are medical professionals who help patients manage pain. They are doctors whose main duty is to administer anesthesia. As you may have guessed from their paychecks, this is very important work.
Anesthesiologists sometimes work on patients before surgeries. In fact, surgeries would not be possible without anesthesiologists, and any attempt to carry out these procedures without them would result in almost certain death for the patient.
Anesthesiologists also work with patients after the surgeries; they help make the recovery process smooth. Anesthesiologists are also involved in pain management and critical care.
3. Orthodontist
Average Salary: $264,850 Per Year
Orthodontists are medical professionals who specialize in treating problems of the teeth and jaws. These problems may be incorrectly set dentition, or misaligned bite patterns. Orthodontists also diagnose, prevent, and manage these problems; sometimes it is easier to treat these conditions before they worsen.
Orthodontists make a lot of money because there is a lot of demand for their work. Studies have not yet come to a conclusion as to why there is such a high prevalence of dental problems, but one thing is clear: it will continue to be so.
Orthodontists do much more than just repair people’s dental structures; they give people a sense of self-worth and pride; thus enabling people to have normal lives and careers, for which they would pay handsomely.
4. Psychiatrists
Average Salary: $244,577 Per Year
This is an important field of medicine; one that deals with the mind rather than the body. Psychiatrists are doctors who are trained to diagnose, treat and manage mental disorders. Their work also involves those who suffer from substance abuse, and those whose conditions may have been caused by physical trauma.
Psychiatrists are important doctors because people need to have sound mental health, just as much as they need to be strong in their bodies. This is key to enjoying a good quality of life, and to performing optimally in their careers.
Psychiatrists are highly paid for their work because their skills are quite scarce, and there are many people going about with different forms of mental illness.
5. Surgeons
Average Salary: $214,248 Per Year
Surgeons are doctors who specialize in evaluating and treating conditions that may require surgery, or making physical changes to the human body. Therefore, surgeons treat injuries or conditions by making changes to the body; sometimes replacing, removing, tissues or organs in the body.
Surgeons are most involved in saving lives because they are often the last resort of their patients. Surgeons sometimes specialize in treating accident victims, or other people who have suffered physical trauma.
Surgeons are often the highest earners in the medical facilities where they work, and while the average salary is $214,248, some go on to earn millions annually, and to become quite famous.
6. Periodontists
Average Salaries: $214,896 Per Year
Periodontists are dentists that specialize in treating conditions affecting the soft tissues that support your teeth. They also treat issues affecting the structure of the mouth; including the bones of the jaw.
Periodontists also prevent, manage, diagnose and treat periodontal diseases, and their work includes the placement of dental implants.
7. Physicians
Average Salaries: $202,387 Per Year
Physicians are doctors. The title generally refers to anyone who has earned a medical degree, but is more aptly used to describe a professional who practices medicine.
A physician restores health to his patients through the study, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disease, injury, and other causes.
Physicians can be general practitioners, or they can specialize in certain types of cases and illnesses.
8. Dentists
Average salaries: $196,497 Per Year
Dentists are also known as dental surgeons. They are healthcare professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of dental problems.
Their focus is on oral health; which is the health of the teeth, gums, and mouth. Dentists are important members of any healthcare delivery facility.
While they typically earn around $196,497 Per Year, most dentists prefer to establish their own private dental clinics, which affords them the chance to earn far more than that.
9. Internal Medicine Physician
Average Salaries: $194, 938
Internal Medicine Physicians are doctors that deal with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of internal ailments and diseases. This is a very important branch of medicine, although it does not typically involve much blood.
Internal Medicine Physicians do not typically meet patients who are experiencing medical emergencies, but they save just as many lives by detecting abnormalities on the inside of the patient’s body which could cause serious health problems.
These doctors often work with their patients for many years, thus forming good, healthy relationships.
10. Obstetricians
Average Salaries: $191,131
Obstetricians are doctors that specialize in delivering babies, as well as caring for women during and after pregnancy. They also specialize in treating health issues that may arise during pregnancy, and in performing surgeries during pregnancy.
People want their wives and babies to be in the best hands possible; which is why they pay good money for the best obstetricians they can find.
Obstetricians are integral parts of any healthcare establishment; they often rise to very prominent positions within the hospital frameworks.
The following is a more extensive list of the top 100 highest paying jobs in the world. However, the number of positions and average salaries reflect the existing job market in the United States. Nevertheless, the information can be used to determine the demand for any particular skill-set, and the possibility of finding not just money, but also job security.
| Position | Job Title | Average Salary | Number of Positions |
| 1 | Specialist Doctors: Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $206,500 | 375,390 |
| 2 | Airline Pilots, as well as Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $202,180 | 81,310 |
| 3 | Family Physicians and General Practitioners | $201,100 | 114,130 |
| 4 | Other Doctors and Surgeons | $200,890 | 389,180 |
| 5 | Nurse Anesthetists/ Junior Anesthetists | $195,610 | 43,950 |
| 6 | Psychiatrists | $194,740 | 25,630 |
| 7 | General Internists | $194,500 | 37,820 |
| 8 | Chief Executives (CEOs) | $179,520 (Excluding Bonuses) | 200,480 |
| 9 | Specialists Dentists/ Dental Surgeons | $175,160 | 4,750 |
| 10 | General Pediatricians | $170,560 | 28,490 |
| 11 | General Pediatricians | $170,480 | 33,620 |
| 12 | Dentists | $163,220 | 124,680 |
| 13 | General Dentists | $160,370 | 108,680 |
| 14 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $159,010 | 485,190 |
| 15 | Physicists | $152,430 | 20,020 |
| 16 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $152,350 | 187,100 |
| 17 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $148,030 | 27,790 |
| 18 | Astronomers and Physicists | $147,450 | 21,950 |
| 19 | Podiatrists | $145,840 | 8,840 |
| 20 | Natural Sciences Managers | $137,900 | 74,760 |
| 21 | Marketing Managers/ Marketing Team Leaders | $135,030 | 278,690 |
| 22 | Makeup Artists (for movies, theatres, and Television) | $134,750 | 1,960 |
| 23 | Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers | $134,630 | 124,080 |
| 24 | Financial Managers | $131,710 | 681,070 |
| 25 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $131,490 | 30,840 |
| 26 | Petroleum Engineers | $130,850 | 22,100 |
| 27 | Air Traffic Controllers | $129,750 | 21,230 |
| 28 | Marketing and Sales Managers | $129,330 | 732,490 |
| 29 | Pharmacists | $128,570 | 312,550 |
| 30 | Computer Hardware Engineers | $128,170 | 73,750 |
| 31 | Astronomers | $128,160 | 1,930 |
| 32 | Lawyers | $127,990 | 681,010 |
| 33 | Lawyers and Judicial Law Clerks | $127,690 | 695,810 |
| 34 | Compensation and Benefits Managers (Insurance) | $127,530 | 15,330 |
| 35 | Sales Managers | $127,490 | 453,800 |
| 36 | Medical Dosimetrists | $127,270 | 2,400 |
| 37 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | $127,150 | 22,520 |
| 38 | Purchasing Managers | $127,150 | 69,310 |
| 39 | Human Resources Managers | $126,230 | 166,530 |
| 40 | Public Relations Managers | $125,780 | 59,850 |
| 41 | All Other Managers (Including Industrial and Commercial) | $124,650 | 497,890 |
| 42 | Optometrists | $124,300 | 38,720 |
| 43 | Postsecondary Law Teachers | $123,470 | 14,110 |
| 44 | Database Designers and Managers | $123,430 | 50,440 |
| 45 | Political Scientists | $122,510 | 5,650 |
| 46 | Aerospace Engineers | $122,270 | 56,640 |
| 47 | Physician Assistants | $121,530 | 132,940 |
| 48 | Software Developers | $120,730 | 1,364,180 |
| 49 | Nurse Practitioners | $120,680 | 234,690 |
| 50 | Computer Network Architects | $120,520 | 168,830 |
| 51 | Nuclear Engineers | $120,380 | 12,670 |
| 52 | Training and Development Managers | $120,130 | 35,830 |
| 53 | Public Relations and Fundraising Managers | $119,860 | 83,040 |
| 54 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $118,370 | 30,070 |
| 55 | Managers In the Services Sector; Entertainment Managers, Except Gambling; and Managers | $116,350 | 469,160 |
| 56 | Public Relations and Fundraising Managers | $114,800 | 72,460 |
| 57 | Nurse Midwives | $112,830 | 7,750 |
| 58 | Other Judicial Workers/ Senior Workers in the Judicial System | $110,550 | 48,950 |
| 59 | Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $110,140 | 1,476,800 |
| 60 | Systems Software Developers | $110,000 | 405,330 |
| 61 | Computer Network Engineers (Installation and maintenance) | $109,020 | 152,670 |
| 62 | Mathematicians | $108,100 | 1,770 |
| 63 | Actuaries | $105,900 | 23,040 |
| 64 | Economists | $105,630 | 15,640 |
| 65 | Chemical Engineers | $105,550 | 24,180 |
| 66 | Industrial/Organizational Psychologists | $105,310 | 610 |
| 67 | Postsecondary Engineering Teachers | $104,940 | 35,440 |
| 68 | Postsecondary Economics Teachers | $104,940 | 11,790 |
| 69 | Electronics Engineers (Non Computer) | $104,820 | 107,170 |
| 70 | Nuclear Power Reactor Operators | $104,260 | 4,820 |
| 71 | Other Physical Scientists | $104,100 | 19,680 |
| 72 | Sales Engineers | $103,710 | 59,550 |
| 73 | Applications Software Developers | $103,620 | 903,160 |
| 74 | Postsecondary Engineering and Architecture Teachers | $103,340 | 41,380 |
| 75 | Industrial Production Managers | $103,150 | 192,270 |
| 76 | Software and Web Developers, Programmers, and Testers | $102,930 | 1,874,100 |
| 77 | Other Psychologists | $102,900 | 13,800 |
| 78 | Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers | $102,720 | 191,830 |
| 79 | Information Security Analysts | $102,600 | 157,220 |
| 80 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $102,550 | 13,840 |
| 81 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | $102,270 | 35,050 |
| 82 | Electrical and Electronics Engineers | $101,780 | 293,190 |
| 83 | Medical and Health Services Managers | $101,340 | 436,770 |
| 84 | Prosthodontists | $100,950 | 790 |
| 85 | Data Scientists | $100,910 | 105,980 |
| 86 | Art Directors/ Exhibition Curators | $100,890 | 42,080 |
| 87 | Fundraising Managers | $100,810 | 23,190 |
| 88 | All Other Engineers | $100,640 | 151,940 |
| 89 | Electrical Engineers | $100,420 | 186,020 |
| 90 | Veterinarians | $100,370 | 77,260 |
| 91 | All Other Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners | $100,300 | 26,250 |
| 92 | Administrative Services Managers | $100,170 | 224,620 |
| 93 | Materials Scientists | $100,090 | 6,690 |
| 94 | Financial Risk Analysts | $100,000 | 54,320 |
| 95 | Software Developers and Programmers | $99,920 | 1,666,270 |
| 96 | Computer and Information Analysts | $99,680 | 662,370 |
| 97 | Commercial Pilots | $99,640 | 42,770 |
| 98 | Nuclear Technicians | $99,340 | 5,360 |
| 99 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $99,330 | 128,230 |
| 100 | Administrative Services and Facilities Managers | $99,290 | 325,850 |
Related:
- Top 100 Highest Currencies In The World
- Top 100 Busiest Airports In The World
- Top 100 Business Schools In the World
Closing
This has been a presentation of the 100 highest paying jobs in the world. Of course, the particular terms used to describe certain jobs may differ from place to place, but by doing simple internet searches one can understand the job descriptions well enough.
Jobs with high number of positions usually indicate that there is high demand; and that new graduates will more easily find positions, thus guaranteeing job security. However, scarce skills; jobs that have few positions tend to pay higher.
Scarce skills also tend to give people more freedom to establish their own businesses or practices, and to add value to society.