In this file photo taken on May 26, 2010 YouTube headquaters is pictured in San Bruno, California, the United States. (Xinhua/AFP)

Eight-year-old Ryan Kaji earned $26 million in 2019 on his YouTube channel, making him the highest-paid creator on the platform, according to a list published Wednesday by Forbes magazine.

Kaji, whose real name is Ryan Guan, was already the video platform's highest earner in 2018, with $22 million, according to Forbes.

His channel "Ryan's World," launched in 2015 by Ryan's parents, is only three years old but already has 22.9 million subscribers.

Initially called "Ryan ToysReview," the channel mostly consisted of "unboxing" videos - videos of the young star opening boxes of toys and playing with them.

Several of the videos have racked up more than one billion views, and the channel has received almost 35 billion views since its creation.

In Forbes's ranking, Ryan Kaji surpassed the channel "Dude Perfect," run by a group of friends from Texas who attempt seemingly impossible feats.

AFP