Emma Stone earned $26 million (about £20.2 million) in 2017, making her the highest-paid actress in the world, according to Forbes.

At just 28 years old, Stone saw her annual income rise by 160 per cent, thanks in no small part to her Oscar-winning performance in La La Land opposite Ryan Gosling. This is the first time the actress has made the prestigious rich list, overtaking her good friend Jennifer Lawrence - who previously topped the list for the last two years in a row.

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Lawrence was placed third in this year's round-up after earning $24 million (about £18.7 million). In second place was Jennifer Aniston, who earned $25.5 million (about £19.8 million) over the past 12 months due to a range of films and endorsement deals, including campaigns for Emirates airlines and Aveeno skincare.

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According to the finance magazine, the highest-paid British actress is Emma Watson, who came fifth on the global list. She joined the top 10 for the first time this year, having earned $14 million (about £10.9 million) thanks to her portrayal of Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

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An encouraging takeaway from this year's list is that, despite the many tales we continue to hear about Hollywood ageism, 60 per cent of the top 10 are over 40 including Melissa McCarthy, Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett.

Unfortunately, the list still lags behind when it comes to diversity; there were no black or Asian actresses in this year's top 10. Last year's inclusions of Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and Indian star Deepika Padukone dropped off this year's list because they made fewer films in the last 12 months, according to the magazine.

Natalie Robehmed, associate editor at Forbes, told Harper's Bazaar: "This year's ranking did not include a single actress of colour. Last year, Deepika Padukone and Fan Bingbing made the cut, but this year both failed to earn the $11.5 million entry due to quieter schedules, Forbes estimates.

"The lack of diversity on the list comes down to roles: Only 28.3% of all speaking roles across formats go to characters from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, according to a 2016 study. That means there are simply fewer characters—and fewer high-paying roles—written for women of colour. When studios, directors and screenwriters begin creating more main characters for women of colour in the types of big budget movies that pay huge upfront fees and backend profits, we'll see more actors of colour on the list."

Below is the 2017 list of Forbes' Highest-Paid Actresses in full:

  1. Emma Stone - $26 million
  2. Jennifer Aniston - $25.5 million
  3. Jennifer Lawrence - $24 million
  4. Melissa McCarthy - $18 million
  5. Mila Kunis - $15.5 million
  6. Emma Watson - $14 million
  7. Charlize Theron - $14 million
  8. Cate Blanchett - $12 million
  9. Julia Roberts - $12 million
  10. Amy Adams - $11.5 million
From: Harper's BAZAAR UK
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Olivia Blair
Olivia Blair is Talent Editor at Hearst UK, working predominantly across Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Timothée Chalamet and Cynthia Erivo over the years.