NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence on Thursday topped a Forbes list of the world's highest-paid actresses, earning some US$52 million (S$73 million) in the past year but still far behind the best paid actor.

Lawrence, who won an Oscar in 2013 for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, also had income for being the face of French fashion and beauty company Dior but her combined earnings came nowhere close to the estimated US$80 million of Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr.

He topped Forbes' list earlier in August of the highest paid male actors.

Lawrence, 25, made headlines last year when hacked Sony Pictures e-mails revealed she earned a lower cut of profits from the movie American Hustle than her male counterparts.

Forbes noted that only four of the women on this year's highest-paid list, which takes into account earnings from movies, television, endorsements and other sources, made more than US$20 million, while 21 male actors reached that level.

Lawrence towered above Scarlett Johansson, second on the actress list with an estimated US$35.5 million, and Mike & Molly star Melissa McCarthy with US$23 million, Forbes said.

Actresses rounding out the top five on the Forbes list were China's Fan Bingbing, who appeared in X-Men: Days Of Future Past (US$21 million), and former Friends star Jennifer Aniston (US$16.5 million), who also earns money from promoting cosmetics and bottled water.

Last year's top-earning actress, Sandra Bullock, saw her payday drop to US$8 million from US$51 million after a quiet 12 months.

Forbes estimated earnings from June 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015, before subtracting management fees and taxes, based on data from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, as well as interviews with agents, managers and lawyers.