Paris Hilton -- I'm One of the Top 5 DJ's in the World ... Seriously.

Laugh all you want ... but Paris Hilton claims she's one of the TOP 5 highest paid DJ's in the world.

The heiress dropped the bombshell at LAX, after returning from a trip to Moscow ... when we asked if her foray into the world of electronic music has been paying off financially.

Her response -- "I'm one of the top 5 in the world, so..."

Here's the thing, it's definitely possible ... as we previously reported, Hilton inked a HUGE contract with one of the biggest clubs in Ibiza back in the summer after packing the house for several months in a row.

She didn't make the Forbes top 13 Electronic Cash Kings for 2013 ... but don't be surprised if she pops up on the list next year.

Still, Hilton has her work cut out for her ... the highest paid DJ in 2013 was Calvin Harris, who reportedly raked in $46 ... followed by Tiesto ($32 mil). Even Pauly D made $12 mil.

2:03 PM PT -- We did some digging ... and sources close to Paris tell us she makes between $100k and $350k per hour when she DJs.

Not bad ... not bad at all.