For the first time, Forbes magazine’s annual list featured over 3,000 billionaires this year, with their combined wealth reaching a staggering $16.1 trillion.
Elon Musk has regained his position as the world’s richest individual on Forbes’ annual billionaires list, despite facing some financial challenges and criticism for his involvement with the Trump administration.
Forbes’ 39th annual World’s Billionaires list, released on Tuesday, features 3,028 billionaires, marking the highest number of billionaires since the list’s inception in 1987. This year’s list includes a record 15 individuals with wealth exceeding 12 digits, a rise from the previous year. Collectively, these billionaires have a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and owner of X (formerly Twitter), saw his net worth surge by 75%, reaching approximately $342 billion. He became the first person ever to surpass the $300 billion mark in wealth.
Here are the 20 richest people in the world on the 2025 Forbes list, including an eight-way tie at No. 199.
1. Elon Musk | Net worth: $ 342 Billion | Age: 53 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Automotive
Elon Musk cofounded seven companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI.
2. Mark Zuckerberg | Net worth: $ 216 Billion | Age: 40 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
A 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 for students to match names with photos of classmates.
3. Jeff Bezos | Net worth: $ 215 Billion | Age: 61 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Jeff Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 out of his Seattle garage.
4. Larry Ellison | Net worth: $ 192 Billion | Age: 80 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle, of which he owns roughly 40%.
5. Bernard Arnault & family | Net worth: $ 178 Billion | Age: 76 | Country/Territory: France | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Bernard Arnault oversees the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
6. Warren Buffett | Net worth: $ 154 Billion | Age: 94 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Finance & Investments
Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time.
7. Larry Page | Net worth: $ 144 Billion | Age: 52 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Larry Page stepped down as CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in 2019 but remains a board member and a controlling shareholder.
8. Sergey Brin | Net worth: $ 138 Billion | Age: 51 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Sergey Brin stepped down as president of Alphabet, parent company of Google, in December 2019 but remains a board member and a controlling shareholder.
9. Amancio Ortega | Net worth: $ 124 Billion | Age: 89 | Country/Territory: Spain | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Amancio Ortega of Spain is one of the wealthiest clothing retailers in the world.
10. Steve Ballmer | Net worth: $ 118 Billion | Age: 69 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Steve Ballmer is the high-wattage former CEO of Microsoft, who led the company from 2000 to 2014.
11. Rob Walton & family | Net worth: $ 110 Billion | Age: 80 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Rob Walton is the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
12. Jim Walton & family | Net worth: $ 109 Billion | Age: 76 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Jim Walton is the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992).
13. Bill Gates | Net worth: $ 108 Billion | Age: 69 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Bill Gates diversified his fortune from software firm Microsoft into dozens of holdings, including waste disposal firm Republic Services and tractor maker Deere & Co.
14. Michael Bloomberg | Net worth: $ 105 Billion | Age: 83 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Finance & Investments
Michael Bloomberg cofounded financial information and media company Bloomberg LP in 1981.
15. Alice Walton | Net worth: $ 101 Billion | Age: 75 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Alice Walton is the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton (d. 1992).
16. Jensen Huang | Net worth: $ 98.7 Billion | Age: 62 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Jensen Huang cofounded graphics-chip maker Nvidia in 1993 and has served as its CEO and president ever since.
17. Michael Dell | Net worth: $ 97.7 Billion | Age: 60 | Country/Territory: United States | Industry: Technology
Michael Dell is chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, which formed in 2016 via Dell’s $60 billion merger with computer storage giant EMC.
18. Mukesh Ambani | Net worth: $ 92.5 Billion | Age: 67 | Country/Territory: India | Industry: Diversified
Mukesh Ambani chairs and runs $120 billion (revenue) Reliance Industries, which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom, retail, media and financial services.
19. Carlos Slim Helu & family | Net worth: $ 82.5 Billion | Age: 85 | Country/Territory: Mexico | Industry: Telecom
Mexico’s richest person, Carlos Slim Helú and his family control América Móvil, Latin America’s biggest mobile telecom firm.
20. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | Net worth: $ 81.6 Billion | Age: 71 | Country/Territory: France | Industry: Fashion & Retail
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oreal.
