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Forbes has unveiled its 2025 list of the world’s wealthiest, showing a record 3,028 billionaires with a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion, marking the largest surge in billionaire wealth in modern history.
Leading the list is Elon Musk, who has reclaimed his crown with an estimated net worth of $433.9 billion. The tech mogul’s meteoric rise is largely credited to the skyrocketing valuation of his aerospace company, SpaceX, now valued at $350 billion.
“We’ve seen a remarkable shift in how wealth is being created,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, Senior Editor at Forbes. “Tech entrepreneurs, especially those with stakes in AI, space, and clean energy, are driving the biggest jumps.”
By Ruvarashe Gora
Musk’s fortune also reflects gains from Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), and his artificial intelligence venture xAI. His return to the top spot coincides with his political influence, as he was recently appointed co-head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump.
Trailing Musk is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with $233.5 billion, followed by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg at $217.7 billion. Zuckerberg’s net worth grew significantly, fueled by a strong rebound in Meta’s stock and continued investment in the metaverse and AI-driven platforms.
In a surprising twist, Bill Gates, once a perennial member of the top five has fallen out of the top 10 for the first time in three decades. His drop reflects major philanthropic contributions and a more conservative investment approach compared to his tech peers.
The United States continues to dominate the list with 813 billionaires, followed by China (473) and India (200). Texas alone is home to 84 billionaires, including grocery magnate Charles Butt and Walmart heiress Alice Walton, who has reemerged as the world’s richest woman with $101 billion.
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