The Forbes billionaires list holds an esteemed status for being the most awaited ranking about wealth around the globe. There are lots of people worldwide who immediately want to know which of them crossed from one rank to another, which one fell off, and which new entrants came into the fold. From tech wizard to retail mogul to financial service giant, the list tells the tale of who is the richest in this world and sheds much light on their businesses, investments, and net worth.
Let’s now hurry and go straight into those aspects that make up the Forbes list. Let’s explore the Top 10 richest persons in the world & who are they? Understand how wealth is calculated and get to know how many billionaires there are across the world.
What is the Forbes Billionaire List?
It is the annual Forbes ranking of self-proclaimed billionaires. To be listed, a person must have their net worth that exceeds $1 billion. Forbes estimates wealth in terms of stock prices, exchange rates, and real estate values. Although it is not 100% accurate, it is by far the most accepted worldwide ranking of wealth.
It responds to the personal wealth of billionaires and showcases developments in industries such as technology, health care, energy, and finance.
Top 10 Richest Persons in the World (2025 Edition)
Who rules the world of wealth? Here is the list of the Top 10 richest persons according to the most recent Forbes billionaires list.
1. Elon Musk
- Net Worth: $240 Billion
- Company: Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter)
On the world’s richest man list, Elon Musk is, without a doubt, the richest. With several businesses in electric vehicles, space tech, and social media, this man’s wealth literally never stops increasing.
2. Bernard Arnault & Family
- Net Worth: $230 Billion
- Company: LVMH
The French entrepreneur runs luxury goods brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Sephora. Arnault remains in second place due to the continuously growing LVMH despite the volatility of markets.
3. Jeff Bezos
- Net Worth: $180 Billion
- Company: Amazon
Over all this, even after quitting as CEO, Bezos still holds a lot of stake in the e-commerce company. The billionaire’s space investments through Blue Origin further build up his rising fortune.
4. Larry Ellison
- Net Worth: $150 Billion
- Company: Oracle
Cloud services and applications are growing in adoption, giving more space for the software tycoon in the billionaire register.
5. Warren Buffett
- Net Worth: $145 Billion
- Company: Berkshire Hathaway
It has the reputation of being one of the most respected investors ever. At his age, he still makes smart investments, which help him remain among the Top 10 richest people around the globe.
6. Bill Gates
- Net Worth: $130 Billion
- Company: Microsoft (co-founder)
Gates remains in the top ten while pledging billions to charity through the Gates Foundation, thanks to Microsoft stock and holdings in technology investments.
7. Mark Zuckerberg
- Net Worth: $120 Billion
- Company: Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)
Such investments might seem wobbly due to Zuckerberg’s all-in stake in AI and the metaverse, but he remains one of the youngest and richest tech billionaires.
8. Steve Ballmer
- Net Worth: $115 Billion
- Company: Former Microsoft CEO
Mr. Ballmer’s enormous investments rest in technology, while his ownership resides within the LA Clippers. With the recent success of Microsoft, an escalatory path was laid for Mr. Ballmer’s affluence.
9. Larry Page
- Net Worth: $113 Billion
- Company: Google (Alphabet)
Page spends some time active behind the scenes and holds large shares in Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
10. Sergey Brin
- Net Worth: $110 Billion
- Company: Google (Alphabet)
Brin, co-founder of Google, is right behind Page, thanks to their similar investment portfolios and equity stakes.
Table 50 Richest People in the World (2025)
A quick overview of the 50 richest persons in the world based on Forbes billionaire lists (Values are estimates in USD billions):-
| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Company/Industry |
| 1 | Elon Musk | $342 B | Tesla, SpaceX |
| 2 | Mark Zuckerberg | $216 B | Meta Platforms |
| 3 | Jeff Bezos | $215 B | Amazon |
| 4 | Larry Ellison | $192 B | Oracle Corporation |
| 5 | Bernard Arnault | $178 B | LVMH |
| 6 | Warren Buffett | $154 B | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 7 | Larry Page | $144 B | Google (Alphabet) |
| 8 | Sergey Brin | $138 B | Google (Alphabet) |
| 9 | Amancio Ortega | $124 B | Inditex, Zara |
| 10 | Steve Ballmer | $118 B | Microsoft |
| 11 | Mukesh Ambani | $116 B | Reliance Industries |
| 12 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers | $114 B | L’Oréal |
| 13 | Carlos Slim Helu | $110 B | América Móvil |
| 14 | Alice Walton | $101 B | Walmart |
| 15 | Michael Bloomberg | $96 B | Bloomberg LP |
| 16 | Jim Walton | $95 B | Walmart |
| 17 | Rob Walton | $94 B | Walmart |
| 18 | Ma Huateng | $91 B | Tencent |
| 19 | Zhong Shanshan | $90 B | Nongfu Spring |
| 20 | Charles Koch | $89 B | Koch Industries |
| 21 | Julia Koch | $89 B | Koch Industries |
| 22 | Gautam Adani | $88 B | Adani Group |
| 23 | Michael Dell | $87 B | Dell Technologies |
| 24 | Phil Knight | $85 B | Nike |
| 25 | David Thomson | $83 B | Thomson Reuters |
| 26 | Jack Ma | $82 B | Alibaba Group |
| 27 | Hui Ka Yan | $80 B | Evergrande Group |
| 28 | Lee Shau Kee | $78 B | Henderson Land |
| 29 | Li Ka-shing | $77 B | CK Hutchison Holdings |
| 30 | Masayoshi Son | $76 B | SoftBank |
| 31 | Susanne Klatten | $75 B | BMW, Altana |
| 32 | Stefan Quandt | $74 B | BMW |
| 33 | Giovanni Ferrero | $73 B | Ferrero SpA |
| 34 | Dieter Schwarz | $72 B | Lidl, Kaufland |
| 35 | Beate Heister | $71 B | Aldi |
| 36 | Karl Albrecht Jr. | $71 B | Aldi |
| 37 | Len Blavatnik | $70 B | Access Industries |
| 38 | Vladimir Potanin | $69 B | Norilsk Nickel |
| 39 | Gennady Timchenko | $68 B | Volga Group |
| 40 | Alisher Usmanov | $67 B | Metalloinvest |
| 41 | Wang Jianlin | $66 B | Dalian Wanda Group |
| 42 | Tadashi Yanai | $65 B | Fast Retailing |
| 43 | Lakshmi Mittal | $64 B | ArcelorMittal |
| 44 | Abigail Johnson | $63 B | Fidelity Investments |
| 45 | Elon Musk | $62 B | Neuralink, The Boring Company |
| 46 | Bernard Arnault | $61 B | Christian Dior |
| 47 | François Pinault | $60 B | Kering |
| 48 | Laurene Powell Jobs | $59 B | Apple, Disney |
| 49 | Zhang Yiming | $58 B | ByteDance (TikTok) |
| 50 | William Lei Ding | $57 B | NetEase |
How Many Billionaires Are in the World Today?
As of 2025, there are over 2,700 billionaires in the world, according to the Forbes list. The number keeps growing as new tech startups go public, real estate grows in value, and new industries like AI and biotech explode.
Interestingly, the United States leads with the highest number of billionaires, followed by China, India, and Germany.
Notable Billionaire Trends in 2025
1. Rise of AI and Tech Billionaires
Startups in AI, robotics, and biotech are producing new billionaires fast. Many names on the Forbes billionaire list this year are relatively young, showing the changing landscape.
2. Women Billionaires
While still a minority, the number of female billionaires is growing, with successful entrepreneurs from the fashion, health, and tech sectors joining the list.
3. Self-Made vs Inherited Wealth
Almost 60% of billionaires are self-made, which means entrepreneurship is still one of the major ways to build great wealth.
Elon Musk Net Worth: What’s Fueling His Fortune?
Musk continues to be one of the most talked-about names that emerge in the list of the world’s richest men. And there is more to his dollars than just Tesla. Here is what adds value to his net worth, said to be around $240 billion:
- Tesla: EV market leader with growing global demand.
- SpaceX: NASA contracts and satellite launches via Starlink.
- X (Twitter): This has kept him in the limelight thanks to its controversies and high-profile ownership.
- AI Ventures: Musk started his own AI company to rival OpenAI.
His distinctiveness, extreme views, and future-oriented enterprises not only make him rich but also lend an aura of strength to industries.
Who Are the Newcomers on the Billionaire List?
A group of newcomers features on the Forbes Billionaires list for 2025:
- AI Startup Founders: Young founders building AI tools for medicine, finance, and education.
- Crypto & Web3 Innovators: Following past downtrends in the market, crypto wealth is slowly majoring in on its comeback.
- Green Energy Leaders: Founders of solar, wind, and battery tech companies are joining the list.
What Affects a Billionaire’s Net Worth?
The daily fluctuation of net worth is possible with billionaires. Influencing factors include:
- Stock Market Fluctuations: The Majority of wealth is tied up within a portion of the company.
- Currency Changes: Especially important for non-dollar billionaires.
- Company Performance: It can just drop down the total worth with bad or poor quarterly reports.
- Investments: With smart investments, one can easily go high or low in rankings fast.
The World Richest Man List: A Symbol of Success
The best rich man list in the world is beyond digits; it speaks of influences, innovations, and power. Economies are shaped by billionaires, jobs are created, and political decisions are influenced.
But they are very responsible. Most have gone into the philanthropy line, creating foundations and initiating funding for social causes. Much of their wealth has been promised to be donated by billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
Why People Follow the Forbes Billionaire List
People tend to check them because they are inspiring and ambitious. It is not just about big money, it is about building an empire. For some, it becomes a dose of reality; for others, the motivation to start that business idea or invest smartly.
Final Thoughts: Wealth in the Modern Age
The Forbes billionaire list continues to remain the gold standard in what it tracks extreme wealth in numbers. Yet, beyond the numbers it speaks, it is the story behind these billionaires that inspires innovation, risk-taking, and persistence.
As industries evolve into new technologies, it is likely that we will witness an even more dynamic change in the billionaire list in the years to come. Thus, whether you are following it out of curiosity, admiration, or ambition, one thing is for sure. The world of billionaires is certainly never boring.
