The 39th annual Forbes Billionaires List has just been released — and it’s breaking records across the board.
This year, a record-breaking 3,028 billionaires made the list, the highest number since its inception in 1987. Their combined net worth? A staggering $16.1 trillion, the most ever recorded.
Elon Musk returns to the No.1 spot, surpassing luxury titan Bernard Arnault. His fortune skyrocketed by 75% over the past year, reaching $342 billion, thanks to the surge in value of xAI, SpaceX, and a strong (albeit volatile) Tesla stock performance. Musk also becomes the first person in history to cross the $300 billion mark in personal wealth.
Donald Trump also makes headlines as his net worth doubled to $5.1 billion, driven by his stake in Trump Media & Technology Group and strategic investments in cryptocurrencies.
“It’s another record-breaking year for the world’s wealthiest, despite global uncertainty and geopolitical unrest,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes’ senior wealth editor. “From Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick and the growing billionaire influence in U.S. governance, their power is expanding rapidly.”
#ForbesBillionaires List: Forbes has been scanning the globe for billionaires since 1987. We found 140 of them that first year. In 2025, 3,028 entrepreneurs, investors and heirs make up the ranking. Full list: https://t.co/PXL4f7mHno (Illustration by Neil Jamieson for Forbes) pic.twitter.com/IcBqGk4l5l
— Forbes (@Forbes) April 1, 2025
The Top 10 Richest People on the Planet:
1. Elon Musk – $342B
2. Mark Zuckerberg – $216B
3. Jeff Bezos – $215B
4. Larry Ellison – $192B
5. Bernard Arnault & family – $178B
6. Warren Buffett – $154B
7. Larry Page – $144B
8. Sergey Brin – $138B
9. Amancio Ortega (Zara) – $124B
10. Steve Ballmer – $118B
The 2025 Newcomers
This year, 288 newcomers join the billionaire ranks, including:
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Bruce Springsteen, music legend
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Steve Ells, founder of Chipotle
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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet/Google
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Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and former governor
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Alexandr Wang, 28-year-old co-founder of Scale AI, now the youngest self-made billionaire in the world
Where Are the Billionaires?
The U.S. still leads with a record-breaking 902 billionaires, worth a collective $6.75 trillion, followed by China (450) and India (205).
The $100 Billion+ Club
This ultra-exclusive group now includes 15 individuals worldwide — up from zero in 2017 — who collectively hold $2.4 trillion, or 15% of total billionaire wealth, despite making up just 0.5% of the list.
The Dropouts and Departures
107 individuals dropped off the list this year, including Hermès heir Nicolas Puech and Hobby Lobby’s David Green. Additionally, 32 billionaires passed away in the past year.
The world’s wealth elite is growing — in numbers, in net worth, and in influence. And Elon Musk? He’s once again at the top of the money mountain.
