Forbes' richest people of 2025 list ranks most billionaires ever: See top 10

Most of the world’s richest people are from the United States, and according to Forbes’ annual ranking for 2025, wealth has surged with the most-ever billionaires making the list.

The 39th annual list was released this week and includes 3,028 billionaires – the most ever since it started the ranking in 1987.

Here’s what to know:

Forbes’ billionaires list for 2025

What we know:

Forbes on Tuesday released the 39th annual World’s Billionaires list. It said that the world’s wealthiest people are collectively worth a record-breaking $16.1 trillion, and a record 15 people worldwide now have 12-figure fortunes, up from zero in 2017. The ranking is based on stock prices and exchange rates from earlier this month. 

Highlights:

Elon Musk was named the world’s richest person, with his net worth growing by 75% to an estimated $342 billion, according to Forbes. His jump in wealth came after big new valuations of xAI and SpaceX, and a 12-month rise in Tesla stock, despite the recent selloff, Forbes said. He is also the first person to reach the $300 billion mark, it added.

In recent months, Musk has notably served as an adviser to President Donald Trump and headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – tasked with cutting government waste and spending.

Mark Zuckerberg was ranked No. 2 with an estimated net worth of $216 billion, followed by Jeff Bezos at No. 3 ($215 billion), Larry Ellison at No. 4 ($192 billion) and Bernard Arnault & family ($178 billion) at No. 5, according to Forbes. 

Meanwhile, Trump more than doubled his net worth to an estimated $5.1 billion, Fobes said – citing his shares of Trump Media & Technology Group and "big cash inflows" from recent cryptocurrency ventures.

RELATED: Trump hosts first-ever White House Crypto Summit

Dig deeper:

Some of the newcomers on the 2025 list included Bruce Springsteen, Chipotle founder Steve Ells, Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The U.S. had the most billionaires on the list with a record 902, followed by China with 450 billionaires, and India with 205. 

Overall, 67% of the list is "self-made," according to Forbes, which means they founded or co-founded their company or established their own fortune instead of inheriting it. The youngest self-made billionaire was named Scale AI cofounder and CEO Alexandr Wang ($2 billion), who is 28.

What they're saying:

"It’s another record-breaking year for the world’s richest people, despite financial uncertainty for many and geopolitical tensions on the rise," Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes’ wealth senior editor, said in a statement. "And, from Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick and the other billionaires taking over the U.S. government, they’re growing more and more powerful."

By the numbers:

Here are the top 10 richest people in the world, according to Forbes’ most-recent ranking:

1. Elon Musk, 53: $345.6 billion reported net worth | Tesla, SpaceX | United States
2. Jeff Bezos, 61: $208.7 billion reported net worth | Amazon | United States
3. Mark Zuckerberg, 40: $202.6 billion reported net worth | Facebook | United States
4. Larry Ellison, 80: $177.6 billion reported net worth | Oracle | United States
5. Warren Buffett, 94: $166.3 billion reported net worth | Berkshire Hathaway | United States
6. Bernard Arnault, 76, & family: $162.2 billion reported net worth | LVMH | France
7. Larry Page, 52: $131.3 billion reported net worth | Google | United States
8. Sergey Brin, 51: $125.8 billion reported net worth | Google | United States
9. Steve Ballmer, 69: $115.6 billion reported net worth | Microsoft | United States
10. Amancio Ortega, 89: $114.9 reported net worth | Zara | Spain