Forbes has released its annual list of billionaires for the current year of 2025. About 3028 individuals—including entrepreneurs, investors, and heirs have made it to the list with the total number crossing 3000 for the first time in history. This is 247 more billionaires than 2024.
This year’s list of billionaires also has a higher combined net worth than ever before — they are worth $16.1 trillion in total. The United States has the highest number of billionaires, amounting to about 902. This is followed by China (516, including Hong Kong), and India (205). Over 50% of the list comprises people from these three countries. However altogether 76 nations and two semi-autonomous territories have at least one billionaire, including Albania for the first time ever. Forbes also added 15 from Saudi Arabia this year, after removing the kingdom’s billionaires in 2018 following a government crackdown.
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Forbes stated they used stock prices for calculation of net worth.
Elon Musk, who owns multiple companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter) topped the list, with a net worth of $342 billion. He was followed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with a net worth of $216 billion, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, came third with a net worth of $215 billion. The next few spots are occupied by Larry Ellison, Bernard Arnault, Warren Buffet, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin.
Around 288 new billionaires joined the list this year, including celebrities like rock star Bruce Springsteen ($1.2 billion), movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.1 billion) and comedian Jerry Seinfeld ($1.1 billion). The wealthiest newcomer is Marilyn Simons ($31 billion), the widow of hedge fund legend Jim Simons, who died in May 2024. Simons is one of the 406 women on the list, with Walmart heir Alice Walton ($101 billion) being listed as the wealthiest woman. Overall, 67% of the billionaires on the list are self-made, up from 66% in 2024. 21 billionaires in the list are aged 30 or younger.
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Forbes has been listing billionaires since 1987, when 140 individuals made the list. It took two decades for the numbers to rise above 1000, and there has been a steady increase ever since. There were 2000 billionaires in 2017, and the number reached 3000 in 2025. This swell in the number of the ultra-wealthy at a time of rising costs asks some pertinent questions about wealth inequality in current times.