There is a record number of billionaires in the world, and they’re richer than ever
Forbes’ 39th annual billionaires list, published yesterday, revealed that there are now 3,028 billionaires around the world, with a staggering estimated collective wealth of $16.1 trillion. In the US alone, where even the head of state sits at 700th place in the global rankings, there are a record 902 billionaires. China had 516 on Forbes’ list.
Even with Tesla shares tanking this year, CEO Elon Musk tops the overall list with an estimated net worth of $342 billion, while Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos round out the top three with $216 billion and $215 billion, respectively. That’s the first time since Forbes started tracking the figures in 1987 that three people have been worth more than $200 billion, with a further 12 billionaires also in the dozen-digit club ($100 billion). To put that into perspective, there wasn’t a single member in 2017.
Going further back, the points of comparison become even more stark.
In 2010, Forbes’ annual snapshot of the world’s billionaire population showed just 1,001 members, with Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helú topping the rankings with $53.5 billion — a sum that would put him in 30th position in 2025. Since then, the count has more than tripled, total collective wealth has more than quadrupled from $3.6 trillion, and the average list member’s net worth has risen from about $3.6 billion to $5.32 billion.
Go Deeper: Read the full list, and how Forbes calculates it, here.
Even with Tesla shares tanking this year, CEO Elon Musk tops the overall list with an estimated net worth of $342 billion, while Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos round out the top three with $216 billion and $215 billion, respectively. That’s the first time since Forbes started tracking the figures in 1987 that three people have been worth more than $200 billion, with a further 12 billionaires also in the dozen-digit club ($100 billion). To put that into perspective, there wasn’t a single member in 2017.
Going further back, the points of comparison become even more stark.
In 2010, Forbes’ annual snapshot of the world’s billionaire population showed just 1,001 members, with Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helú topping the rankings with $53.5 billion — a sum that would put him in 30th position in 2025. Since then, the count has more than tripled, total collective wealth has more than quadrupled from $3.6 trillion, and the average list member’s net worth has risen from about $3.6 billion to $5.32 billion.
Go Deeper: Read the full list, and how Forbes calculates it, here.
