The latest annual Forbes list, compiled in March, reveals the world is home to a record-breaking 3,028 billionaires. That's 247 more than there were in 2024, and a staggering increase from the 140 featured in the inaugural 1987 ranking. Together, these billionaires are worth $16.1 trillion (£11.8tn), more than the respective GDPs of most of the world's economies.
This year marks a historic explosion in centibillionaires and the first time the planet's wealthiest individual has smashed through the $300 billion (£220bn) barrier. So, with the mega-rich raking it in like never before, read on to meet the top 25. We've also tracked their wealth via the Forbes real-time list to see if their fortunes have risen or fallen since March.
All dollar amounts in US dollars. Data correct as of 20 June 2025.
Unsurprisingly, Americans dominate the top 25, taking up an impressive 18 spots. First up is Jeff Yass, the co-founder of Wall Street trading firm Susquehanna International Group. It struck gold by investing in TikTok owner ByteDance in the app's early days. This fantastically shrewd move is working wonders on Yass' net worth, which more than doubled between 2024 and 2025.
The top trader's net worth has remained unchanged since March at $59 billion (£43.7bn), but he's slipped two spots in the real-time ranking as others have got richer...
Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ, has the dubious distinction of being the only person in the top 25 who's served jail time. The Chinese-American founder of Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, stepped down as CEO in 2023 following a sweeping US investigation. He then served four months in prison for violating money laundering laws and was hit with a $50 million (£37m) fine, though it barely dented his massive fortune.
CZ is still estimated to own 90% of Binance and holds a huge amount of BNB tokens, the utility coin used to make trades on the Binance exchange. His net worth has increased by $2.2 billion (£1.6bn) since March, but he remains in 24th place in the real-time ranking.
Now China's richest person, Zhang Yiming is the main co-founder of ByteDance, and like Jeff Yass, he owes the lion's share of his wealth to the phenomenal success of TikTok. Zhang's 21% stake in the company surged in value through 2024 and early 2025. This was driven by strong investor interest, particularly in its AI initiatives.
Zhang's net worth has stayed steady since March at $65.5 billion (£48.5bn), and he occupies the 23rd spot in the real-time ranking.
The long-time chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, Charles Koch has a controlling 42% stake in the vast family firm, though he's transferred some of his non-voting shares to non-profits. The conglomerate spans everything from oil refining and paper manufacturing to finance, generating an annual turnover of $125 billion (£92.6bn).
Beyond business, Koch is a prominent political megadonor to conservative causes, as well as a major philanthropist. Shared with his immediate family, his fortune hasn't changed since March, and he remains in 22nd place.
Charles Koch's late brother David also held a 42% stake in Koch Industries. Following his death in 2019, the stock passed to his wife Julia and their three children. Last year, they flexed their investment chops by dropping $700 million (£518m) to snap up 15% of BSE Capital, the owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Jets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. Julia and her kids now have their sights set on minority ownership of the NFL's New York Giants, according to the New York Post.
Julia et al are worth more than Charles and his immediate family since they hold more non-voting Koch shares. Their fortune, like Charles', has stayed static since March, as has their ranking in the real-time top 25.
Along with her family, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers owns more than a third of L'Oréal. The world's richest woman from 2017 to 2024, the French heiress saw her fortune slip last year as the cosmetics colossus struggled, mainly due to disappointing sales in China.
The company bounced back in 2025 and its share price surged in April, along with the Bettencourt Meyers' net worth. That figure now stands at $88 billion (£65.2bn) according to real-time data, though the family's ranking remains unchanged.
The world's richest person from 2010 to 2013, Carlos Slim Hélu is Mexico's wealthiest individual by a long shot. Together with his family, the business magnate owns 76% of sprawling conglomerate Grupo Carso, which counts mobile telecoms titan América Móvil among its extensive portfolio.
The Slim Helú fortune surpassed $100 billion (£74.1bn) for a time at the end of 2023 and start of 2024 as Grupo Carso stock soared. But the group's share price tanked during the rest of 2024 and early 2025. It's picked up since March, as has Slim Helú's net worth, which is currently $92.9 billion (£68.8bn). The ranking, however, hasn't budged.
Asia's richest person, Mukesh Ambani holds a controlling 42% stake in Reliance Industries, a monster Indian conglomerate with interests in oil, retail, media and more.
Ambani made headlines last year for bankrolling his son Anant's star-studded nuptials to heiress Radhika Merchant. With an estimated cost of $600 million (£444m), the wedding is the most expensive on record. Ambani also became a centibillionaire in 2024, but his fortune had dropped to $92.5 billion (£68.5bn) by March of this year. The tycoon has since rejoined the 12-figure club, with his net worth now pegged at $109.5 billion (£81.1bn), according to Forbes real-time data.
Michael Dell founded his namesake computer company at college in 1983 and owns 50% of the business. He also has a sizeable stake in AI chipmaker Broadcom. Dell attained centibillionaire status in 2024, but his fortune faltered earlier this year as concerns over AI spending and President Trump's tariffs impacted his portfolio.
Dell and Broadcom shares have since bounced back spectacularly, and Dell is a centibillionaire once again. His current net worth stands at $117.5 billion (£87bn).
Jensen Huang owns 3% of Nvidia, the blockbuster chipmaker he co-founded in 1993. The company chairman and CEO briefly enjoyed centibillionaire status in 2024, but his fortune dropped back as investors stepped away from AI stocks. With the downturn a blip rather than a long-term trend, Nvidia shares have been shooting up since April.
Firmly back in centibillionaire territory, Huang's current net worth of $126.7 billion (£93.8bn) has propelled him into the real-time top 10.
Alice Walton is now the world's richest woman, having taken the crown from Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. The daughter of late Walmart founder Sam Walton, she owns a huge chunk of the retail behemoth, which has seen its share price surge over the past year amid stellar company performance.
Now boasting centibillionaire status, Alice Walton is worth $104.3 billion (£77.3bn) at the time of writing, a tidy of increase of $3.3 billion (£2.4bn) from March.
Michael Bloomberg owns 88% of the eponymous media and financial information firm he co-founded in the early 1980s. Embodying the intersection of extreme wealth and political ambition, Bloomberg is perhaps best known for serving as New York mayor. He also launched an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020.
A centibillionaire since 2024, Bloomberg is now worth $104.7 billion (£77.6bn) according to real-time data, $300 million (£222m) down on March. A Living Pledge signatory, he's planning to give away the bulk of his wealth during his lifetime.
The world's first centibillionaire, Bill Gates first reached the milestone way back in 1999. The Microsoft co-founder was the world's richest person for 18 years between 1995 and 2017, and would easily be the wealthiest now had he not offloaded much of his Microsoft stock to fund his philanthropic efforts. In fact, Forbes reckons he would be a trillionaire.
To date, Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates French, both Living Pledge signatories, have donated over $100 billion (£74.1bn) to good causes. In fact, the tech pioneer, who is currently worth $116.6 billion (£86.4bn), recently announced he'll be giving away 99% of his fortune over the next 20 years.
The youngest of the three major living Walmart heirs, Jim Walton takes a more active role than his sister Alice in the family's business affairs, serving as chairman of the clan's Arvest Bank Group.
Like his siblings, Jim is now a fully fledged member of the centibillionaire club – and his fortune, which is shared with his immediate family, keeps on rising in tandem with the Walmart share price. It now comes in at $112.1 billion (£83bn), an increase of $3.1 billion (£2.3bn) since March.
Rob Walton is the wealthiest of the Walmart siblings. The eldest of Sam Walton's children, he served as chairman of the retailer from 1992 to 2015, and only recently retired from the company's board.
Like Jim, Rob shares his fortune with his immediate family. His net worth currently stands at $113.3 billion ($83.9bn), having increased by $3.3 billion (£1.7bn) since March thanks to Walmart's buoyant share price.
Microsoft CEO from 2000 to 2014, Steve Ballmer is thought to own 4.5% of the tech giant.
Ballmer acquired the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team the year he quit the Redmond-headquartered company. As well as his hands-on role overseeing the Clippers, the former computer exec takes an active approach when it comes to philanthropy, having given away more than $4 billion (£3bn) to worthy causes. With Microsoft stock on a roll since April, Ballmer is now worth $137.8 billion (£102bn) and has climbed two places in the real-time ranking.
Spain's richest person by a wide margin, Amancio Ortega is one of only two non-Americans in the top 10. He owns 60% of Inditex, the fast-fashion group that counts Zara and Massimo Dutti among its portfolio of brands. Ortega founded the company together with his late wife Rosalía Mera in 1975, starting with a single store in A Coruña.
With sales on the muted side, the Inditex share price is down since the Forbes list was compiled in March. Ortega's net worth has slid by $5.2 billion (£3.9bn), and he's dropped out of the real-time top 10.
Sergey Brin started Google with his Stanford University classmate Larry Page in 1998 and took the world's number one search engine firm public in 2004. It was later renamed Alphabet.
Brin relinquished his role as company chairman in 2019 but still owns 5.7% of the business. His fortune has remained steady, and he's now worth $137.4 billion (£102bn), though he's slipped a place in the real-time ranking where he occupies the ninth spot.
Brin's fellow Google co-founder Larry Page also stepped down from his active role at the company in 2019 but retains a considerable stake. At 8%, it's larger than Brin's, hence Page's bigger net worth figure.
According to real-time data, Page's fortune has dropped by $100 million (£74.1m) since March, though he has been upgraded to sixth place in the ranking.
One of the most successful investors in history, the legendary 'Oracle of Omaha' truly has the Midas touch. As CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a role he is stepping down from later this year at the remarkable age of 95, Warren Buffett has built a colossal investment empire and remains the company's chief shareholder.
The Berkshire Hathaway share price has declined since March, shaving $2.7 billion (£2bn) off Buffett's wealth. But the stock market savant, who plans to give away most of his fortune, has climbed a spot in the real-time ranking nonetheless.
Along with his family, Bernard Arnault has a 48.6% stake in LVMH, the luxury goods juggernaut that owns scores of distinguished high-end brands, from Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior to Moët & Chandon and Tiffany & Co.
LVMH's share price has taken a battering over the past year as shoppers cut back on premium purchases. The stock has continued to slide. Consequently, Arnault's fortune has dropped and now stands at $138.2 billion (£102bn), with the French tycoon in seventh place in the real-time ranking. This is a far cry from early 2024 when Arnault ranked as the world's richest person, with a net worth of $207.8 billion (£154bn).
Larry Ellison co-founded the company that would eventually become software giant Oracle in 1977 and hasn't looked back. Ellison, who resides on his very own Hawaiian island, owns around 40% of the business and is still very much involved, serving as Oracle's chairman and chief technology officer.
The firm's share price skyrocketed in June due to much stronger-than-expected earnings and a more positive outlook for Oracle's AI forays. Ellison's net worth has also skyrocketed. It now tops $254.2 billion (£188bn), catapulting him into the position of the world's second-richest person.
A centibillionaire for the past seven years, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ranked as the world's richest person from 2018 to 2021. On top of his almost 9% stake in the e-commerce and cloud-computing behemoth, Bezos owns space company Blue Origin and venerable newspaper The Washington Post. Philanthropy-wise, Bezos hasn't signed the Giving Pledge but has said he plans to give away the majority of his wealth.
Amazon stock was floundering in early March when Forbes compiled the 2025 list, but it's since perked up. According to real-time data, Bezos' wealth has increased by $13.8 billion (£10.2bn), but he's moved down a spot in the ranking.
When 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg came up with the idea of Facebook in his Harvard dorm back in 2004, he could never have imagined how successful it would be, nor how rich he'd become. The company boss now holds around a 13% stake in Facebook parent Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp.
Zuckerberg, who intends to donate 99% of his wealth, is currently worth $241.7 billion (£179bn). This is thanks to Meta's rallying share price, though he's been usurped from the runner-up position by Larry Ellison.
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, is more polarising than ever. His recent political moves, from bankrolling MAGA to heading DOGE, have proved incredibly controversial, drawing a public backlash that appears to have harmed Tesla sales. The EV maker is the key driver of Musk's wealth, though his other ventures including SpaceX and X pull in enormous sums too.
Musk's epic falling out with President Trump has also rattled investors. Still, Tesla stock is up over 20% since early March as excitement builds over the company's Robotaxi. Musk is currently worth an astronomical $412.1 billion (£305bn) and is well on the way to becoming the world's first trillionaire.
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