Forbes has been scanning the globe for billionaires since 1987. We found 140 of them that first year. It took two decades for their numbers to swell beyond 1,000. Then there were 2,000 in 2017. Now, eight years later, another milestone: 3,028 entrepreneurs, investors and heirs make up this year’s ranking, 247 more than a year ago. Not only are there more of them, but they’re richer than ever, worth $16.1 trillion in total—up nearly $2 trillion over 2024. The U.S. has a record 902 billionaires, followed by China (516, including Hong Kong) and India (205). We used stock prices and exchange rates from March 7, 2025. For daily updated net worths of all 3,028 billionaires.
The world’s billionaires have always been rich and powerful—but never more than now. That’s particularly true in the United States, where Donald Trump was sworn in (again) as America’s billionaire-in-chief in January. This time around, he’s giving the billionaire class more control over the government than ever before. His right-hand man is the planet’s richest person. His administration includes at least ten billionaires and billionaire spouses. And scores of billionaire execs—from Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg to French luxury goods kingpin Bernard Arnault—have lined up behind Trump.
The billionaire bonanza extends beyond the U.S., however. A record 3,028 people around the globe make Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list this year, 247 more than last year. It’s the first time the billionaire population has crossed the 3,000 mark. They’re worth a record $16.1 trillion in all, $2 trillion more than a year ago and more than the GDP of every country in the world besides the U.S. and China. The average fortune now stands at $5.3 billion, up $200 million from 2024.
There are now three people worth more than $200 billion for the first time ever, part of the record 15 members of the $100 Billion Club, the elite group at the very top of the list whose net worths span a dozen digits. That’s up from 14 a year ago and none in 2017. These 15 centibillionaires are worth $2.4 trillion—more than the bottom 1,500 billionaires combined.
The following is a list of the richest people in America, updated as of July 9th, 2025.
| RANK | NAME | NET WORTH (in Billions) |
| 1 | Elon Musk | $395.3 B |
| 2 | Larry Ellison | $278.5 B |
| 3 | Mark Zuckerberg | $248.7 B |
| 4 | Jeff Bezos | $233.1 B |
| 5 | Larry Page | $144.3 B |
| 6 | Warren Buffet | $142.9 B |
| 7 | Steve Ballmer | $141.1 B |
| 8 | Jensen Huang | $139.4 B |
| 9 | Sergey Brin | $138 B |
| 10 | Michael Dell | $123.8 B |