(WJW) – Forbes has released its annual World’s Billionaires list, and this time it’s longer than ever.
The 2025 list features a total of 3,028 billionaires, according to Forbes’ current estimates. That’s the most since the media outlet first created the list nearly 40 years ago in 1987.
“Wealth has surged this year in ways we’ve never seen,” reads a press release Forbes issued Tuesday. “The world’s wealthiest people are collectively worth a record-breaking $16.1 trillion. A record 15 people worldwide now have 12-figure fortunes, up from 14 last year and zero in 2017.”
The world’s richest billionaire, perhaps not surprisingly, is Tesla owner and presidential advisor Elon Musk, who returned to the top spot after being bumped by Bernard Arnault (& family) in 2023 and 2024. Arnault, the CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, is fifth on this year’s list.
Forbes also estimated that Musk’s wealth has exceeded the $300 billion mark (at $342 billion), which is a first for anyone in the history of the list.
The top five wealthiest people, according to Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list:
- Elon Musk (estimated net worth of $342 billion)
- Mark Zuckerberg ($216 billion)
- Jeff Bezos ($215 billion)
- Larry Ellison ($192 billion)
- Bernard Arnault & family ($178 billion)
President Donald Trump is also on the list. According to Forbes, Trump “more than doubled his net worth to an estimated $5.1 billion, thanks to his shares of Trump Media & Technology Group and big cash inflows from his recent crypto ventures.”
In addition to the usual names, more than 280 “newcomers” were added to Forbes’ 2025 rankings, including celebrities such as Bruce Springsteen ($1.2 billion), Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.1 billion) and Jerry Seinfeld ($1.1 billion). Other new names include entrepreneur and former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, BET co-founder Sheila Johnson, and Chipotle founder Steve Ells, all with an estimated worth of $1 billion, according to Forbes.
On the other side of the coin, 107 former billionaires “dropped off” this year’s list, according to Forbes. And that’s not including the 32 former billionaires — like hedge fund manager Jim Simons — who died.
More highlights, along with the complete list, can be viewed at Forbes.com.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
