Overview
- The 2026 ranking records 3,428 billionaires worldwide—400 more than last year—with aggregate wealth rising to $20.1 trillion, a new high.
- Elon Musk is No. 1 at an estimated $839 billion, roughly doubling from $342 billion a year ago on equity-driven gains tied to Tesla, SpaceX/Starlink and xAI.
- Technology founders dominate the top tier, with eight of the first ten slots held by figures including Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison and Jensen Huang, alongside Bernard Arnault, Warren Buffett and Amancio Ortega.
- Forbes adds new celebrity and sports billionaires, naming Beyoncé, Dr. Dre, James Cameron, Roger Federer and Kimbal Musk among the latest entrants.
- Regional shifts include Paolo Rocca leading Argentina-linked fortunes at about $7.3 billion and Mexico reaching a record 24 billionaires led by Carlos Slim at $125 billion.