Elon Musk Tops Forbes' 39th Annual Billionaires List
Illustration by Neil Jamieson for Forbes
NEW YORK, April 1, 2025 – Forbes today released its 39th annual World's Billionaires list, the definitive ranking of the world's richest people. Wealth has surged this year in ways we've never seen. This year's list features 3,028 billionaires, the most since the list's inception in 1987. 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.
Elon Musk dethrones French luxury goods titan Bernard Arnault for the top spot, as Musk's net worth grew by 75% to an estimated $342 billion. His jump in wealth follows big new valuations of xAI and SpaceX, and a 12-month rise in Tesla stock, despite the recent selloff. Musk is the first person to reach the $300 billion mark.
President Donald 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.
'It's another record-breaking year for the world's richest people, despite financial uncertainty for many and geopolitical tensions on the rise,' says Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes Senior Editor, Wealth. 'And, from Elon Musk to Howard Lutnick and the other billionaires taking over the U.S. government, they're growing more and more powerful.'
Mark Zuckerberg follows Musk, in the No. 2 spot with an estimated net worth of $216 billion, followed by Jeff Bezos at No. 3 ($215 billion), Larry Ellison at No. 4 ($192 billion) and Bernard Arnault & family ($178 billion) rounding out the top five.
Key Highlights:
2025 Feature Stories Include:
For the full list and 2025 World's Billionaires package, visit: www.forbes.com/billionaires.
Methodology
The Forbes World's Billionaires list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and exchange rates from March 7, 2025. Forbes lists individuals rather than multi-generational families who share large fortunes, though we include wealth belonging to a billionaire's spouse and children in certain instances, primarily if that person is the founder of the fortune. We separated some previously shared fortunes into individual list members, marked 'split family fortune.'
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About Forbes
Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 42 licensed local editions in 68 countries. Forbes Media's brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements.
Media Contacts
U.S.: Christina Magrini, cmagrini@forbes.com and Feryal Nawaz, fnawaz@forbes.com
Asia: Catherine Ong, cath@catherineong.com
Europe: Charlotte Juckes, c.juckes@hawthornadvisors.com
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