Forbes, the bible for those looking at wealth trends, has updated its list of billionaires. As well as a real-time list of billionaires - which illustrates the jaw-dropping truth that these people’s fortunes can fluctuate by billions in a day - the magazine puts together a yearly round-up.
This year, the 39th time it has compiled a list, it found 3,028 billionaires - made up of businesspeople, investors and heirs - which is 247 more people than last year. The first list, in 1987 saw 140 billionaires in total, says Forbes.
You’ll not be surprised to see Elon Musk topping the tree, with Mark Zuckerberg next in line.
Forbes adds: “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 US 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.”
1. Elon Musk - $342bn
Now the world's richest person by a country mile, Musk's influence has rocketed in the last 12 months after helping Donald Trump to power with his vocal support. He now has a prominent role in the US government, as well as running X, Tesla, SpaceX and xAI | Getty Images
2. Mark Zuckerberg - $216bn
The founder of Facebook, the success of which saw other apps like Instagram and WhatsApp bought up under the Meta umbrella, Zuckerberg has also been keen to make sure he is aligned with Donald Trump's White House. | Getty Images
3. Jeff Bezos - $215bn
Jeff Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 in his Seattle garage, and it has grown from an online bookseller to the purveyor of every type of goods on earth. The massive revenues from Amazon have been used to purchase the Washington Post newspaper and set up space travel company Blue Origin | Submitted
4. Larry Ellison - $192bn
Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle, of which he owns roughly 40%. He was the CEO from 1977 to 2014. | Getty Images