Forbes on Tuesday released the 2026 World’s Billionaire List, its annual ranking of the world’s most affluent people, featuring a record number of newcomers and net wealth.
The list is a compilation of 3,428 people in industries ranging from finance to healthcare, a 13.2% increase from 2025. The net wealth of the list jumped by $4 trillion this year.
Elon Musk, best known as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is first on the list. The 54-year-old’s net worth jumped by a staggering $825 billion since 2017, putting him at a total net worth of $839.6 billion in 2026. Musk has cofounded seven companies, extending to his tunneling outfit The Boring Company and the brain implant startup Neuralink.
The usual suspects, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg rank at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, has increased his net worth by $110 billion in the past three years. Zuckerberg has seen an even greater surge, amassing $157.6 billion in three years. The cofounder of Facebook, Zuckerberg rebranded the company to Meta Platforms in 2021.
Alice Walton is the richest woman on the list. The only daughter of the founder of Walmart, Walton’s net worth is $131.9 billion. Walton is known for her Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas and her philanthropic efforts.
President Donald Trump ranks at No. 645. During his first term in 2017, Trump’s net worth was $3.5 billion. Much of Trump’s fortune remains tied to real estate, but Forbes notes that the president has added billions to his net worth in his second term, much of it from investments in cryptocurrencies. He now is worth over $6 billion.
But Trump is hardly the only billionaire in the current administration. Other notable billionaires in the federal government include:
Their net worth is totaled around $30.1 billion. Musk was a key part of the administration at the beginning of Trump’s term in 2025. He was a senior adviser to the president and head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk stepped down in May 2025 after he criticized Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” on X, his own social media platform.
Among other notable findings on the list:
- Amelie Voigt Trejes and Johannes von Baumbach, both 20, are the youngest billionaires on the list. Trejes owns 3% of WEG, a Brazilian industrial machinery company. Baumbach is set to inherit Boehringer Ingelheim, the largest private pharmaceutical company.
- Women are making a stronger appearance on the list this year. Forbes counts 481 women billionaires, a 13.4% increase from 2025. Luana Lopes Lara, a cofounder of Kalshi, a betting company, is the youngest self-made female billionaire.
- America is still the land of opportunity, with its list-leading 989 billionaires. But it turns out a private fortune isn’t out of reach in communist countries either. China, including Hong Kong, places second on the global list of billionaires, with 610. All told, 80 countries – including Afghanistan and Zimbabwe – are home to at least one billionaire.
- Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s younger brother, is ranked at No. 2,712 with a net worth of $1.4 billion. His earnings are produced from his stake in Tesla and SpaceX.
- The rise of artificial intelligence has created fast billionaires. Edwin Chen, the CEO of Surge AI, is a newcomer and worth $18 billion with around 75% ownership over the company.
Sign Up for U.S. News Decision Points
Your trusted source for breaking down the latest news from Washington and beyond, delivered weekdays.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you will receive the latest updates, including emails, from U.S. News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors, and you agree to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy.
Source link
