By Frank Kamuntu
The World’s Top 10 Richest People in 2025: Global business leaders and entrepreneurs have experienced an extraordinary rise in their wealth, significantly increasing their net worth through innovation and strategic foresight.
The evolving wealth landscape has seen the collective fortunes of the world’s 500 richest individuals soar, with a remarkable milestone reached.
Notable figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jensen Huang have contributed to a staggering combined net worth of $10 trillion, with a surge that can be attributed to the value of US technology stocks, which have been instrumental in propelling the wealth of these billionaires.
The tech leaders, including Larry Ellison, Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have collectively seen their fortunes grow significantly.
These eight technology moguls alone accounted for over $600 billion of the $1.5 trillion increase among the world’s wealthiest individuals as reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Furthermore, as per Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List for 2025, the United States leads with a record 813 billionaires, followed by China with 473 and India, remarkably claiming the third spot with 200 billionaires.
Elon Musk emerges as the richest individual of 2025:
Elon MuskElon Musk has begun 2025 at the pinnacle of wealth, ranking as the world’s richest person, with a net worth of $433.9 billion, according to Forbes’ latest rankings.
Musk made headlines last year as the first individual in history to surpass a net worth of $400 billion, driven primarily by SpaceX’s staggering valuation of $350 billion.
Since December 1, Musk has experienced an astounding increase of $91 billion in his net worth, positioning SpaceX as the most valuable private company worldwide.
In addition to SpaceX, Musk also leads Tesla, as well as holding stakes in the social media platform X, AI company xAI, and tunnelling firm Boring Co.
Mark Zuckerberg overtakes Larry Ellison as the third richest globally in 2025:
Mark Zuckerberg (left) and Larry Ellison (right)
In a notable shift, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has surpassed Oracle founder Larry Ellison to secure the position of the third-wealthiest individual globally.
As of Monday, Zuckerberg’s net worth increased by over 4% to $217.7 billion, while Ellison’s wealth depreciated slightly to $209 billion.
This change reflects the recent stock performances of their respective companies, with Meta shares rising by approximately 4% to $630.20, contrasting with Oracle’s slight decline of 0.3% to $165.78.
Jensen Huang joins the top 10 Forbes’ billionaire list 2025:
Jensen HuangIn an impressive accomplishment, Jensen Huang, the CEO and co-founder of Nvidia, has entered the ranks of the top 10 richest people for the first time.
Presently positioned at 10th, Huang boasts a net worth estimated at $118 billion, primarily attributed to his considerable stake in Nvidia.
The company’s shares surged by 171% in 2024, culminating in a market capitalisation of $3.28 trillion, making it more valuable than Microsoft, yet still behind Apple.
Huang has surpassed Spain’s Amancio Ortega, the founder of Zara and its parent company Inditex, as shares of Inditex have weakened recently.
Top 10 richest people in the world, as of 2025:
| Rank | Name | Net Worth (USD) | Source of Wealth | Country |
| 1 | Elon Musk | $433.9 B | Tesla, SpaceX | United States |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $239.4 B | Amazon | United States |
| 3 | Mark Zuckerberg | $211.8 B | United States | |
| 4 | Larry Ellison | $204.6 B | Oracle | United States |
| 5 | Bernard Arnault & Family | $181.3 B | LVMH | France |
| 6 | Larry Page | $161.4 B | United States | |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $154.0 B | United States | |
| 8 | Warren Buffett | $146.2 B | Berkshire Hathaway | United States |
| 9 | Steve Ballmer | $126.0 B | Microsoft | United States |
| 10 | Jensen Huang | $120.2 B | NVIDIA | United States |
Source: Forbes’ Billionaire List 2025
