What does it take to get into the league of the richest people in the world? – is a question some of us might ponder sometimes and promptly forget about because it is so wild. The World of the rich is so distant and different from the lives of ordinary people that we can only witness either in the news or movies that depict the luxurious lifestyles of the wealthy ones and inspire us to make money. It is always exciting and add up super-ecstasy to blog about their intuitive life stories.
Regardless, it is true that billionaires steer the direction of our society. They’re the ones with the biggest responsibilities. Though most of them don’t care about anything maximizing their profits, some (Elon Musk, Bill Gates) do think far ahead into the future and are trying to help humanity to their capacity.
Fun Fact: A report from the Hurun Global Rich List 2024 says that the United States isn’t the country with the most billionaires anymore. China surpasses it with 814 billionaires against 800 in the U.S. Besides, India, the UK, and Germany also have a good number of billionaires.
10 Wealthiest People in the World
So, let’s take a look at the top world billionaires according to Forbes Real time list of Billionaires. Maybe it will inspire you enough to turn yourself to a person with a revolutionary approach to an improved financial life that includes investing, saving, building assets and retirement planning as well.
Note: The figures mentioned in this article are accurate as of August, 2025, and can fluctuate as per the market valuation of their companies.
1. Elon Musk
Elon Musk is currently one of the most famous people in the world for being the first first-half-trillionaire. Musk always saw the world of business through a different lens, widely known for steering humanity’s exploration of space as the CEO and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, along with founding the leading electric vehicle company, Tesla.
He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Economics, reflecting his interest and passion in aerospace and business. He also applied for a Ph.D at Stanford University in 1995, but dropped out to pursue his entrepreneurial career.
He’s not your typical salary man; instead, his wealth is tied to stock prices, especially from Tesla and SpaceX. In 2025, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his growing commitment towards the fundamental human right of freedom of expression and peace.
Between 2021 and 2023, Musk lost a record-breaking $200 billion, with the $44 billion acquisition of Twitter (he is now known as Kekius Maximus on X) in 2022 becoming the primary reason for the decline, which led him to step down to second spot in the list of richest persons.
However, with the soaring valuations of his private companies consistently adding billions to his net worth in mid-2025. He recovered his lost worth, and now his total wealth is a solid $500 billion, with earnings of nearly $6000 per second.
| Source | Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, and X (formerly Twitter) |
| Net Worth | $500 billion |
| Age | 54 years old |
| Country | United States of America and South Africa |
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire on this list. The 41-year-old who is the CEO and chair of Meta Platforms, may be an inspiration for those who are in their mid 40s and planning for their retirement rather than building massive wealth. He co-founded Facebook in 2004 when he was a student at Harvard University that eventually lead to become teenage millionaire. He was among a very few self-made young billionaires of his time.
His success story became so widely famous that it led to the creation of the outstanding movie “The Social Network,” depicting the struggles of creating and leading a massive company and the astonishing brain power it showed of not just Zuckerberg, but every brilliant mind involved in the process.
Besides Facebook, Meta platforms include Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus (VR headset producer), and Workspace (enterprise-connectivity platform).
| Source | Meta Platforms |
| Net Worth | $216 billion |
| Age | 41 years |
| Country | United States |
3. Jeff Bezos
The most notorious billionaire, Jeff remains in the top three of the chart of richest people in the world. He is the founder of Amazon.com – the world’s first and biggest online shopping site.
After stepping down as the CEO of Amazon in 2021, he went on space exploration via a rocket developed by his private aerospace company, Blue Origin. The billionaire has also purchased a luxury superyacht, koru, for 500 million dollars in 2023.
Amazon is his biggest earning platform, and the long-term astronomical rise of its stock prices became Bezos’ primary wealth accumulation. He saw a massive surge during the 2020 pandemic as consumers heavily shifted towards online shopping, bringing Amazon loads of revenue and high stock prices.
| Source | Amazon, The Washington Post, Blue Origin |
| Net Worth | $215 billion |
| Age | 61 |
| Country | United States of America |
4. Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison has come a long way as an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is most notorious as the co-founder of Oracle Corporation, the second-largest software company in the world, currently holding the position of executive chairman and chief technology officer (CTO), and owning more than 40% of independent shares.
Real Estate Property Investment is one of the most profitable industries for investors, and Ellison takes full advantage of that fact. He currently owns around $793 million as of mid-2025, including 98% of the Hawaiian Island of Lanai in 2012, and a $173 million luxury mansion in Florida is one of his assets.
Ellison briefly surpassed Elon Musk and became the world’s richest person in mid-September, as his net worth reached an astounding milestone of $400 billion. However, he stepped down to the second spot in just two days with a $34 billion loss due to Oracle’s stock fluctuation.
| Source | Oracle Corporation, Tesla equity, Real Estate |
| Net Worth | $192 billion |
| Age | 81 years old |
| Country | The United States of America |
5. Bernard Arnault and Family
The French luxury goods tycoon stands second among the richest people in the world. He is the CEO and chair at LVMH, the world’s renowned luxury goods company. LVMH holds over 70 cosmetics and fashion brands under its name, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Sephora.
Arnault dethroned Elon Musk to become the richest person in the world in December 2022, a title he held till February 2023. Musk then took over, but Arnault regained it in July 2023 till October 2023. As of August 2025, he is now the seventh richest man with a net worth of $154 billion.
| Source | LVMH, Moelis & Company Equity, Christian Dior Ownership Stake, Hermès equity |
| Net Worth | $178 billion |
| Age | 76 years old |
| Country | France |
6. Warren Buffett
At age 94, Buffet is 9th on the billionaire list. He is also the most famous living value investor, making billions by buying and holding companies. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has a diverse portfolio of subsidiaries, including insurance firms, restaurant chains, energy distribution, and consumer products.
His wealth mainly originated from the continuous, compounding growth in his smart investments over the decades from a young age.
| ource | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Net Worth | $154 billion |
| Age | 94 years old |
| Country | USA |
7. Larry Page
Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, ranks seventh among the top 10 billionaires. His net worth soared from just below $52 billion in March 2020 to the current $144 billion. Page is a board member and major shareholder of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
The billionaire is also interested in space exploration and flying cars, as he grew up in an academically rich environment that fostered his interest. He is a founding investor for Planetary Resources, an aerospace company, Kitty Hawk, and Opener, a flying car startup.
| Source | Alphabet Inc. |
| Net Worth | $144 billion |
| Age | 52 years |
| Nationality | The United States and New Zealand |
8. Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, stands as the ninth-richest individual globally, boasting a formidable net worth of $166 billion as of August 2025. Born in Moscow, Russia, Brin co-founded Google with his Stanford colleague, Larry Page.
Brin stepped down as the President of Alphabet in 2019. He is a board member and major shareholder with an estimated 6% stake and remains deeply involved in the company’s operations.
| Source | Alphabet Inc. |
| Net Worth | $138 billion |
| Age | 52 years |
| Country | United States |
9. Steve Ballmer
Los Angeles Clippers owner, Steve Ballmer has a total net worth of $118 billion and is, right now, the 9th richest individual on earth. The US businessman joined Microsoft in 1980 and became its CEO in 2000 till he stepped down in 2014.
However, he is the largest shareholder in Microsoft stocks, from where his primary wealth comes. Ballmer purchased the Clippers franchise for $2 billion in 2014, which has now doubled in profits as of December 2025. His investments also include real estate, such as purchasing The Forum entertainment venue in 2020 for $400 million and Intuit Dome.
His net worth faced financial uncertainty in November 2025, with a significant drop of $875 million in Microsoft stocks, landing him in 9th place here.
| Source | Microsoft, Los Angeles Clippers, The Forum |
| Net Worth | $118 billion |
| Age | 69 years |
| Country | United States |
10. Jensen Huang
The co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA stands firm in eighth place on this list. Graduating from Stanford University, Jensen Huang created this company at a Denny’s restaurant with two friends in 1993.
The company skyrocketed in fame through the invention of the GPU in 1999, securing Huang’s position in the computing and generative AI market. He currently has a 3.5% ownership stake in Nvidia, becoming the major source of his earnings.
His professionalism and excellent leadership skills earned him the title of “World’s best CEO” by various publications. Currently, his company is becoming a key driver for global AI transformation.
| Source | NVIDIA |
| Net Worth | $98.7 billion |
| Age | 62 |
| Nationality | USA and Taiwan |
The Bottom Line
The world of the rich is fascinating as it is distant. It is always interesting to know who is at the top and who bit the dust. The rise and fall of these companies is a great lesson in finance for us all.
Images from: Wikimedia Commons
