Who Is the Richest Person in the World?

Bill Gates spent many years as the richest person in the world, but vast philanthropy cut his fortune in half and opened the door for today’s tech titans. Explosive growth in electric vehicles, social media, cloud computing, luxury fashion and space exploration has lifted a new class of moguls whose combined wealth tops two trillion dollars. This long-form guide answers the evergreen question “who is the richest person in the world” right now, explains how each contender earns and invests, and shows why the race for the top spot is closer than ever.

10. Steve Ballmer — $114.1 Billion

• Former Microsoft chief executive, holds stock worth about $130 billion that supplies the bulk of his cash, owns the Los Angeles Clippers through a purchase of $2 billion now valued near $5 billion, supports dozens of data driven education charities, positions him as the tenth richest person and a case study in loyalty to one stock.

9. Amancio Ortega — $114.4 Billion

• Founder of Inditex the parent of Zara, controls roughly sixty percent of shares worth close to $100 billion, collects several billion in annual dividends, reinvests into prime real estate in Madrid London New York and Miami, his mix of fast fashion and property income secures his place among the ten people chasing the title of richest person in the world.

8. Sergey Brin — $127.2 Billion

• Google co founder and former Alphabet president, wealth linked to a multibillion share position that rises with every Android update and YouTube ad, invests privately in airships clean energy genomics and disaster relief technology, ranks eighth on our list of contenders answering who is the richest person in the world.

7. Larry Page — $132.7 Billion

• Google and Alphabet co founder, board member with a huge voting stake, quietly funds flying car company Kittyhawk and medical research into longevity, his net worth grows alongside cloud revenue and artificial intelligence breakthroughs, leaving him only a market rally away from the luxury titan ahead of him.

6. Bernard Arnault and family — $146.5 Billion

• Chief executive of LVMH, holds nearly half of the luxury group that owns Louis Vuitton Dior Tiffany Hennessy and Sephora, benefits from booming demand in the United States Europe and China, reinvests in art museums hotels and the new Vuitton tower in Paris, remains the only European in realistic contention to become the richest person in the world again if luxury shares surge.

5. Warren Buffett — $166.4 Billion

• Berkshire Hathaway chair and value investor icon, owns about fifteen percent of Berkshire stock worth around $150 billion, portfolio includes Apple Coca Cola and dozens of rail energy and insurance assets, pledges most of his fortune to charity yet still gains wealth through share buybacks and compounding, proves patience can keep an Omaha native close to the podium in the global wealth race.

4. Larry Ellison — $176.9 Billion

• Oracle founder and technology visionary, commands about forty percent of Oracle, multiplies gains with an early stake in Tesla now worth tens of billions, owns a Hawaiian island a fleet of yachts and invests in cancer research, the continuing shift of enterprises to Oracle cloud keeps him in striking distance of the social media cohort above him.

3. Mark Zuckerberg — $190 Billion

• Meta chief executive and controlling shareholder at roughly thirteen percent, fortune rises with strong ad sales on Facebook Instagram and WhatsApp plus early metaverse hardware progress, his charitable LLC still holds most shares so Meta appreciation moves his overall figure quickly, places him third on the list of people analysts watch when asking who is the richest person in the world.

2. Jeff Bezos — $201.6 Billion

• Amazon founder and executive chair, owns about ten percent of Amazon, cashes out stock to fund Blue Origin and climate funds yet sees wealth climb on AWS cloud growth and e commerce resilience, also holds The Washington Post plus a fifty thousand acre Texas ranch for space operations, could return to the crown if Tesla or SpaceX slip.

1. Elon Musk — $386.5 Billion

• Tesla chief executive with around twelve percent of stock, founder and majority owner of SpaceX which private investors value near two hundred billion, also leads X AI Neuralink and the Boring Company, each venture adds optional upside that elevates his fortune far above peers, current answer to “who is the richest person in the world” with a margin above one hundred eighty billion, yet famously notes that most of his wealth remains tied to company equity not cash.

FAQ

What determines the richest person in the world ranking
Global wealth rankings rely on publicly disclosed shareholdings real estate filings private equity valuations and debt. Daily market moves can shift positions by billions.

How often does the richest person title change in 2025
Tesla and Amazon trade actively so market swings can push Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos above or below each other within days. Luxury and tech shares also create rapid shifts.

Why are most top ten fortunes from tech
Cloud computing electric vehicles digital ads and social networks grew at double digit annual rates. Equity founders kept large stakes so valuations translate directly into personal net worth.

Do these billionaires hold their wealth in cash
No. More than eighty percent is stock in the companies they founded. Liquidity events like sales or loans against shares provide spending capital.

Can philanthropy remove someone from the top list
Yes. Bill Gates and MacKenzie Scott both fell in ranking after large charitable transfers. Warren Buffett pledges similar actions over time.