Number of billionaires worldwide tops 3K for 1st time

Anadolu, Philippine News Agency

US businessman Elon Musk, the owner of companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X, also known recently for his controversial roles in both US and European politics, topped the list as the richest person in the world with a fortune of USD342 billion, up USD147 billion. (File Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

ISTANBUL – The number of billionaires on Forbes magazine’s annual list exceeded 3,000 for the first time this year, with their total wealth reaching USD16.1 trillion.

The billionaires list, published by Forbes for the 39th time this year, showed that the number of billionaires worldwide rose by 247 people year-on-year in 2025, reaching 3,028.

The total wealth of billionaires also jumped by USD2 trillion over the same period to USD16.

1 trillion.

US businessman Elon Musk, the owner of companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and X, also known recently for his controversial roles in both US and European politics, topped the list as the richest person in the world with a fortune of USD342 billion, up USD147 billion.

Following Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg secured the second spot with a net worth of USD216 billion, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ranked third at USD215 billion.

Musk’s fortune surged after he became the top donor to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Following Trump’s victory last fall, the stock prices of Musk’s companies saw a sharp rise, though they have since declined since Trump took office in January.

Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos made headlines by attending Trump’s inauguration on January 20, marking his return to the presidency after a four-year hiatus. (Anadolu)