Thanks to the explosion of artificial intelligence, booming markets and friendly fiscal policies, a record number of entrepreneurs, heirs and others made the 2026 World's Billionaire's List by Forbes.
In total, more than 3,400 people made this year's list and they're richer than ever — worth a record total of over $20 trillion. And while many names at the top may look familiar, where some others rank could come as a surprise.
Here's a snapshot of the top 10 richest of the rich (Name, Net Worth, Source):
1. Elon Musk — $839B (Tesla SpaceX)
2. Larry Page — $257B (Google)
3. Sergey Brin — $237B (Google)
4. Jeff Bezos — $224B (Amazon)
5. Mark Zuckerberg — $222B (Meta)
6. Larry Ellison — $190B (Oracle)
7. Bernard Arnault & family — $171B (LVMH)
8. Jensen Huang — $154B (Semiconductors)
9. Warren Buffett — $149B (Berkshire Hathaway)
10. Amancio Ortega — $148B (Zara)
Honorable mentions:
14. Alice Walton — $134B (Walmart)
19. Bill Gates — $108B (Microsoft)
26. Zhang Yiming — $69.3B (TikTok)
56. Miriam Adelson & family — $37.5B (Casinos)
84. Mackenzie Scott — $28.6B (Amazon)
87. Peter Thiel — $28.4B (Facebook/Investments)
112. Rupert Murdoch & family — $22.7B (Newspapers/TV network)
402. Les Wexner & family — $8.8B (Fashion/Retail)
645. Donald Trump — $6.5B (Real Estate)
2,052. Taylor Swift — $2B (Music)
3,332. Beyonce Knowles-Carter — $1B (Music)
See the full 2026 World's Billionaire's List here.
While it may come as a surprise to some that someone as prevalent as President Donald Trump wasn't higher on the list, Chase Peterson-Withorn, senior editor at Forbes, noted that the rankings don't tell the whole story.
"[2025 was] a monster year for billionaires and that includes the billionaire commander-in-chief Donald Trump — $1.4 billion richer than he was a year ago," he told Scripps News. "A lot of that has to do with crypto dealings. You know, World Liberty Financial — he sold a stake and sold a lot of crypto coins. Then the other big thing is that his civil fraud penalty in the state of New York was thrown out and while he appeals that he's no longer on the hook for about half a billion dollars. So it's a good year for Donald Trump's fortune."
Watch Scripps News' full interview with Chase Peterson-Withorn, senior editor at Forbes, in the video player above.
