Top 10 richest people in the world (April 2026): March proved challenging for billionaires, as both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell nearly 5 per cent amid the West Asia conflict. Nine of the world’s 10 richest people entered April poorer than they were at the start of March, with their combined fortunes declining by more than $100 billion to a total of $2.5 trillion as of April 1 at 12 am Eastern time.

According to Forbes, all 10 are men, each with a net worth of at least $142 billion as of April 1, down from $148 billion last month.

Even more notable is the shake-up at the top, as only four members of last month’s top 10 retained their ranks, including the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, and No. 2 Sergey Brin. Despite holding their positions, Musk and Brin were two of the five top 10 members who each lost at least $20 billion over the past month. Musk’s fortune fell by $22 billion to $817 billion, keeping him more than three times as wealthy as his runner-up, Brin, whose net worth declined by $20 billion to $237 billion.

The biggest loser was Frenchman Bernard Arnault of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, who dropped from No. 7 to No. 10, as his fortune sank by $28 billion, to $142.5 billion. Another big loser was Spanish fast-fashion mogul Amancio Ortega, who tumbled from No. 10 to No. 14, as his fortune plunged by $20 billion to $128 billion. Warren Buffett also fell out of the top 10, sliding from No. 9 to No. 11, as his net worth fell by $7 billion to $142 billion.

A member of America’s richest family ranks among the planet’s 10 wealthiest people for the first time in at least three years.

Walmart heir Rob Walton lost $3 billion but nevertheless jumped into the top 10 for the first time in at least three years. The other new face in this month’s top 10 (and the only gainer) was PC mogul Michael Dell, who climbed from No. 13 to No. 8, as his fortune inched upward by $2 billion to $143.1 billion.

Jeff Bezos also moved up to No. 3 for the first time since October, as his fortune dipped by a relatively modest $1 billion to $223 billion. He swapped places with Google cofounder Sergey Brin, who dropped to No. 4 for the first time since January, as his net worth fell by $18 billion to $219 billion.

Below are the 10 richest people on earth as of April 1, 2026, according to Forbes. Please note that stock prices fluctuate regularly, meaning these net worths may vary daily.

Source: Forbes