Top 10 world’s billionaires 2026: The wealth of the world’s richest individuals has surged dramatically over the past year, highlighting how quickly fortunes at the top continue to grow. According to the 40th annual edition of the Forbes World’s Billionaires list, there are now 3,428 billionaires globally, which is 400 more than last year’s previous record and the highest number since the ranking first began in 1987.

Together, these billionaires now control an astonishing $20.1 trillion in wealth, a sharp jump from $16.1 trillion recorded in 2025. Another striking trend is the rise of ultra-wealthy individuals: 20 people around the world now have fortunes worth more than $100 billion, also known as 12-figure wealth.

At the top of the rankings for the second year in a row is Elon Musk, who has become the richest person ever documented on the list with an estimated fortune of $839 billion. His wealth surged by about $500 billion in just one year, largely driven by the rising value of Tesla and SpaceX, the latter expected to go public in 2026. Musk has also made history as the first individual to cross the $800 billion mark, bringing him closer than anyone yet to becoming the world’s first trillionaire.

Far behind Musk in second place is Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, whose wealth is estimated at $257 billion. His fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin ranks third with $237 billion. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, holds the fourth spot with $224 billion, while Mark Zuckerberg of Meta completes the top five with $222 billion.

Among political figures, Donald Trump also saw his wealth increase this year. His fortune climbed 27 per cent to about $6.5 billion, helped mainly by gains from cryptocurrency ventures and the dismissal of a fraud penalty in New York. Globally, he ranks 645th on the list.

The 2026 billionaire ranking also welcomed 390 new names. Some notable additions include music icon Dr Dre, singer and entrepreneur Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Greg Abel—who is set to succeed Warren Buffett as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway—tennis legend Roger Federer, investor Kimbal Musk, and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan, known for her political run and her previous marriage to Sergey Brin.

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At the same time, 89 individuals dropped off the billionaire list this year. Among them were Jared Isaacman, founder of Shift4 Payments and current head of Nasa, along with real estate businessman Charles Cohen. In addition, 39 billionaires passed away during the year.

When it comes to countries, the United States continues to dominate the billionaire count with a record 989 billionaires, whose combined wealth totals $8.4 trillion. China follows with 539 billionaires, while India ranks third with 229.

Another major highlight is the rapid growth of the ultra-rich category. Twenty individuals now possess fortunes exceeding $100 billion, up from 15 last year and none in 2017. Together, this small group holds $3.8 trillion, meaning just 0.5 per cent of the world’s billionaires control nearly one-fifth of the total billionaire wealth.

India’s 10 wealthiest individuals together hold a combined fortune of about $368 billion, accounting for more than a third of the total wealth owned by the country’s billionaires. Over the past year alone, this group added $32 billion to their collective net worth.

Leading the rankings is Mukesh Ambani, who continues to be the richest person in both India and Asia. His fortune grew as shares of Reliance Industries rose roughly 12 per cent during the year. Even so, his wealth still remains just under the $100 billion mark, meaning he has yet to reclaim the centi-billionaire status he held two years ago.

In second place is Gautam Adani, whose wealth also increased over the past year. Together, Ambani and Adani saw their fortunes rise by about $14.7 billion.

Ranking third is Savitri Jindal, the chairperson of the OP Jindal Group, who remains the wealthiest woman in India. She also tops a list of 20 Indian women billionaires included in the rankings.

Here are the Top 10 Richest Person in the World:

Source: Forbes