For the second consecutive year, China (including Hong Kong) and India had the second and third highest number of billionaires with 516 and 205, respectively. Mikesh Ambani of India was the richest 18th billionaire with $ 92.5 billion, while Tiktok co -founder, Zhang Yiming in China, was the richest person with a net worth of $ 65.5 billion.
A total of 288 new billionaires entered the list in 2025, including some famous names:
- Bruce Springsteen, with a net worth of $ 1.2 billion
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a net worth of $ 1.1 billion
- Jerry Seinfeld, with a net worth of $ 1.1 billion
Forbes He has been publishing his list of billionaires since 1987, when there were only 140 billionaires. As of March 2025, 3,028 people invented the list. The publication uses the prices of the actions and the exchange rates in part to determine the net assets of the people in their list.
$ 16.1 billion
The total net worth of the 3,028 billionaires in Forbes‘2025 multimillionaire list as of March 7, 2025, which is an increase of almost $ 2 billion of 2024.
Billionaire access points
So what makes these countries so hottspots for billionaires? This is likely to be a combination of factors, according to Vibhas Madan, professor of economics at the Lebow College of Business of the University of Drexel. These factors, suggests, are strong economies, large populations, innovation, favorable commercial climates and access to capital markets.
Robert Korajczyk, Harry Guthmann finance professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, echoed this, but also proves the opening of global markets with the emergence of global billionaires.
“When China joined the WTO (World Trade Organization), that essentially opened many opportunities for China,” he said. “Internet access has been enormous for India, while innovation has encouraged in the United States, so it makes sense that they are on top.”
Madan said he is not surprised that the number of billionaires has grown and believes that the trend will continue and can even rise.
“The global GDP values ​​(Gross Domestic Product) are increasing as a trend, so it is expected that there will be more people to cross the mark of billions of dollars. It is only a natural trend of economic growth,” he added. “I think it’s more people than you thought, even you are going to Billonarians at some point.”
Note
The finance and investment industry has the largest number of billionaires, with 464. This represents 15% of the list.
Technology is a trend
The technology industry had the highest concentration of multimillionaire creation, according to Forbes. There were a total of 401 technological billionaires in 2025. Together, this group had a combined net worth of $ 3.2 billion. This should not be a surprise, Korajczyk said to Investopedia.
“It is likely that innovation and market power believe value. Industries with these characteristics change over time,” he said. “It happens that technology has been an innovation leader recently.”
There are several reasons why technology is in a trend, which is probably helping to boost the billionaire impulse:
- There is a greater demand for technology. The demand for companies and consumers continues to increase, which is leading to a rapid increase in innovation. As such, the industry is constantly evolving. This keeps the industry in a continuous cycle.
- Investment opportunities are increasing. Individual companies and investors can find opportunities to invest their money, which also helps local and field economies.
- Technology practically impacts all other industries. Almost all sectors are based on some level of technology. As such, it will continue to be relevant and grow.
- Technological works attract qualified people. There is a lot of employment growth and financial security for those looking for employment in the industry.
Wealth distribution
The number of billionaires is increasing every year, and so is its combined net assets. These people also have a significant amount of the wealth of the world. According to Oxfam, that can be a problem. The richest 1% in the world has more wealth than 95% of the rest of the world, with almost half of the world’s financial assets (43%) owned than 1% richer.
That trend is not lost in the United States, where wealth is concentrated at the top:
- Top 50%: $ 156.0 billion
- BOTTHIP 50%: $ 3.9 billion
These people not only control a lot of wealth, but also have a “monopolistic concentration of power”, giving them “influence on industries and public opinion.” This can lead to social inequality and tax evasion, as well as to hinder economic growth.
But the proponents say that billionaires such as Mackenzie Scott, Michael Bloomberg, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have a tremendous influence on innovation and charitable donations, using their wealth to address progress, poverty and social change. In May 2025, Gates announced that he would give almost all his wealth for 20 years and close his base for 2045.
The final result
Forbes Release the list of billionaires from your world every year, highlighting the richest people in the world. The United States had the majority of billionaires this year, with 902. But there were record numbers, with 3,028 worldwide, celebrity billionaires and a record number of newcomers to the list.
