BUSINESS
Forbes 2025 Billionaires List sees record 3028 billionaires, with Elon Musk on top and Mukesh Ambani leading in India.
Forbes has released its annual World’s Billionaires List for 2025, and this year, the numbers are bigger than ever. The total number of billionaires across the globe has reached 3,028 — that's 247 more than last year. Altogether, they now hold a massive combined wealth of USD 16.1 trillion, USD 2 trillion more than what they had in 2024.
Once again, the United States leads the list with the most billionaires, 902 in total. China comes in second with 516 billionaires, followed by India, which now has 205 billionaires, five more than last year.
India’s Top Billionaires: Ambani and Adani Still Lead
Mukesh Ambani remains the richest Indian and also the wealthiest person in Asia. With a net worth of USD 92.5 billion, the Reliance Industries chairman is ranked 18th globally. Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, holds the 28th position on the global list with USD 56.3 billion. He ranks as the fourth-richest Asian, just behind TikTok founder Zhang Yiming, Nongfu Spring’s Zhong Shanshan, and Mukesh Ambani.
Even though the number of billionaires in India has increased, their combined net worth has actually fallen. In 2024, the total wealth of Indian billionaires was USD 954 billion, but in 2025, it has dropped to USD 941 billion. This fall is mainly because the net worth of Ambani and Adani declined by over USD 20 billion due to a dip in the stock market performance of their companies.
Top 10 Richest Indians in 2025:
Mukesh Ambani – USD 92.5 billion
Gautam Adani – USD 56.3 billion
Savitri Jindal & family – USD 35.5 billion
Shiv Nadar – USD 34.5 billion
Dilip Shanghvi – USD 24.9 billion
Cyrus Poonawalla – USD 23.1 billion
Kumar Birla – USD 20.9 billion
Lakshmi Mittal – USD 19.2 billion
Radhakishan Damani – USD 15.4 billion
Kushal Pal Singh – USD 14.5 billion
Global Rich List: Elon Musk on Top Again
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has maintained his position as the richest person in the world with a jaw-dropping fortune of USD 342 billion — almost double from last year. Mark Zuckerberg from Meta takes second place with USD 216 billion, followed closely by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at USD 215 billion.
Other names in the global top 10 include Oracle’s Larry Ellison, LVMH’s Bernard Arnault, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Spaniard Amancio Ortega, the man behind fashion brand Zara, and Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer also feature in the top 10. Notably, only two out of these ten—Arnault (France) and Ortega (Spain)—are from outside the United States.
Alice Walton: World's Richest Woman
Alice Walton, Walmart heiress, remains the richest woman in the world with a net worth of USD 101 billion. She holds the 15th spot overall. Her brothers Rob and Jim Walton are also among the top 15, making Walmart one of the strongest family-run empires on the list.
Other women in the top 50 include L’Oreal’s Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, Koch Industries’ Julia Koch, Mars Inc.'s Jacqueline Mars, shipping magnate Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, and India’s own Savitri Jindal.
Meanwhile, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has dropped to the 13th position, with a net worth of USD 108 billion, a significant shift for the tech giant once considered the richest man in the world.