Top 10 Richest People in the World (Forbes 2026)

Net worth: ~$215 billion. Chairman of LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate owning Louis Vuitton, Dior, Tiffany, and Moet Hennessy. Arnault briefly held #1 in 2023 and continues to battle Musk for the top spot. LVMH's 75 luxury brands generate over $86 billion annual revenue. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$200 billion. Founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. Stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but retains ~9% of the company. His wealth surged in 2024-2025 as Amazon's AI cloud services (AWS) drove record revenues. Also owns the Washington Post. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$185 billion. CEO of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads). After losing $100B+ on the "metaverse" pivot, Meta's AI investments and Reels ad revenue drove a historic stock recovery in 2024-2025. Meta's market cap exceeded $1.5 trillion. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$170 billion. Co-founder and CTO of Oracle. Ellison's massive wealth surge came from Oracle's cloud infrastructure deals, particularly its AI data center partnerships with Microsoft and OpenAI. Also owns 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$145 billion. CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the "Oracle of Omaha" remains the oldest person in the top 10 at age 95. His value investing philosophy has compounded returns at ~20% annually for 60 years. Berkshire's cash pile exceeded $325 billion in 2025. Has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$130 billion. Co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Gates Foundation. Was the world's richest person for 18 of the 24 years between 1995 and 2018. His foundation has given away over $77 billion, primarily to global health initiatives. Still holds significant Microsoft shares despite years of diversification. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$120 billion. Former Microsoft CEO (2000-2014) and owner of the LA Clippers. Ballmer's wealth comes almost entirely from his ~4% Microsoft stake, which he never sold. As Microsoft's stock surged on AI investments (Copilot, Azure OpenAI), his net worth more than doubled from 2023 to 2026. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$115 billion. Chairman of Reliance Industries, India's largest private company. Controls Jio (India's largest telecom with 450M+ subscribers), Reliance Retail, and a growing media empire. His daughter Isha's 2018 wedding reportedly cost $100 million. The richest person in Asia. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$110 billion. CEO of NVIDIA, the company that became the backbone of the AI revolution. NVIDIA's GPU monopoly in AI training propelled its market cap past $3 trillion in 2024, and Huang's 3.5% stake made him one of the fastest wealth creators in history — going from ~$20B to $110B+ in under 3 years. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$215 billion. Chairman of LVMH, the luxury goods conglomerate owning Louis Vuitton, Dior, Tiffany, and Moet Hennessy. Arnault briefly held #1 in 2023 and continues to battle Musk for the top spot. LVMH's 75 luxury brands generate over $86 billion annual revenue. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$200 billion. Founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. Stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but retains ~9% of the company. His wealth surged in 2024-2025 as Amazon's AI cloud services (AWS) drove record revenues. Also owns the Washington Post. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$185 billion. CEO of Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads). After losing $100B+ on the "metaverse" pivot, Meta's AI investments and Reels ad revenue drove a historic stock recovery in 2024-2025. Meta's market cap exceeded $1.5 trillion. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$170 billion. Co-founder and CTO of Oracle. Ellison's massive wealth surge came from Oracle's cloud infrastructure deals, particularly its AI data center partnerships with Microsoft and OpenAI. Also owns 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$145 billion. CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the "Oracle of Omaha" remains the oldest person in the top 10 at age 95. His value investing philosophy has compounded returns at ~20% annually for 60 years. Berkshire's cash pile exceeded $325 billion in 2025. Has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$130 billion. Co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Gates Foundation. Was the world's richest person for 18 of the 24 years between 1995 and 2018. His foundation has given away over $77 billion, primarily to global health initiatives. Still holds significant Microsoft shares despite years of diversification. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$120 billion. Former Microsoft CEO (2000-2014) and owner of the LA Clippers. Ballmer's wealth comes almost entirely from his ~4% Microsoft stake, which he never sold. As Microsoft's stock surged on AI investments (Copilot, Azure OpenAI), his net worth more than doubled from 2023 to 2026. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$115 billion. Chairman of Reliance Industries, India's largest private company. Controls Jio (India's largest telecom with 450M+ subscribers), Reliance Retail, and a growing media empire. His daughter Isha's 2018 wedding reportedly cost $100 million. The richest person in Asia. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.

Net worth: ~$110 billion. CEO of NVIDIA, the company that became the backbone of the AI revolution. NVIDIA's GPU monopoly in AI training propelled its market cap past $3 trillion in 2024, and Huang's 3.5% stake made him one of the fastest wealth creators in history — going from ~$20B to $110B+ in under 3 years. Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.