Elon Musk Remains World’s Richest, Forbes’ Billionaires List Reaches New Heights

NEW YORK—Forbes has released its 40th annual list of the world’s billionaires, revealing unprecedented levels of wealth. The 2026 list includes a record 3,428 billionaires, an increase of 400 from the previous year, with a combined net worth of $20.1 trillion, up from $16.1 trillion in 2025 [Forbes].

Musk’s Dominance Continues

Elon Musk tops the list for the second consecutive year, achieving a historic milestone as the richest person ever recorded, with an estimated fortune of $839 billion [Forbes], [Robb Report]. His net worth surged by approximately $497 billion over the past year, fueled by the increasing value of Tesla and the anticipated public offering of SpaceX [Robb Report]. Musk is the first individual to surpass the $800 billion mark and is projected to become the world’s first trillionaire.

The Top Five Billionaires

Following Musk, the top five wealthiest individuals are:

• Larry Page: $257 billion [USA Today]
• Sergey Brin: $237 billion [USA Today]
• Jeff Bezos: $224 billion [USA Today]
• Mark Zuckerberg: $222 billion [USA Today]

Notable Changes and New Entries

Donald Trump’s fortune experienced a 27% increase, reaching an estimated $6.5 billion, attributed to cryptocurrency dealings and the reversal of his fraud sentence in New York [Forbes]. He is currently ranked 645th worldwide.

The 2026 ranking welcomes 390 new billionaires, including Dr. Dre, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and tennis icon Roger Federer [Forbes].

United States Leads in Billionaire Count

The United States continues to be the leading country in terms of billionaire population, now boasting a record 989 individuals [Forbes].

The full Forbes list is available at www.forbes.com/billionaires.