Despite global inflation and instability, 2025 was a record-breaking year for the world's wealthiest individuals. According to Forbes, the combined wealth of global billionaires increased by $3.6 trillion, reaching $18.7 trillion. The main driver of growth was the boom in investments in artificial intelligence and the technology sector. This was reported by Forbes, writes UNN.
Details
Elon Musk demonstrated the largest financial leap, with his fortune increasing by $333.2 billion. This was facilitated by the doubling of SpaceX's value to $800 billion and a court decision that allowed him to retain a $1 trillion stake in Tesla. Musk's capital is currently estimated at $754 billion.
Second and third places were taken by Google founders Larry Page (+$98.7 billion) and Sergey Brin (+$86.1 billion). The company's success was ensured by the implementation of the Gemini 3 AI model and a contract with the US Department of Defense. Page's fortune reached $254.7 billion, Brin's – $235.1 billion.
Tech Boom and Commodity Markets
The list of individuals with the largest capital growth in 2025 also included:
- Jensen Huang (Nvidia): +$42.3 billion amid the company's value growth to $5 trillion.
- Larry Ellison (Oracle): +$40.6 billion due to AI solutions and media deals.
- Amancio Ortega (Zara): +$28.7 billion due to record profits and expansion in the US market.
- Germán Larrea (Grupo México): +$25.6 billion due to historical high copper prices.
- Masayoshi Son (SoftBank): +$25.4 billion due to investments in data centers.
- Carlos Slim (América Móvil) and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta): each added $24.3 billion to their capital.
Forbes experts predict that if the current dynamics of xAI's development are maintained, the world could see its first trillionaire as early as 2026.