Record-breaking profitable year for the rich: world's top 10 billionaires increased their capital by $729 billion in a year – list
Kyiv • UNN
2025 was a record-breaking profitable year for billionaires: their combined wealth grew by $3.6 trillion to $18.7 trillion, thanks to the boom in AI and tech sector investments. Elon Musk increased his fortune by $333.2 billion, reaching $754 billion, becoming the first person with a fortune exceeding $700 billion.
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.
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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.