2026 is a record year for global wealth: according to the updated Forbes ranking, this year there are 3,428 billionaires in the world – 400 more than in 2025 – with a total wealth of 20,100 billion dollars. For the second consecutive year, Elon Musk is the richest person in the world with a record wealth of 839 billion dollars, which even made him the richest man in history and the first to surpass the threshold of 800 billion.
In the last 12 months, in fact, the “king of the Scrooge McDucks” has increased his wealth by as much as 500 billion dollars, thanks above all to the growing valuations of his main companies, Tesla and SpaceX, and detaching himself by as much as 582 billion dollars from the second richest man on Earth, Larry Page (former CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google) who boasts assets of 257 billion dollars and from the third on the podium, Sergey Brin (237 billion dollars).
The United States, however, still reigns supreme, with 989 billionaires, including US President Donald Trump, now ranked in 645th place: the richest Italian, however, is Giancarlo Devasini, in 22nd place with assets of 89 billion dollars. Meanwhile, the female presence is also growing, with 481 female billionaires worldwide, of which 2 are in the top 20 of the richest in the world.
A record wealth for Elon Musk: 839 billion dollars
Elon Musk therefore confirms himself as the richest man in the world, despite the brief interlude in September 2025, when he was temporarily overtaken by Larry Ellison, owner of Oracle. In 2026, Musk became the richest person in history and the first ever to surpass the threshold of $800 billion in assets: today his wealth amounts to $839 billion.
From 2025 to 2026, among other things, Elon Musk’s assets increased by approximately 500 billion dollars, thanks to the surge in valuations for his companies Tesla and SpaceX: to get an idea, it is as if in the last 365 days Musk had earned approximately $15,855 per second.
At this rate, it is possible that within the next few years Musk will become the first man in the world to reach the $1 trillion mark, thus becoming a “trillionaire”.
The ranking of the 20 richest people in the world: three are Europeans
As anticipated, the ranking released by Forbes reports a total of 3,428 billionaires, with a total wealth of 20,100 billion dollars (in 2025 it was 16,000 billion dollars). This is a surprising figure, especially if you consider that 80% of the billionaires in the 2025 ranking have increased, or at least maintained, their wealth.
It must also be said that the 20 richest people in the world have assets exceeding 100 billion dollars: the overall list, however, is still dominated by the United States with a total of 989 billionaires (of which 15 are included in the top 20). In second place is China, with 610 billionaires, and third place goes to India, far behind with “only” 229 super rich.
As the table below also shows, in the global top 20 Europe still occupies 3 positions, thanks to Bernard Arnault (who owns LVMH, the parent company of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton), Amancio Ortega (owner of Inditex, which controls brands such as Zara) and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the second richest woman in the world (after Alice Walton, heir to the Walmart empire) who controls L’Oréal.
| Position | Name | Assets (in billions of $) | Company and Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | 839 | Tesla, Space X (Technology) |
| 2 | Larry Page | 257 | Google (Technology) |
| 3 | Sergey Brin | 237 | Google (Technology) |
| 4 | Jeff Bezos | 224 | Amazon (Technology) |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | 222 | Facebook (Technology) |
| 6 | Larry Ellison | 190 | Oracle (Technology) |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault (and family) | 171 | LVMH (Fashion and Retail) |
| 8 | Jensen Huang | 154 | Nvidia (Semiconductors and Technology) |
| 9 | Warren Buffett | 149 | Berkshire Hathaway (Finance) |
| 10 | Amancio Ortega | 148 | Inditex (Fashion and Retail) |
| 11 | Rob Walton (and family) | 146 | Walmart (Food and Retail) |
| 12 | Jim Walton (and family) | 143 | Walmart (Food and Retail) |
| 13 | Michael Dell | 141 | Dell Technologies (Technology) |
| 14 | Alice Walton | 134 | Walmart (Food and Retail) |
| 15 | Steve Ballmer | 126 | Microsoft (Technology) |
| 16 | Carlos Slim Helú (and family) | 125 | America Movil (Telecommunications) |
| 17 | Changpeng Zhao | 110 | Binance (Cryptocurrencies and Finance) |
| 18 | Michael Bloomberg | 109 | Bloomberg (Media and Finance) |
| 19 | Bill Gates | 108 | Microsoft (Technology) |
| 20 | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (and family) | 100 | L’Oréal (Beauty and Retail) |
From the point of view of the most profitable sectors, however, technology reigns supreme: among the top 20 positions, 10 are occupied by billionaires who lead or have founded companies active in the technology sector.
But 2026 was also a year of the new super rich, with 390 people entering the billionaires ranking: among them the singer Beyoncé, the former tennis player Roger Federer and Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk’s brother, also stand out.
