The number of billionaires across the world is set to touch a record high in 2025, with their ranks crossing the 3,000 mark for the first time. Their combined wealth has surged to an estimated $18.3 trillion,
according to a new report by Oxfam released ahead of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.
The report notes that the wealth of US billionaires has grown at the fastest pace globally, though double-digit growth has also been recorded in several other regions. Overall billionaire wealth rose by 16% in 2025, marking an 81% increase since 2020, an absolute rise of around $8.2 trillion.
Oxfam further highlighted that the world’s 12 richest individuals now control more wealth than half of the global population, or roughly 4 billion people. The report said billionaire wealth is currently at its highest level in history, driven in part by soaring valuations of artificial intelligence (AI) companies. In the one year since November 2024 alone, billionaire wealth has grown by 16.2%, nearly three times the average annual growth rate recorded since 2020.
Top 10 Richest People in the World (Forbes Real-Time List)
- Elon Musk (Tesla & SpaceX) – $779.6 billion
- Larry Page (Google) – $270 billion
- Jeff Bezos (Amazon) – $249.8 billion
- Sergey Brin (Google) – $249.1 billion
- Larry Ellison (Oracle) – $240.6 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg (Meta/Facebook) – $212.8 billion
- Bernard Arnault and family (LVMH) – $182.4 billion
- Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) – $161.7 billion
- Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) – $146.1 billion
- Amancio Ortega (Zara) – $143.1 billion
Elon Musk’s Wealth
The Oxfam report places special focus on Elon Musk, who in October 2025 became the first individual in history to cross a net worth of $500 billion. His wealth later surged past the $600 billion and $700 billion milestones. The sharp rise has been attributed largely to SpaceX’s potential initial public offering and Tesla’s strong share price performance. Musk owns about 42% of SpaceX and continues to hold a substantial stake in Tesla.
Who are India’s top 3 billionaires?
- Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries) – $104.6 billion
- Gautam Adani (Adani Group) – $89.6 billion
- Savitri Jindal (OP Jindal Group) – $40.2 billion
Oxfam said global wealth concentration has reached an all-time high at a moment when governments worldwide are struggling with mounting debt, rising interest rates and increasing pressure to fund social welfare programmes. In contrast, large investors and high-net-worth individuals continue to benefit from buoyant stock markets and rapid technological change. The figures underline a broader trend in global capital flows, with money increasingly gravitating towards large corporations, technology firms and assets linked to long-term structural shifts in the global economy.
