Musk retains title as world’s top 10 richest all Americans bar one French
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and Space X founder, begins 2025 as the world’s richest person, solidifying his status as the first man worth more than $400 billion, and the top 10 billionaires emerge all Americans, bar one lone French man.
The latest release from Forbes shows Musk leads a list of global tycoons whose combined net worths total $1.9 trillion as of 1 January 2025.
The combined net worth of the top 10 richest individuals now stands at $1.9 trillion, up from $1.8 trillion on 1 December 2024, just a month ago.
These billionaires, primarily from the tech, retail, and luxury goods sectors, continue to shape global markets and influence industries on a monumental scale.
Notably, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has joined the ranks for the first time, reflecting the meteoric rise of the semiconductor industry.
Below is a look at the top 10 richest people in the world as of January 1, 2025, according to Forbes:
1 Elon Musk
Net worth: $421.2 billion
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI
Age: 53
Citizenship: US
Musk’s wealth surged by $91 billion in December, largely driven by a new valuation of SpaceX at $350 billion. Musk also gained attention following his appointment as co-head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Donald Trump who will take office on January 20 US President.
2 Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $233.5 billion
Source: Amazon
Age: 60
Citizenship: US
Bezos reclaimed the second spot after Amazon shares rose 5 per cent in December, adding $10 billion to his fortune.
3 Larry Ellison
Net worth: $209.7 billion
Source: Oracle
Age: 80
Citizenship: US
Despite a $17 billion drop in his wealth due to Oracle’s declining stock, Ellison remains in the top three.
4 Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $202.5 billion
Source: Meta (Facebook)
Age: 40
Citizenship: US
Zuckerberg’s wealth increased slightly as Meta shares rose by 1.9 per cent last month.
5 Bernard Arnault
Net worth: $168.8 billion
Source: LVMH
Age: 75
Citizenship: France
6 Larry Page
Net worth: $157.9 billion
Source: Google (Alphabet)
Age: 51
Citizenship: US
Larry Page, co-founder of Google, maintains a strong presence on the list of the world’s wealthiest individuals
7 Sergey Brin
Net worth: $153.4 billion
Source: Google (Alphabet)
Age: 50
Citizenship: US
Sergey Brin, also a co-founder of Google, continues to accumulate wealth through Alphabet’s dominance in the tech sector.
8 Warren Buffett
Net worth: $139.6 billion
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 94
Citizenship: US
Buffett’s fortune dropped by $8.9 billion in December, sliding his rank from No. 6 to No. 8, as Berkshire Hathaway’s A shares declined by nearly 6 per cent over the past month.
9 Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $123.5 billion
Source: Microsoft
Age: 68
Citizenship: US
Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, saw his fortune drop by $500 million in December, despite still being worth over $100 billion.
10 Jensen Huang
Net worth: $118 billion
Source: Nvidia
Age: 61
Citizenship: US
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