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BillionairesA billionaire is anyone with a net worth of over $1B, whether their assets are liquid, illiquid, or a mix of both. Today, the world has a record number of 3,428 billionaires, with a combined net worth of about $20T as of March 2026. The United States is home to almost 1,000 billionaires—more than any other country in the world.
The number of billionaires in the US has grown dramatically in recent years—in the 1990s, for instance, America was only home to about 60 or 70 billionaires. Beyond the forces that have boosted American upper-class net worths more broadly, such as rising real estate values, stock prices, and the growing prevalence of 401(k) plans and IRAs, the big tech boom and favorable capital gains tax treatment have been significant drivers of billionaire class growth specifically.
Some argue that the rise in billionaires is a net good for Americans and the US economy at large, as they often create a significant number of jobs at companies they own and operate while donating to philanthropic institutions. Critics of billionaires have argued that their large concentrations of wealth and relatively low tax rates exacerbate economic inequality.Explore Billionaires
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In Switzerland, there was one billionaire for every 80,000 people as of 2022, making it one of the countries with the most billionaires per capitaSwiss residents overall have a mean net worth of almost $700K, making them some of the richest in the world, ahead of both the US and Hong Kong. In Switzerland, there is no capital gains tax on financial assets, although the country does have a relatively low wealth tax. CNBCMost US billionaires made their wealth in banking and finance rather than techA third of US billionaires inherited much or all of their enormous fortunes. It can be tough to determine the exact net worth of billionaires given that much of their money is often tied up in company stocks, which fluctuate significantly in a given week. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The Wall Street JournalThe number of billionaires in Saudi Arabia is projected to increase by 183% by 2031Countries in the Middle East and Asia are projected to have some of the largest economic expansions by 2031, including within their billionaire populations. The global average growth projection for billionaires is 26% between 2026 and 2031. Visual CapitalistAround 60% of female billionaires in the US are considered self-madeThere are 154 female billionaires in America, and around 60% of them are considered at least partially self-made—meaning some of their wealth comes from a business venture launched on their own. Alice Walton, the founder of Walmart's daughter, is the richest woman in the US, clocking a net worth of $138B. (Some users may experience a paywall.) The Wall Street JournalNearly half of billionaires plan to increase exposure to direct private equity investments in 2026In a global survey administered by the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), 49% of billionaires plan to continue investing in companies by providing direct access to capital. However, only 37% of billionaires plan to increase their investments in private equity funds. Visual CapitalistVisualize the world's top 20 billionaires in 2026This data visualization shows the 20 wealthiest people in the world as of January 2026. Topping the list with a net worth of more than $713B is Elon Musk, trailed by Larry Page ($258B), Jeff Bezos ($251B), and Larry Ellison ($243B). Visual CapitalistSome billionaires invest in extreme home upgrades for their estatesCar elevators, spas, movie theaters, bowling alleys, nightclubs, and panic rooms are just some of the lavish upgrades the 1% builds in their homes. GOBankingRatesSee a visual of the US states with the most billionairesThis map of the US shows the states with the most billionaires as of 2025. As of July 2025, there were 899 US billionaires, although some of them live abroad. Visual CapitalistBillionaires are racing to space to control future marketsAlthough different companies have described focuses ranging from luxury tourism to Martian space colonies, all are building infrastructure to capitalize on the shift away from government-only control and betting big on reusability and scale. By securing public contracts and subsidies, they aim to develop strategic partnerships toward dominance in low Earth orbit. 1440A group of billionaires and millionaires wants to pay more taxesHundreds of billionaires and millionaires have signed a letter called “Proud to Pay More,” in which they ask world leaders to tax the wealthiest individuals more than they currently do. The group, which includes Disney heir Abigail Disney and Valerie Rockefeller, re-upped their call at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year. Learn about the “Proud to Pay More” letter in this article. CNBCHow popular are America's billionaires?The US has more billionaires than any other country, and they are a mix of media moguls, entrepreneurs, and entertainers. This list ranks the 10 richest Americans by their popularity. The oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, ranks highest in favorability at 52%, while Google cofounder Sergey Brin ranks lowest—likely because 72% of respondents didn't recognize his name. Visual CapitalistAmerican billionaires' wealth, visualized America's top 20 billionaires have a combined wealth of $2.7T as of 2024. That's more than Russia's annual GDP. But some billionaires, like Elon Musk, hold a greater share of that $2.7T number than others. To see just how much money each of these 20 billionaires have in comparison to the others in the group, check out this data visualization. Visual CapitalistWatch this video to find out how Taylor Swift became a billionaire from her musical empireThe news that Taylor Swift's wildly successful Eras Tour had made her a billionaire came out in October 2023. While most billionaires in the music industry use their fame as a foundation for other business ventures outside the industry (think: billionaire singer-songwriter Rihanna's Fenty Beauty makeup line), Swift has earned her wealth almost exclusively through music. BloombergThe .1% of Americans used to control 7% of all US wealth, but today, they control closer to 18%Tax policy changes have likely contributed to the recent rise in the number of US billionaires. The average tax rate for the top 400 or so richest Americans is now about half of what it was 50 years ago in the 1970s, while the tax rates for the bottom 90% of Americans have not budged much at all. Vox'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.'- Ted Turner, on his secret to success (1938-2026) ForbesWhitney Wolfe Herd is considered the youngest self-made female billionaireWhitney Wolfe Herd founded dating app Bumble in her 20s after cofounding Tinder. She was inspired to create Bumble partly due to an experience she had with female friends who made fun of her for making the first move with a man she went on a date with. The Diary of a CEOThe CEOs of the two top prediction markets have a fierce rivalryKalshi CEO Tarek Mansour and Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan are both billionaire CEOs of the top two prediction markets—but they don't exactly get along. For instance, Mansour reportedly does not say the word "Polymarket" out loud, referring to it as the "non-American, unregulated platform." NPRPrediction market Polymarket's CEO dropped out of New York UniversityPolymarket CEO Shayne Coplan started building Polymarket when he was 21. Polymarket has been backed by billionaire investors such as Peter Thiel and Vitalik Buterin. 60 MinutesThree AI startup founders broke the record for the youngest self-made billionaire previously set by Mark ZuckerbergMark Zuckerberg became the youngest self-made billionaire in 2006 at 23 years old when Facebook held its initial public offering. In January of 2026, three AI startup founders—Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath, and Surya Midha—broke Zuckerberg's record and became billionaires at 22 years old. GOBankingRatesThe dot-com boom made Mark Cuban a billionaireCuban co-founded AudioNet with Todd Wagner in 1995 before it became Broadcast.com—a web app that allowed people to listen to sports commentary on their computers if they couldn't watch a game. In 1999, Yahoo bought Broadcast.com for $5.7B. By the time the market crashed, Cuban had already sold most of his stock in the company and had become a billionaire. CNBCBumble's origin story includes a Russian billionaire, a Tinder cofounder, and a private jetWhitney Wolfe Herd founded Bumble as a female-focused alternative to Tinder in 2014, inspired by the harassment she saw women on Tinder facing when she worked there. Instead of both parties being able to message each other first, on Bumble, women had to make the first move. Land of the Giants Jeff Bezos launched his philanthropic ‘Bezos Day One Fund’ in 2018 with his then-wife, Mackenzie ScottThe fund focuses on promoting education and reducing homelessness. This article compares Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ philanthropic initiatives to those of other billionaires, including Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. NasdaqIn 2019, Dutch historian Rutger Bregman went viral for his on-stage criticism of the eventSpeaking directly to an audience of billionaires and CEOs, Bregman broke from Davos norms by challenging elite comfort with inequality, arguing that fair taxation—not philanthropy—was the more honest solution, creating one of the Forum’s most widely shared moments. The GuardianHow to visualize the enormous wealth of Elon MuskThe disruptive innovator and founder of SpaceX and Tesla is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, an unimaginable sum. This simple interactive visual uses pixels (representing $1K each) on a scrolling screen to demonstrate the billionaire's wealth compared to other known financial values, like the cost of building a Boeing 777 or the net worth of Tiger Woods. Engaging DataSpace tourism rockets emit up to 100 times more CO₂ per passenger than airplanesRocket launches release significant amounts of water vapor, nitrous oxide, and rocket propellants, which generate greenhouse gases and air pollutants. High-altitude emissions can persist for years, affecting the ozone layer. ideas.ted.comBy 2005, Microsoft may have made as many as 12,000 millionairesStock options given to early employees also created four billionaires, including Bill Gates, who became the then-youngest self-made billionaire at the age of 31. As of 2025, Microsoft employs about 228,000 employees, including more than 50,000 at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington. AxiosSteve Bannon was made CEO of the company in charge of Biosphere 2 in 1994After providing $200M to launch and upgrade B2 before its second mission, billionaire philanthropist Ed Bass appointed the future political strategist and then financial consultant to help find new investments and bring costs under control. Fearing interference from non-science experts, Biospherians from the first mission vandalized the project. WIREDSee Bloomberg's continuously updated Billionaire IndexThis ranking, updated daily, shows a running tally of the world's 500 richest people. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has largely been atop the list, with a net worth of around $723B as of June 2026. Values fluctuate significantly as much of the wealth is tied to equity in companies. (Some users may experience a paywall.) Bloomberg.com'If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.'- Billionaire John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) ForbesFormer Temu CEO Colin Huang is among China's richest peopleWith a $43.3B net worth as of September 2025, Huang was the founder of PDD Holdings, Temu’s parent company. ForbesSome found the Temu ‘Shop Like a Billionaire’ Super Bowl ads out of place in the Big Game“It had no A-list celebrities or beloved cultural touchstones; not a single heartstring was tugged,” wrote one writer of the Temu ad that aired five times during the 2024 Super Bowl. The AtlanticTemu aired its first Super Bowl ads in 2023The “Shop Like a Billionaire” ad ran twice during the game. Temu saw a roughly 45% surge in downloads and a 20% increase in daily active users the day it aired. Modern RetailTemu ran the same Super Bowl ad five times in 2024During 2024’s campaign, Temu spent millions of dollars on its five identical “Shop Like a Billionaire” Super Bowl spots that showed animated characters feeling extremely joyful upon receiving cheap products. TemuA reclusive billionaire ran Sears before its bankruptcyFormer Sears CEO and hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert was once kidnapped from his home in Greenwich, Connecticut by criminals looking to get rich. Some argue that the incident colored Sears’ history. Business Insider Citadel founder Ken Griffin has a $1.5B property portfolioTake a look inside Griffin's real estate portfolio, from a $1B home in Palm Beach to his New York City penthouse on Billionaire's Row. Robb ReportA landmark hedge fund court case once reshaped high financeHedge fund traders tied to insider trading by probing prosecutors are relatively rare. When billionaire hedge fund legend Steve Cohen, founder of SAC Capital, pleaded guilty to trading on inside information, Wall Street trembled. The outcome of the case remains a cautionary tale for traders today. Frontline PBS The dot-com stock bubble taught Howard Marks about marketsAnnual investment letters from Howard Marks, the billionaire cofounder of top distressed debt shop Oaktree Capital Management, are required reading on Wall Street. The prolific writer and investor explains the distinction between the folly of trying to time the market and the necessity of paying attention to market cycles. The difference makes all the difference in returns. Oaktree Capital ManagementSee the small apartment WeWork founder Adam Neumann lived in before he was a billionaireWeWork CEO Adam Neumann used to share a relatively small apartment in New York City with his wife before he became a billionaire off of WeWork. At one point, the apartment rented for $3K per month. Business InsiderAdam Neumann started another real estate company after WeWorkFormer WeWork CEO Adam Neumann has attempted to purchase WeWork before, although, thus far, he hasn’t been successful. Since leaving the company, he has founded a residential real estate firm, among other projects. South China Morning PostSoftBank lost billions of dollars on WeWork. Meanwhile, WeWork’s founder walked away a billionaireIn the years leading up to WeWork’s bankruptcy, the tech holding company SoftBank invested roughly $16B into the company. Yahoo FinancePickleball's popularity has created a power struggleThe sport's sudden rise has led to a tumultuous landscape with battles over governance, court space, and player rights. This Sports Illustrated deep dive examines the competing billionaires vying for control, the conflicts over court usage and noise disputes, and how a second proposed Hall of Fame is dividing the sport. Sports IllustratedA Texas billionaire created the first team-focused pickleball leagueSteve Kuhn is on a mission to make pickleball the next big global sport, starting with Major League Pickleball, his team-focused pickleball league. He's turned his property, named Dreamland, into an expansive center for the sport. Austin MonthlyThe history of the Rockefellers in 60 secondsJohn D. Rockefeller—the world's first billionaire—once controlled 90% of the US oil refining market, built Standard Oil through vertical integration, and used his fortune to fund universities, museums, and landmarks like Rockefeller Center. 1440How John D. Rockefeller became the world's first billionaireFrom a young age, John D. Rockefeller knew he was interested in business. He worked as a bookkeeper and sold candy prior to starting the business empire that would help cement the Rockefeller name in history: Standard Oil. Library of CongressHow Martha Stewart became the first self-made billionaire womanThrough her cooking shows, cookware, and media empire, Martha Stewart ascended to billionaire status in 1999, becoming America's first woman to achieve that number on her own. Despite a conviction in 2004 and time spent in prison, Stewart rebounded and continues to develop product lines and media, with an estimated net worth of $200M. Read more about her story here. PeopleIndian Creek Village: the exclusive billionaire islandOff the coast of Miami lies an island called Indian Creek Village. Spanning around 300 acres, the island is home to a few dozen homes owned by celebrities, sports stars, and tech founders. Only residents and verified visitors can enter this private space, protected by its own police force. Listen to this podcast episode for more information about the private island and why the wealthy love it. AppleWarren Buffett plays about 12 hours of bridge a week with Bill Gates Known for being one of the most frugal billionaires alive, Buffett never spends more than $3.17 on breakfast (opting for either McDonald’s or Oreos). He also has New York Times front pages detailing horrible days on Wall Street hanging on his walls. CNBCTrack Warren Buffett’s real-time net worthBuffett is worth many, many billions of dollars. As a self-made billionaire, he is the eighth-richest man in the world, and his real-time net worth changes daily. ForbesWarren Buffett is considered one of the most successful investors in historyBuffett is the former CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a local resident of Omaha, Nebraska, and a billionaire. People often refer to him as the "Oracle of Omaha." Britannica MoneyThe wealthiest person in every US state in 2021Alongside Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are the richest people in the U.S.? This map reveals the wealthiest billionaire in each U.S. state. Visual Capitalist