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Richest People in the World, 1990 to 2026

Elon Musk topped Forbes' 2026 list at $839 billion, the largest net worth in these annual rankings, ahead of Larry Page at $257 billion.

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What the data shows

  • In 2026, Elon Musk ranks #1 with $839B, ahead of Larry Page ($257B) and Sergey Brin ($237B).
  • Back in 1990, Walton family was #1 with $14B.
  • The top spot changed hands 9 times, first to Bill Gates in 1997, most recently to Elon Musk in 2025.
  • Biggest climber: Larry Page, from #9 in 2019 to #2 in 2026.

About this chart

Elon Musk led the 2026 Forbes list with $839 billion, the largest net worth recorded in these annual top-10 rankings. Larry Page ($257 billion), Sergey Brin ($237 billion), Jeff Bezos ($224 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg ($222 billion) complete the top five. Musk first reached number one in 2022 ($219 billion) and returned to the top in 2025 ($342 billion). Net worth is the March snapshot of each Forbes list, in nominal dollars.

Earlier leaders came and went. Bill Gates was number one every year from 1997 to 2007, in 2009 and from 2014 to 2017, peaking at $90 billion in 1999. Carlos Slim led from 2010 to 2013, Jeff Bezos from 2018 to 2021, and Bernard Arnault in 2023 ($211 billion) and 2024 ($233 billion). A blank means the person was outside that year's top ten, not that they had zero.

The data

Source: Forbes World's Billionaires annual lists (top 10 each year), as compiled in Wikipedia 'The World's Billionaires' annual rankings tables. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Net worth is the March snapshot used by each year's Forbes list, in nominal US dollars (not inflation-adjusted). An empty cell means the person was not in that year's top 10 (so their net worth is not recorded here), not that it was zero. Family fortunes (Walton family, 1990-1998) are listed as a single group. 1987-1989 omitted because only a partial top 10 is tabulated. The 2026 list was published 10 March 2026.

Richest People in the World, Net worth, US$ billions, Forbes annual list, 1990-2026, 1990–2026
Date🇺🇸 Elon Musk🇺🇸 Jeff Bezos🇺🇸 Bill Gates🇺🇸 Warren Buffett🇫🇷 Bernard Arnault🇲🇽 Carlos Slim🇺🇸 Larry Ellison🇺🇸 Mark Zuckerberg🇺🇸 Larry Page🇺🇸 Sergey Brin🇪🇸 Amancio Ortega🇺🇸 Walton family
1990$14B
1991$19B
1992$6B$24B
1993$7B$7B$25B
1994$8B$8B$7B$23B
1995$13B$11B$8B$24B
1996$18B$15B$10B$23B
1997$36B$23B$11B$28B
1998$51B$33B$13B$48B
1999$90B$36B$14B
2000$60B$26B$16B$47B
2001$59B$32B$18B$26B
2002$53B$35B$19B$24B
2003$41B$31B$21B$17B
2004$47B$43B$22B$18B
2005$47B$44B$24B$18B
2006$52B$42B$22B$30B$19B
2007$56B$52B$26B$49B$20B$24B
2008$58B$62B$27B$60B$21B$21B
2009$40B$37B$27B$35B$23B$18B
2010$53B$47B$28B$54B$28B$25B
2011$56B$50B$41B$74B$40B$31B
2012$61B$44B$41B$69B$36B$38B
2013$67B$54B$29B$73B$43B$57B
2014$76B$58B$38B$72B$48B$64B
2015$79B$73B$46B$77B$54B$65B
2016$45B$75B$61B$55B$50B$44B$45B$67B
2017$73B$86B$76B$63B$55B$52B$56B$71B
2018$112B$90B$84B$72B$67B$59B$71B$70B
2019$131B$97B$83B$76B$64B$63B$62B$51B$63B
2020$113B$98B$68B$76B$71B$59B$55B$71B$55B
2021$151B$177B$124B$96B$150B$79B$93B$97B$92B$89B$69B
2022$219B$177B$129B$118B$158B$86B$106B$124B$111B$107B$83B
2023$180B$114B$104B$106B$211B$93B$107B$150B$113B$117B$96B
2024$195B$194B$128B$133B$233B$141B$177B$114B$128B$110B
2025$342B$215B$154B$178B$192B$216B$144B$138B$124B
2026$839B$224B$149B$171B$190B$222B$257B$237B$148B

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the richest person in the world?

Elon Musk, with $839 billion on Forbes' list published March 10, 2026. Larry Page was second at $257 billion and Sergey Brin third at $237 billion.

Who has been the richest person on the most Forbes lists?

Bill Gates, who was number one on 16 lists in this data: every year from 1997 to 2007, plus 2009 and 2014 to 2017. The Walton family topped six lists, from 1991 to 1996.

Where does this data come from?

Forbes World's Billionaires annual lists (top 10 each year), as compiled in Wikipedia 'The World's Billionaires' annual rankings tables. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Net worth is the March snapshot used by each year's Forbes list, in nominal US dollars (not inflation-adjusted). An empty cell means the person was not in that year's top 10 (so their net worth is not recorded here), not that it was zero. Family fortunes (Walton family, 1990-1998) are listed as a single group. 1987-1989 omitted because only a partial top 10 is tabulated. The 2026 list was published 10 March 2026. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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