The number of billionaires has reached a new record and Elon Musk is once again the richest of all, according to the new Forbes ranking.

In 2026, Elon Musk is once again at the top of the list of the world's richest people, with a staggering net worth estimated at $839 billion, or €721 billion. For comparison, Belgium's gross domestic product (GDP) was €620.3 billion in 2024.

The silver and bronze medals in the Forbes ranking go to Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with net worths of $257 billion (€221 billion) and $237 billion (€204 billion) respectively.

The rest of the top 10 include, in order, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Bernard Arnault, Jensen Huang, Warren Buffett and Amancio Ortega.

Beyoncé and Roger Federer

The 40th annual Forbes billionaires list also welcomes some newcomers, including rapper Dr Dre ($1 billion, or €860 million), singer Beyoncé ($1 billion) and tennis legend Roger Federer ($1.1 billion).

In total, 390 new billionaires have appeared on the famous list. Greg Abel ($1 billion), successor to stock market guru Warren Buffett as head of the investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, also makes his debut, as does Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk's brother, with $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion). Sergey Brin's ex-wife, for her part, amassed a fortune of $1.4 billion after her divorce from the Google founder.

The rich get richer.

The number of billionaires worldwide has reached a record high of 3,428. Their combined wealth also hit a new peak of $20.1 trillion (€17 trillion), up $4 trillion (€3.4 trillion) from last year. By 2025, the US GDP, which accounts for roughly a quarter of the global economy, is projected to reach nearly $31.8 trillion.

Elon Musk saw his fortune increase more than anyone else, with a gain of $497 billion (€427 billion). Lei Jun, founder of Xiaomi, on the other hand, suffered a record loss of $5.6 billion (€13.4 billion), bringing his total fortune down to $27.9 billion (€24 billion).

Americans, but not only Americans

Among the other notable facts highlighted by Forbes is the remarkable increase in wealth of cryptocurrency magnate Changpeng Zhao, founder of the Binance exchange platform. He is now richer than Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with a fortune of $110 billion (€94.6 billion). However, the top six richest people in the world remain all American.

Seventh place goes to a European, Bernard Arnault, who, along with his family, holds nearly $171 billion (€147 billion). Spanish businessman Amancio Ortega, founder of the Zara fashion chain, enters the top 10 with $148 billion (€127 billion).

A very wealthy president

US President Donald Trump also appears on the list, with his fortune increasing by 27% in one year to reach $6.5 billion (€5.6 billion). This enrichment is largely due to his family's investments in the cryptocurrency sector. The cancellation of his fraud fine in New York also worked in his favor. Trump is thus the 645th richest person in the world.

Finally, Sky News points out that, although men continue to dominate the rankings, 122 women also appear this year, with a combined fortune of $462 billion (€397 billion). The richest woman occupies 14th place: Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, with a fortune of $134 billion (€115 billion).