The rivalry never ends among billionaires striving for the top spot on the richest person in the world list. The title holder changes regularly, as does the combined net worth of the five richest people in the world – currently a staggering $1.06 trillion.
As stock markets reeled from Trump’s tariffs, the richest 500 people in the world saw their combined wealth drop by $208 billion on 3 April, according to Bloomberg. It was the fourth-largest one-day drop in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and the largest since the pandemic.
Despite substantial wealth, Bernard Arnault has been pushed down the rich list by Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison and Bill Gates.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
(Image credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has been named the richest person in the world. Currently, Musk’s net worth is $326 billion, according to Bloomberg. Forbes puts his fortunes at $380.9 billion.
The second-richest billionaire, Jeff Bezos, is worth nearly $116 billion less than Musk, which puts the tycoon comfortably above anyone else on the list.
The entrepreneur is the face behind several tech businesses, including Tesla, SpaceX and ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter. He acquired a 9.2% stake in the social media company in 2022, making him the largest shareholder.
Musk was appointed to Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. However, since entering the White House, Musk’s net worth has taken quite a tumble.
According to CNBC, around $31 billion of his fortune was wiped out between 3 and 4 April. This was a result of a 6% S&P 500 decline due to Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs — the biggest dip since the pandemic.
So far, Bloomberg reports that Musk has lost a staggering $107 billion this year.
Moreover, CNBC also reported that Tesla’s stock plummeted 36% in the first quarter of 2025, costing the company over $460 billion in market capitalisation.
Get an in-depth insight into Elon Musk’s net worth and find out how he created Tesla.
2. Jeff Bezos
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $210 billion. The billionaire is most famous for founding Amazon in 1994. It all started when Bezos saw a gap in the market for e-commerce and began to sell books online, working out of his garage. Now, the empire has a market capitalisation of $2.03 trillion.
Bezos also owns The Washington Post, one of the largest newspapers in the United States. He has a stake in Blue Origin, a space exploration company he founded in 2000, which is set to launch singer Katy Perry, former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, and a few others into space as part of an all-female crew.
Mark Zuckerberg is the innovator behind the world’s most popular social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.
Zuckerberg’s net worth is $207 billion, according to Bloomberg. Most of his wealth comes from acquisitions such as Instagram (bought for $1 billion) and WhatsApp, purchased for $19 billion. Threads, a competitor to ‘X’, is the latest addition to Zuckerberg’s social network portfolio.
In 2024, Zuckerberg’s fortunes went up by 70%, adding around $72 billion to his net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
However, he’s been the worst hit by Trump’s tariffs, as Meta’s share price plunged by 9%, causing a $17.9 billion dent in the CEO’s net worth.
(Image credit: Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A new entry on the world’s richest people list, Warren Buffett is one of the few billionaires whose wealth has grown this year, especially after Trump’s tariffs have disrupted global trade and resulted in a stock market selloff.
Buffett’s net worth now stands at $162 billion, up by nearly $20 billion this year. The Berkshire Hathaway CEO and largest shareholder is best known for generating average annual returns of 19.8% between 1965 and 2023, which is almost double what the S&P 500 gained during the same period, per The Motley Fool.
He’s known for his investing style and for finding undervalued companies with a strong foundation. As a result, some of his biggest investments include Apple, Coca-Cola and American Express.
As of late, shares in Berkshire Hathaway have dropped 8.8% since 2 April, whereas the S&P 500 has witnessed a 10.7% drop, according to Bloomberg.
Larry Ellison is the man behind one of the world’s largest software companies, Oracle, which he founded in 1977.
When Ellison launched Oracle, it took the world by storm and was favoured by many businesses due to its speed and efficiency. It became a top competitor among the likes of Intel, Microsoft and IBM.
The Oracle software is now used by big names including JPMorgan Chase, Netflix and UnitedHealth Group, as per Thomson Data. The entrepreneur owns around 42% of Oracle, totalling more than 1.1 billion shares.
Ellison’s net worth is $159 billion. According to Business Insider, the billionaire’s fortunes rose by more than $67 billion in 2024, putting him ahead of Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates. However, the recent tariff turmoil has rocked his fortunes, which are down by $32.7 billion this year.
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
Oojal has a background in consumer journalism and is interested in helping people make the most of their money.Oojal has an MA in international journalism from Cardiff University, and before joining MoneyWeek, she worked for Look After My Bills, a personal finance website, where she covered guides on household bills and money-saving deals.Her bylines can be found on Newsquest, Voice Wales, DIVA and Sony Music, and she has explored subjects ranging from politics and LGBTQIA+ issues to food and entertainment.Outside of work, Oojal enjoys travelling, going to the movies and learning Spanish with a little green owl.
Should the income protection age cap be lifted?
UK interest rate cut all but ruled out
