Elon Musk continues to lead the Forbes ranking of the world’s wealthiest individuals, with his fortune approaching a record high.
March 10, 2026March 10, 2026
The global surge in interest surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) has propelled the number of billionaires worldwide to a new peak, according to Forbes. Topping the list for the second consecutive year is Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, and Tesla. His estimated net worth currently stands at $839 billion (approximately 725 billion euros).
Elon Musk could soon become a trillionaire.Bild: keystone
The 40th annual Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest individuals includes 3,428 billionaires, an increase of 400 from the previous year. This represents the highest number of billionaires since the list’s inception in 1987.
“It’s the year of the billionaires,” stated Forbes editor Chase Peterson-Withorn. “The planet gained more than one new billionaire per day over the past twelve months, as the AI-fueled stock market boom drove wealth to previously unimaginable heights.”
Musk’s Wealth Exceeds Three Other Billionaires Combined
Musk’s fortune has more than doubled in the past year, positioning him as the first person on track to surpass $1 trillion. According to Forbes, the 54-year-old now holds more wealth than the next three richest individuals combined: Google co-founders Larry Page ($257 billion) and Sergey Brin ($237 billion), and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos ($224 billion). Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($222 billion) rounds out the top five.
Dieter Schwarz, CEO of Lidl, remains the wealthiest individual in Germany, with an estimated fortune of over $67 billion. He has climbed to 29th place on the Forbes list, up from 37th place last year.
Former President Donald Trump also saw gains, with his wealth increasing by 27 percent to an estimated $6.5 billion during his first year of his second term. Forbes attributes this increase primarily to his investments in cryptocurrencies, placing him 645th on the global list.
Used sources:
- Reuters news agency
(hkl)
