John D. Rockefeller is often cited as the world's first billionaire, achieving that status in 1916 through his ownership of Standard Oil. 2 From that point over a century ago, wealth has multiplied to the point where the richest people in the world have fortunes that exceed $200 billion.
Key Takeaways. The United States had the highest number of billionaires in 2025 with 902, according to Forbes. China and India had 516 and 205 billionaires, respectively.
A self-made billionaire, Taylor is the first musician to make the billionaire ranking primarily based on her songs and performances, and not due to investments and businesses. The singer-songwriter has been in the news recently for her engagement to American football player Travis Kelce.
He doesn't live in a slum or wear tattered clothes. Jerome Kerviel looks like another man walking the streets of Paris. But behind the ordinary appearance lies a financial catastrophe so massive, it shook global markets and earned him the label of "the world's poorest man."
By 2035, some predict there will be at least five trillionaires in the world, but no one has reached that yet. A trillionaire is someone who has accumulated a net worth of at least one trillion of their local currency.
However, an investigation by the Guardian in 2023 estimated that King Charles's fortune could be almost £2bn. That includes cars, rare stamps, property, investments, horses, jewellery, art and a hereditary estate. The wealth of Sunak and his wife has fallen by £11m to £640m.
The House of Saud is the richest royal family. Their net worth is estimated at $1.4 trillion. The House of Al Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. The Royal Family of Qatar is the third richest family.
The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets. Just two corporations control 40 percent of the global seed market. The “big three” US-based asset managers —BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard— hold $20 trillion in assets, close to one-fifth of all investable assets in the world.
Rockefeller's net worth was estimated around $900 million (about $29.3 billion in today's dollars). As of 2024, the family fortune was worth around $10.3 billion. The family's wealth was protected and transferred to future generations through a series of irrevocable trusts established by Rockefeller's son, John D.
Adolf Merckle. Adolf Merckle (18 March 1934 – 5 January 2009) was a German entrepreneur and billionaire. He died by suicide at age 74 due to losses during the 2008 financial crisis. He was at one point the fifth-richest person in Germany with a net worth of $9.2 billion.
Mansa Musa, the 14th-century king of the Mali Empire, is often regarded as the richest person in history. With an estimated fortune of $131bn (£99bn), he is the wealthiest man in modern history.
