2025 was a landmark year for global wealth, driven by an AI-fueled stock boom and high-profile IPOs. The billionaire population surged to 3148—a 50% increase from five years ago—with a combined net worth of 18.7 trillion dollars.
Record-Breaking Wealth Growth
Elon Musk’s Dominance: Musk became the first person to surpass the 700 billion dollar mark, adding 333 billion dollars to his fortune in one year.
Larry Ellison’s Surge: The Oracle co-founder set a record for the largest single-day gain, adding nearly 100 billion dollars to his net worth on September 10.
Total New Wealth: Over the 12 months, 876 billion dollars in new billionaire wealth was created.
The Rise of Young Tech Founders
The “youngest self-made billionaire” title changed hands multiple times due to massive valuations for AI and prediction market startups:
Mercor: Three 22-year-old co-founders became the youngest ever, surpassing Mark Zuckerberg’s record.
Polymarket: Founder Shane Kaplan, 27, briefly held the title with a $9 billion valuation.
Female Leaders: Scale AI’s Lucy Guo (30) and Kalshi’s Luana Lopes Lara (29) both overtook Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaires.
Diversity of Origin: While 40% of the 340+ new billionaires are American, the wave spanned 32 countries, including China, India, and Russia.
Self-Made vs. Inherited: Two-thirds of the newcomers are self-made, including a record 11 individuals under age 30.
Political Power: Billionaires leveraged their wealth for unprecedented influence. In the U.S., 135 billionaires funded the 2024 election, while others, like NASA head Jared Isaacman and Czech PM Andrej Babiš, took direct roles in government.
Wealth in 2025 proved remarkably resilient: 80% of billionaires ended the year with valuations equal to or higher than where they started.
