Survey of Billionaires 2025: Who Dominates Global Wealth

The world’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of pioneers in technology, retail, and investment. In 2025, data from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index clearly shows that the richest people in the world come from diverse nationalities, but most have migrated from the digital transformation era.

Sources of Income: Technology, Retail, and Capital

The global billionaire ranking not only presents names and cash figures but also reveals how a few individuals build their empires. Overall, most the world’s wealthiest people have succeeded through creating new things, not inheriting wealth.

Summary Table: Top 10 Billionaires

1. Elon Musk: The Productive Person

This American innovator ranks highest, with a net worth of 342 billion dollars. Musk founded Tesla, competing in electric vehicles, and also manages SpaceX, aiming for space travel to Mars, along with Neuralink and xAI.

Since age 12, Musk has programmed and sold the game Blastar. He studied science, mathematics, and physics at Stanford before launching Zip2 in 1995.

2. Mark Zuckerberg: The King of Social Media

At age 40, Zuckerberg has accumulated a total of 216 billion dollars, mostly from holding approximately 13% of Meta Platforms (. He founded Facebook while studying at Harvard University in 2004.

This social media company has acquired Instagram and WhatsApp as strategic moves. In 2012, Facebook went public, raising 16 billion dollars, making it the largest IPO of the internet era.

3. Jeff Bezos: Founder of Amazon

Bezos ranks third with a net worth of 215 billion dollars. Born in New Mexico in 1964, he studied electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University.

On Wall Street, Bezos became a senior vice president before quitting to start Amazon in 1994. Amazon’s operations included acquiring Whole Foods for the first time in 2017 to expand its food empire.

4. Larry Ellison: Software Organization Leader

Ellison founded Oracle Corporation in 1977 with the goal of revolutionizing database systems. Currently, he owns nearly 42% of Oracle ), valued at over 117 billion dollars, with a total net worth of 192 billion dollars.

Oracle is considered a leader in enterprise software. Under Ellison’s management, the company has made additional acquisitions, including Cerner, a healthcare software company valued at 28.3 billion dollars.

5. Bernard Arnault: The Luxury Fashion King

Arnault is the Chairman and CEO of LVMH, a global luxury fashion empire, with a net worth of 154 billion dollars.

He started in his family’s construction business, then used proceeds from a sale to acquire Christian Dior in 1984. His strategy involves acquiring leading luxury brands worldwide. In 2021, LVMH bought jewelry brand Tiffany & Co for 15.8 billion dollars.

6. Warren Buffett: The Investment Engineer

Buffett calls himself the “Oracle of Omaha.” At age 94, he is regarded as an investment genius. He manages Berkshire Hathaway, holding about 15% ( of its shares, worth 137 billion dollars ).

Buffett founded Buffett Partnership Ltd. in 1956 and took control of Berkshire Hathaway the same year. His portfolio spans multiple industries: media, insurance, energy, food, and beverages.

His famous investment principle: “Rule number one: Don’t lose money. Rule number two: Don’t forget rule number one.”

7 & 8. Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The Google Creators

Both co-founded Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, in 1998 while studying at Stanford University.

Page has a net worth of 144 billion dollars, and Brin 138 billion dollars. Both hold about 6% of Alphabet (, nearly 130 billion dollars each ).

Google went public in 2004 and has expanded into many sectors: advertising, cloud, hardware, and other popular services.

9. Amancio Ortega: The Fashion Retail Emperor

Ortega, co-founder of Inditex, the world’s largest fashion retailer, manages brands including Zara.

He launched Inditex in 1975 with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera, growing the company to over 5,000 stores. In 2022, his daughter Marta became the chairwoman after Ortega stepped back from daily management.

His net worth is 124 billion dollars, mostly from holding 60% of Inditex and investing in real estate valued at 12 billion dollars.

10. Steve Ballmer: Microsoft Leader and Tech Millionaire

Ballmer was CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014 before leaving the company. He owns about 4% of Microsoft (, valued at 134 billion dollars ), with a total net worth of 118 billion dollars.

Under Ballmer’s leadership, Microsoft expanded continuously, developing the Xbox console and acquiring Skype in 2014 (, the year he retired ).

After leaving Microsoft, Ballmer bought the NBA team Los Angeles Clippers for 2 billion dollars. In 2022, he and his wife donated 425 million dollars to the University of Oregon.

Lessons from Success

The stories of the world’s wealthiest people reveal common factors: innovation, perseverance, strategic vision, and a willingness to take risks for creation.

Success does not come from inheritance but from identifying opportunities, developing skills, and working diligently. Most of these individuals started young, building companies or entering highly competitive industries.

If you are interested in exploring investment methods and business creation, study these biographies to understand the keys to success in today’s era.

Note: The above information is based on publicly available data from Bloomberg and other reputable sources. Figures may change according to market performance.