The global ultra-rich wealth surged by $3.6 trillion in 2025, led by Elon Musk with an increase of $333 billion. The combined net worth of the top ten winners grew by over $729 billion, with American tech billionaires occupying the top five spots. This article is based on a piece by Forbes, compiled, edited, and written by Foresight News.
(Previous summary: Elon Musk’s net worth approaches $750 billion, the first in history! Court restores sky-high compensation, SpaceX IPO sparks imagination)
(Additional background: As Chinese crypto billionaires start buying gold, you should wake up: the market has already changed)

Table of Contents

• 1. Elon Musk
• 2. Larry Page
• 3. Sergey Brin
• 4. Jensen Huang
• 5. Larry Ellison
• 6. Amancio Ortega
• 7. Germán Larrea Mota Velasco & family
• 8. Masayoshi Son
• 9.(Tie) Mark Zuckerberg
• 9.(Tie) Carlos Slim Helú

Elon Musk’s impact on his trillion-dollar net worth is no longer just talk.

At the beginning of the year, his net worth was $421 billion. By October, he became the first person in history to surpass $500 billion. Subsequently, the rocket manufacturer SpaceX launched a share sale plan, reaching a valuation of about $800 billion, making Musk the first to break $600 billion in net worth. Then, a Delaware court ruled that Musk could retain his previously canceled massive stock options from Tesla, which made him the world’s first person with a net worth over $700 billion last Friday. As the year nears its end, Musk’s net worth has reached $754 billion as of December 22.

Musk is undoubtedly the biggest winner of this year, with his wealth increasing by over $333 billion, averaging $9.35 million per day. This growth not only ranks first among global billionaires but also exceeds the net worth of any other individual. The second-richest person globally is Google co-founder Larry Page, with a net worth of $255 billion.

However, Musk is not the only billionaire to see significant wealth growth over the past year. Throughout 2025, the combined net worth of over 3,100 billionaires worldwide increased by $3.6 trillion, reaching a total of $18.7 trillion.

Most global stock markets performed well in 2025, driving the wealth of billionaires higher. The S&P 500 returned 17% for the year, with major indices in Germany, Japan, and Canada performing even better, with gains of 22%, 26%, and 30%, respectively. Of course, some billionaires’ fortunes flourished even more: the top ten biggest winners saw their wealth surge by over $729 billion in the past year.

Among the top ten winners, six are American billionaires, accounting for over 85% of the total wealth increase. This clearly indicates that a new wave of wealth creation is highly concentrated in this country, led by billionaires’ presidents and cabinet members with substantial wealth. With investments in artificial intelligence booming and the US striving to lead in AI competitions, the top five wealthiest individuals are all giants in the US tech industry.

Below are the ten billionaires with the most wealth growth in 2025.

(Data as of December 22, 2025.)

( 1. Elon Musk

)Elon Musk###

Net worth: $754.4 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $333.2 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

In early December, SpaceX’s valuation nearly doubled to $800 billion. Investors told Forbes that the company plans to launch its first IPO in 2026, with a valuation expected to reach $1.5 trillion, which would help Musk become the world’s first trillionaire. In November, Tesla shareholders approved a compensation plan that, if performance targets are met, would grant Musk stock awards worth $1 trillion (before taxes and related costs). Tesla’s stock price has increased by 22% over the past year. Additionally, Musk’s xAI Holdings, formed by merging AI startup xAI and social media platform X, is in talks for a new round of funding, with a valuation possibly reaching $230 billion, nearly doubling from its March valuation this year. It seems that the world’s richest person’s prospects for 2026 will be even brighter than 2025.

( 2. Larry Page

)Larry Page(

Net worth: $254.7 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $98.7 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

Last month, Google’s quarterly revenue surpassed $100 billion for the first time. The company also launched its latest AI model, Gemini 3, which outperforms competitors like OpenAI, further consolidating Google’s leadership in AI. Notably, the training process for this model did not use NVIDIA graphics chips. In early December, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Department of Defense is adopting Gemini 3 to develop an internal AI platform. Page and Brin co-founded Google in 1998. Although they stepped down from daily management in 2019, they still hold seats on the board and, as major shareholders, own over 6% of the company. Google’s stock price has risen 61% in 2025, making Page and Brin the biggest beneficiaries.

) 3. Sergey Brin

(Sergey Brin)

Net worth: $235.1 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $86.1 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

4. Jensen Huang

(Jensen Huang)

Net worth: $159.5 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $42.3 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

In 1993, Jensen Huang co-founded NVIDIA, where he still serves as CEO and President. Driven by explosive growth in demand for AI chips, this graphics chip manufacturer became the first company in history to reach a market cap of over $5 trillion in October. Although the stock price retreated 11% afterward, it still increased by 37% from the beginning of the year. Huang owns about 3% of the company, and his net worth has grown by nearly $36 billion due to stock appreciation. He also tattooed the company’s logo on his deltoid muscle.

5. Larry Ellison

(Larry Ellison)

Net worth: $250.3 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $40.6 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

On September 10, driven by the AI boom, Oracle’s stock soared 36% in a single day, and co-founder and CTO Larry Ellison’s net worth surged by nearly $100 billion, setting a record for the largest single-day wealth increase. Although the stock fell 40% afterward, Ellison’s net worth also declined slightly, but his earnings this year remain substantial. Additionally, he gained partial control of short-video social platform TikTok and facilitated an $8 billion deal this summer—his son David’s Skydance Media merged with entertainment giant Paramount.

Undoubtedly, this deal was partly due to Ellison’s long-standing close relationship with Trump. Trump praised Ellison at a rally in July: “I think he will run CBS very well; this acquisition is a good deal. He’s a great guy.” However, recent reports on CBS’s “60 Minutes” have led Trump to criticize Ellison and his son.

6. Amancio Ortega

(Amancio Ortega)

Net worth: $145.2 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $28.7 billion

Industry: Fashion & Retail

Nationality: Spain

Despite global consumers generally cutting back on clothing spending, Ortega’s retail giant Inditex, which owns affordable fashion brand Zara, has seen sales grow against the trend. In the first three quarters of 2025, the company’s net profit hit a record $5.4 billion, up 3.9% year-over-year, driven by a strong Spanish economy and expansion and renovation plans for US stores. These include 30 stores, such as a new Zara flagship on Las Vegas Strip covering 33,000 square feet, and a 26,300-square-foot store in Los Angeles. Ortega owns about 60% of the company and received over $3 billion in pre-tax dividends this year, which he has invested in real estate markets across Europe and the US.

7. Germán Larrea Mota Velasco & family

(Germán Larrea Mota Velasco & family)

Net worth: $514 million

Wealth growth in 2025: $25.6 million

Industry: Metals & Mining

Nationality: Mexico

Driven by strong demand, supply shortages, and tariff concerns, copper prices have continued to rise in 2025, benefiting Larrea—who controls Mexico’s largest copper mining company, Grupo México. The company’s diversification strategy has also paid off, with stock prices up nearly 100% this year. Thanks to increased production and sales of molybdenum, zinc, silver, and other products used to strengthen steel and accelerate refining, the company’s third-quarter net profit increased 50% year-over-year.

( 8. Masayoshi Son

)Masayoshi Son(

Net worth: $56.1 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $25.4 billion

Industry: Finance & Investment

Nationality: Japan

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SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son’s net worth has surged this year. The group increased investments in AI infrastructure, including acquiring US chip design company Ampere Computing Holdings for $6.5 billion in November. Son said this acquisition is crucial for advancing AI computing technology. To fund his ambitious plans, SoftBank sold $5.8 billion worth of NVIDIA stock, raising capital for major projects like the $500 billion “Interstellar Gate” plan—aimed at building data centers in the US, involving partners like OpenAI and Oracle.

) 9.###Tie( Mark Zuckerberg

)Mark Zuckerberg(

Net worth: $226.8 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $24.3 billion

Industry: Technology

Nationality: USA

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Facebook’s parent company Meta performed steadily this year. The company continued investing heavily in AI, with revenue reaching $141 billion in the first nine months, up 21% year-over-year. In 2004, 19-year-old Zuckerberg was a Harvard student when he founded Facebook. Now, he owns about 13% of the company and remains CEO. As of now, the company’s stock has increased by 13% this year.

) 9.###Tie( Carlos Slim Helú

)Carlos Slim Helú(

Net worth: $101.6 billion

Wealth growth in 2025: $24.3 billion

Industry: Telecommunications

Nationality: Mexico

As Mexico’s richest person, Carlos Slim Helú and his family control Latin America’s largest mobile telecom operator, América Móvil. This year, the group added over 3 million mobile users, with revenue in the first nine months up 10.5% year-over-year. Slim’s conglomerate Grupo Carso is involved in construction, energy, and retail. This year, it made several moves in the energy sector, including a $2 billion partnership with Mexico’s state oil company Pemex to develop up to 32 oil and gas wells. Despite global market turbulence caused by tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, many Mexican goods enjoyed tariff exemptions, and the peso appreciated nearly 15% against the dollar this year.

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