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The year 2025 marked a turning point in global wealth creation, with billionaires increasing in number, influence and reach at a pace not previously recorded, according to Forbes. Driven by artificial intelligence, public listings, technology shares and political access, wealth accumulation accelerated across continents, reshaping both markets and power structures.
In early October, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange disclosed a $2 billion investment in prediction market platform Polymarket at a $9 billion valuation, according to Forbes. The deal turned its founder, 27-year-old Shayne Coplan, into the world’s youngest self-made billionaire. That status lasted less than three weeks.
On October 27, AI recruitment firm Mercor announced funding at a $10 billion valuation. The round made its three 22-year-old founders the youngest self-made billionaires on record, surpassing Coplan and breaking the mark set by Mark Zuckerberg in 2008.
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A similar pattern emerged among women. Taylor Swift, who had held the title of youngest self-made woman billionaire since 2023, was overtaken in April when Scale AI cofounder Lucy Guo became a billionaire at age 30. Later in the year, 29-year-old Luana Lopes Lara claimed the position after private investors valued her prediction market startup Kalshi at $11 billion.
These changes reflect a wider shift. Over the past 12 months, more than 340 new billionaires emerged worldwide, averaging close to one per day. The global billionaire count has reached 3,148, nearly 50% higher than five years ago. When Forbes first published its international list in 1987, it counted 140 billionaires.
Total billionaire wealth now stands at $18.7 trillion, up $10 trillion since 2020. Average net worth has risen to $5.9 billion. Nineteen people now hold fortunes of at least $100 billion, compared with one six years ago.
This rise in wealth has translated into political presence. Around 135 billionaires donated to the 2024 United States presidential election. Many also supported the inauguration of the country’s billionaire president and contributed funds to projects linked to his administration. Several billionaires now hold cabinet positions, forming the wealthiest cabinet in US history. Similar patterns have appeared elsewhere, including in the Czech Republic, where agriculture billionaire Andrej Babis was sworn in as prime minister.
At the centre of 2025’s wealth surge stood Elon Musk. He began the year worth $421 billion and crossed $500 billion in October, $600 billion in mid-December and $700 billion days later. By December 22, his net worth reached $754 billion. His gains of $333 billion this year exceed the entire fortune of Google cofounder Larry Page.
Musk’s growth was fuelled by rising shares in his electric vehicle company and a valuation increase at SpaceX, now estimated at $800 billion. His wealth now exceeds that of the “poorest” 620 billionaires combined.
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Yet the largest single-day wealth gain of the year belonged to Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison. On September 10, Oracle shares rose 36% following forecasts tied to AI-driven cloud infrastructure demand. Ellison added nearly $100 billion to his fortune in one day. Although shares later fell, his net worth remains around $250 billion.
Other technology leaders also gained. Larry Page and Sergey Brin added a combined $185 billion as Alphabet rolled out its Gemini 3 AI model. Nvidia shares rose 33%, increasing Jensen Huang’s wealth by $42 billion. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son gained $25 billion through expanded AI investments.
New billionaires also emerged directly from the AI sector. DeepSeek founder Liang Wengfeng joined the ranks in January after his R1 model gained attention. Seven former OpenAI employees became billionaires through Anthropic, whose valuation rose from $18 billion to $183 billion within a year.
Support industries also benefited. South Korean circuit board maker ISU Petasys saw shares rise more than 360%. Semiconductor founders in China, data centre firms such as Astera Labs and CoreWeave, and infrastructure projects like Fermi America added further names to the list, even where revenues remain limited.
Beyond AI, public listings played a role. Circle, issuer of the USDC stablecoin, went public in June. Figma followed in July. Defence manufacturing, satellite communications, social media, film and sport also contributed new entrants.
In total, new billionaires added $876 billion in wealth this year. Americans made up nearly 40% of newcomers, but 32 countries were represented. Two-thirds of new billionaires built their wealth themselves, including 11 under the age of 30. Others joined through inheritance.
Despite volatility, most billionaires retained or increased their wealth. Around 85% began the year already holding that status, and four-fifths are ending 2025 richer than they started. As the year closes, the billionaire class enters the future with financial strength and global influence firmly intact.
