The world’s 500 richest people added a record $2.2 trillion to their collective fortunes this year, lifting their combined net worth to $11.9 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The surge was fuelled by strong markets across equities, artificial intelligence-linked stocks, cryptocurrencies and precious metals, and was further boosted by Donald Trump’s election victory in late 2024. Although tariff fears briefly rattled markets in April — triggering the biggest one-day wealth wipeout since the pandemic — gains quickly resumed.
About 25% of the total increase tracked by Bloomberg came from just eight individuals, underscoring how concentrated the year’s wealth creation was at the very top.
Below are profiles of those eight billionaires whose fortunes played an outsized role in 2025’s wealth surge:
Larry Ellison
Net worth: $249.8bn
Yearly gain: $57.7bn
At 81, Oracle’s co-founder has taken on a more hands-on role, steering its aggressive expansion into AI infrastructure. His wealth surged $89bn in a single day on 10 September after a strong earnings report — the largest one-day increase ever recorded by Bloomberg’s index.
Ellison has also expanded into media, personally backing the equity portion of his son’s $108bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery. Oracle’s involvement in the proposed $500bn Stargate AI project and potential stake in TikTok’s US operations could further shape his fortune.
Elon Musk
Net worth: $622.7bn
Yearly gain: $190.3bn
Musk’s wealth fluctuated sharply. Political backlash during his time in Washington weighed on Tesla shares, but his fortune rebounded after he exited the White House following a public falling-out with Trump.
A recent insider share sale valued SpaceX as the world’s most valuable private company, pushing Musk’s net worth above $600bn. Tesla shareholders also approved a new compensation package that could make him the world’s first trillionaire if performance targets are met.
Gina Rinehart
Net worth: $37.7bn
Yearly gain: $12.6bn
Australia’s richest person benefited from global demand for rare-earth minerals, largely through her company Hancock Prospecting. She now holds the largest rare-earths portfolio outside China.
Rinehart has attended events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and increased her stake in Trump Media & Technology Group by around two-thirds earlier this year.
Donald Trump and family
Net worth: $6.8bn
Yearly gain: $282m
Since launching his re-election campaign, Trump and his family have entered multiple ventures that significantly boosted their wealth. Over 15 months, the family’s fortune grew by about 70%, despite recent declines.
Trump and Melania promoted memecoins bearing their names ahead of his inauguration, briefly adding more than $200m to the family’s wealth. Trump also co-founded crypto platform World Liberty Financial with his sons before the election.
A stake in Trump Media jumped in December after announcing a merger with nuclear fusion firm TAE Technologies, though it remains down sharply from earlier highs.
Manuel Villar
Net worth: $10bn
Yearly loss: $12.6bn
The former richest man in the Philippines saw his fortune collapse after shares in Golden MV Holdings plunged more than 80% following a trading suspension. Villar later sold his stake in water utility PrimeWater, which had faced a government investigation.
Bob Pender and Mike Sabel
Net worth: $7bn each
Yearly loss: $17.7bn each
The co-founders of LNG firm Venture Global were hit hard after its IPO underperformed expectations. Shares have since fallen more than 70% following weak results and the loss of a key arbitration case against BP.
Michael Saylor
Net worth: $3.8bn
Yearly loss: $2.6bn
Saylor’s Strategy Inc. rode the crypto boom early in the year, but a sharp fall in Bitcoin prices from October wiped out much of the gains, cutting billions from his net worth.
Wang Xing
Net worth: $7.9bn
Yearly loss: $3.5bn
The co-founder of Meituan, China’s largest food delivery platform, saw his wealth drop nearly 31% after the company posted its first quarterly loss in almost three years amid weak consumer demand and fierce competition.
