Eight years ago, the ultra-elite group of people with net worths exceeding $100 billion did not exist. Today, a record 15 individuals have made it into Forbes’ 2025 World’s Billionaires list with dozen-digit fortunes, up from 14 in 2024 and just six in 2023. For the first time, three of them have surpassed the $200 billion mark.
Collectively, these 15 centibillionaires are worth a staggering $2.4 trillion—an increase of nearly $400 billion from the previous year. They alone hold 15% of all billionaire wealth, despite representing just 0.5% of the 3,028 billionaires worldwide. This concentration of wealth underscores the rapid surge in extreme affluence.
A Historical Perspective
When Forbes published its first global rich list in 1987, the notion of a centibillionaire was unimaginable. The wealthiest individuals at the time, two Japanese tycoons, were each worth just over $10 billion (about $28 billion adjusted for inflation, ranking 71st in today’s list).
Bill Gates was the first centibillionaire when Microsoft stock briefly pushed his fortune past $100 billion in 1999. However, the dot-com bubble burst soon after, slashing his wealth nearly in half. Nearly two decades passed before another person, Jeff Bezos, reached that milestone in late 2017 as Amazon soared toward a $1 trillion market capitalization. The $100 Billion Club remained exclusive until 2021, when Gates re-entered alongside Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault.
Today, centibillionaires are becoming slightly more common. The three children of Walmart founder Sam Walton joined the club in 2025, replacing two members who fell below the threshold—Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani ($92.5 billion) and Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu ($82.5 billion). Nvidia’s Jensen Huang ($98.7 billion), Michael Dell ($97.7 billion), and L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers ($81.6 billion) are also nearing the milestone.
The World’s 15 Centibillionaires
(Net worths as of March 7, 2025)
#15. Alice Walton ($101 Billion) – Walmart, USA
In September, Walton reclaimed her title as the world’s richest woman. She is best known for establishing the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and recently donated $249 million to fund the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
#14. Michael Bloomberg ($105 Billion) – Bloomberg LP, USA
The media mogul donated $1 billion to Johns Hopkins University last year, bringing his lifetime giving to the institution to $4.6 billion.
#13. Bill Gates ($108 Billion) – Microsoft, USA
The Microsoft co-founder’s fortune dipped due to a reassessment of his 2021 divorce settlement. Gates remains active as chairman of the Gates Foundation, which has $70 billion in net assets.
#12. Jim Walton & Family ($109 Billion) – Walmart, USA
#11. Rob Walton & Family ($110 Billion) – Walmart, USA
With Walmart’s continued success, the Walton heirs maintain their dominant wealth position. Rob retired from the company’s board in 2024 after more than 40 years.
#10. Steve Ballmer ($118 Billion) – Microsoft, USA
The former Microsoft CEO has seen his fortune quadruple since stepping down in 2014, thanks to the company’s continued stock growth.
#9. Amancio Ortega ($124 Billion) – Zara, Spain
Ortega’s fashion empire Inditex, best known for Zara, saw a 27% increase in shares over the past year.
#8. Sergey Brin ($138 Billion) – Google, USA
#7. Larry Page ($144 Billion) – Google, USA
Alphabet’s co-founders remain among the world’s wealthiest due to a nearly 30% rise in Google’s stock.
#6. Warren Buffett ($154 Billion) – Berkshire Hathaway, USA
Buffett’s cash reserves at Berkshire Hathaway have swelled to $334 billion as he remains cautious with investments.
#5. Bernard Arnault ($178 Billion) – LVMH, France
The luxury goods titan’s fortune has dropped by $55 billion amid economic challenges. His five children, all LVMH executives, are seen as potential successors.
#4. Larry Ellison ($192 Billion) – Oracle, USA
Ellison’s wealth grew by $51 billion in the past year, driven by a 40% rise in Oracle’s stock.
#3. Jeff Bezos ($215 Billion) – Amazon, USA
Despite selling $5 billion worth of Amazon shares, Bezos remains heavily invested in startups, AI robotics, and space exploration through Blue Origin.
#2. Mark Zuckerberg ($216 Billion) – Meta, USA
Meta’s strong stock performance, coupled with Zuckerberg’s AI investments, propelled him to the No. 2 spot for the first time.
#1. Elon Musk ($342 Billion) – Tesla, SpaceX, USA
Musk remains the world’s richest person, with SpaceX’s valuation skyrocketing to $350 billion and his AI startup, xAI, reaching an $80 billion valuation. Despite Tesla’s recent stock decline, his net worth is up $147 billion from last year.
The Future of Extreme Wealth
The $100 Billion Club continues to grow, with AI, e-commerce, and luxury markets driving wealth accumulation at unprecedented rates. The potential next entrants, such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Michael Dell, underscore how quickly fortunes can shift. Whether due to technological breakthroughs or economic downturns, the list of centibillionaires will undoubtedly continue to evolve.
