Record Number of New Billionaires in 2025, But Women Still Lag Behind

Forbes’ 2025 World’s Billionaires list has welcomed 288 new billionaires, bringing the total number of billionaires worldwide to 3,028.

This new group is collectively worth nearly $680 billion, averaging about $2.4 billion each.

These newcomers come from 33 different countries and territories, a noticeable rise from the 265 added in 2024.

The United States leads the charge, contributing 103 new billionaires this year.

Among them is Marilyn Simons, widow of hedge fund manager Jim Simons, with a net worth of $31 billion.

Lyndal Stephens Greth, daughter of oil magnate Autry Stephens, joins the list with $25.8 billion after her father’s death in 2024.

Germany follows with 37 new billionaires, including 19-year-old Johannes von Baumbach, who is the youngest newcomer, valued at $5.4 billion.

Along with him, 14 heirs from the Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceutical family made their debut.

China and Hong Kong together produced 32 new billionaires, including jeweller Xu Gaoming, valued at $8.2 billion.

India contributed 17 new billionaires, while Russia saw 15 newcomers.

One standout trend is the high number of self-made billionaires. Of the 288 new names, 196 (about 70%) built their wealth independently.

The richest self-made newcomer is Saudi entrepreneur Sulaiman Al Habib, worth $10.9 billion.

At 28, Alexandr Wang, co-founder of Scale AI, is the youngest self-made billionaire, with a net worth of $2 billion.

In the entertainment world, Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Seinfeld have all joined the list.

Springsteen’s $1.2 billion fortune largely comes from selling his music catalog to Sony, while Schwarzenegger’s wealth comes from his film career and investments in real estate and private equity.

Seinfeld continues to profit from his Netflix deal and ongoing stand-up performances.

Despite the rise in self-made billionaires, women still make up only 15% of the newcomers.

Of those, most inherited their wealth, with Barbara Banke of Jackson Family Wines being a notable exception. She is valued at $1 billion.

The tech sector leads the way in producing new billionaires this year, with 46 individuals from the industry joining the list.

Hao Tang from China, who invested early in the company AppLovin, leads the tech newcomers with a fortune of $4.3 billion.

Other notable tech figures include Ben Lamm, founder of Colossal Biosciences, and Dario Amodei, co-founder of AI startup Anthropic.

The finance sector also saw strong growth, adding 41 new billionaires, including crypto mogul Justin Sun and private equity investor Michael Dorrell.

Healthcare follows closely with 40 new billionaires, many from the Boehringer Ingelheim and von Baumbach families.

While the number of new billionaires grows, there remains a noticeable gap in gender representation at the top.