Richest People in the World 2026: Top 20 and Net Worth
The top 20 richest people in the world on Forbes on 22 October 2026, led by Elon Musk, plus Africa's richest, led by Aliko Dangote.
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Quick answer On 22 October 2026, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires ranked Elon Musk as the richest person in the world, worth about $934.5 billion, followed by Jeff Bezos ($372.1 billion), Larry Page ($268.7 billion), Sergey Brin ($247.3 billion) and Michael Dell ($237.2 billion). Aliko Dangote was Africa's richest at about $51 billion, number 35 in the world.
This page replaces our old 2020 list, which is now well out of date. In 2020 Jeff Bezos led the Forbes list with $113 billion. Today the person at the top is worth more than eight times that, mostly because of share prices in Tesla and SpaceX.
All figures below come from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list, read on 22 October 2026. They are estimates, rounded to one decimal place, in US dollars.
Who is the richest person in the world in 2026?
Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, with Forbes estimating his net worth at about $934.5 billion on 22 October 2026. His wealth comes mainly from his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX.
He is far ahead of number two, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, by more than $500 billion. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin sit in third and fourth place.
Top 20 richest people in the world
This is the Forbes real-time top 20 as read on 22 October 2026.
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Source of wealth | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $934.5B | Tesla, SpaceX | United States |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $372.1B | Amazon | United States |
| 3 | Larry Page | $268.7B | United States | |
| 4 | Sergey Brin | $247.3B | United States | |
| 5 | Michael Dell | $237.2B | Dell Technologies | United States |
| 6 | Mark Zuckerberg | $223.3B | Facebook (Meta) | United States |
| 7 | Jensen Huang | $185.2B | Nvidia | United States |
| 8 | Larry Ellison | $166.0B | Oracle | United States |
| 9 | Steve Ballmer | $162.8B | Microsoft | United States |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | $156.0B | Berkshire Hathaway | United States |
| 11 | Amancio Ortega | $145.9B | Zara | Spain |
| 12 | Rob Walton and family | $143.3B | Walmart | United States |
| 13 | Jim Walton and family | $140.1B | Walmart | United States |
| 14 | Alice Walton | $129.6B | Walmart | United States |
| 15 | Carlos Slim Helu and family | $122.2B | Telecom | Mexico |
| 16 | Bill Gates | $118.9B | Microsoft | United States |
| 17 | Bernard Arnault and family | $118.2B | LVMH | France |
| 18 | Changpeng Zhao | $114.6B | Cryptocurrency exchange (Binance) | Canada |
| 19 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and family | $98.5B | L'Oreal | France |
| 20 | Thomas Peterffy | $96.3B | Discount brokerage | United States |
Just outside the top 20 were Michael Bloomberg ($94.9 billion) and Giancarlo Devasini ($89.3 billion, cryptocurrency).
Why the richest people list changes every day
The ranking moves daily because most billionaire wealth is held in company shares, and share prices change every trading day. Forbes and Bloomberg update their lists as markets move.
- Stock prices: if Tesla or Nvidia shares rise or fall by 5 percent in a day, the owners' net worth moves by billions.
- Private company values: firms like SpaceX are not traded every day, so their value changes when new funding rounds or share sales set a fresh price.
- Different methods: Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimate debts, private assets and family holdings differently, so the same person can have different figures on each list.
- Gifts and sales: when billionaires give shares to charity or sell them, their figure drops.
So if you see a slightly different number elsewhere, check the date. A list from last week can already be wrong at the bottom of the top 20.
Richest people in Africa
Aliko Dangote is the richest person in Africa, worth about $51.0 billion on Forbes on 22 October 2026, which placed him 35th in the world. His fortune comes from cement and sugar, and his newer Dangote refinery in Lagos.
| World rank | Name | Net worth | Source of wealth | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Aliko Dangote | $51.0B | Cement, sugar | Nigeria |
| 173 | Johann Rupert and family | $15.9B | Luxury goods | South Africa |
| 252 | Abdulsamad Rabiu | $12.5B | Cement, sugar | Nigeria |
| 339 | Nicky Oppenheimer and family | $10.6B | Diamonds | South Africa |
| 378 | Nassef Sawiris | $9.5B | Construction, investments | Egypt |
| 585 | Mike Adenuga | $6.9B | Telecom, oil | Nigeria |
Other Nigerians on the Forbes real-time list that day included Femi Otedola (about $1.8 billion, energy).
Forbes vs Bloomberg: which list should you trust?
Both are respected and both are estimates. Forbes publishes a yearly list each spring plus a real-time list, while the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranks the top 500 and updates after each New York trading day.
- Use Forbes Real-Time Billionaires for a wide list (3,383 people on 22 October 2026).
- Use Bloomberg for a second opinion on the top names.
- Ignore lists that give no source or date. Many blog lists copy old numbers.
Where is the old top 200 list?
The full 2020 top 200 list is no longer useful because almost every figure has changed. If you need a longer ranking, the live Forbes list shows the top 200 and beyond, sorted by current net worth.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the richest man in the world right now?
Elon Musk, worth about $934.5 billion on the Forbes real-time list on 22 October 2026. He has held first place for most of the past few years.
Who is the richest woman in the world?
On 22 October 2026 Alice Walton of the Walmart family was the richest woman on the Forbes real-time list, at about $129.6 billion. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of L'Oreal was next at about $98.5 billion.
Who is the richest person in Africa?
Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, worth about $51 billion and ranked 35th in the world by Forbes on 22 October 2026.
Is Elon Musk a trillionaire?
Not on the Forbes figure read on 22 October 2026, which was about $934.5 billion. Because his wealth tracks Tesla and SpaceX values, that number can rise or fall quickly.
How often is the Forbes billionaires list updated?
The real-time list updates through each trading day. Forbes also publishes an annual World's Billionaires list, usually in April.
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