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The world's 10 richest people, every year since 1987

Forbes top 10 richest people, 1987–2026

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Guess the number: Elon Musk, 2026

1,250 B
0 B2,500 B
0:00 / 0:29

Source: Forbes World's Billionaires, 1987 & 1990–2026 (nominal US$) · March 2026

Part of Money at the top

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The numbersFills in as the clip plays
  1. 1Elon Musk839 B
  2. 2Larry Page257 B
  3. 3Sergey Brin237 B
  4. 4Jeff Bezos224 B
  5. 5Mark Zuckerberg222 B
  6. 6Larry Ellison190 B

Narration

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Runs 0:29.

How to read this chart: Bar length is the value at that moment and the order re-sorts as the values change. Watch the overtakes — and watch the axis, which usually rescales as it goes. More on bar race charts.

The takeaway

Today's 10th-richest person has more than 7× what the 1987 champion did (nominal dollars).

The data

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2026
  1. Elon Musk: 839B
  2. Larry Page: 257B
  3. Sergey Brin: 237B
  4. Jeff Bezos: 224B
  5. Mark Zuckerberg: 222B
  6. Larry Ellison: 190B
  7. Bernard Arnault: 171B
  8. Jensen Huang: 154B
  9. Warren Buffett: 149B
  10. Amancio Ortega: 148B
2026

1987

Source: Forbes World's Billionaires, 1987 & 1990–2026 (nominal US$). Covering March 2026.

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Transcript

  1. 839 billion dollars. In 1987, the world's richest person had just 20 billion.

  2. Japanese property tycoons topped the list until 1990. Then the Waltons, Bill Gates, Carlos Slim and Jeff Bezos each took a turn. Even tenth place today, at 148 billion dollars, beats the 1987 champion. At the top, Elon Musk holds 839 billion dollars.

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Source & method

  • SourceFigures from Forbes World's Billionaires, 1987 & 1990–2026 (nominal US$).
  • PeriodCovering March 2026.
  • ChartRendered as a bar race chart.
  • ElsewhereAlso on YouTube and Instagram.
  • ReuseFree to repost with credit. For broadcast, courses or a watermark-free copy, License this clip.
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