Richest man in the world: Elon Musk at $902 billion, more than twice Jeff Bezos
Elon Musk is the richest man in the world at $902.2 billion on Forbes' real-time list, more than twice Jeff Bezos. See the top 10 richest men, how the title has changed hands and India's richest man.
Elon Musk is the richest man in the world, worth $902.2 billion (about ₹84.8 lakh crore) on Forbes’ real-time list on 12 November 2026. Jeff Bezos is second at $387.1 billion, so Musk is worth more than twice as much as the next man. Larry Page is third at $248.7 billion, and Sergey Brin is fourth at $229 billion. 1
Who is the richest man in the world?
Elon Musk has held the title on Forbes’ list through most of 2026. His wealth is mainly his stake of about 38% in SpaceX, which listed on the Nasdaq on 12 June 2026 at a value of nearly $2.2 trillion, plus a stake of nearly 11% in Tesla. Forbes valued him at $869 billion on 1 November, so his fortune has risen about $33 billion since then, as covered in our report on the richest people in the world right now. 12
The 10 richest men in the world
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $902.2 billion | Tesla, SpaceX |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $387.1 billion | Amazon |
| 3 | Larry Page | $248.7 billion | |
| 4 | Sergey Brin | $229.0 billion | |
| 5 | Michael Dell | $220.4 billion | Dell Technologies |
| 6 | Mark Zuckerberg | $214.2 billion | Meta |
| 7 | Larry Ellison | $168.0 billion | Oracle |
| 8 | Warren Buffett | $167.7 billion | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 9 | Steve Ballmer | $162.5 billion | Microsoft |
| 10 | Amancio Ortega | $151.6 billion | Zara (Inditex) |
These ten are worth about $2.85 trillion together, and all are men, so this ranking is also the top 10 of all billionaires. Jensen Huang dropped out of the top 10 to 13th at $143.4 billion after he resigned as Nvidia CEO. 1
How the title of richest man has changed hands
Bill Gates was the top billionaire on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index from May 2013. Jeff Bezos passed him in 2018, Elon Musk passed Bezos by 2021, and Bernard Arnault held the top spot briefly in December 2022 when Tesla shares fell, according to the index’s history on Wikipedia. Musk has since opened a very wide gap. 3
Why Forbes and Bloomberg show different numbers
The two big rich lists value private companies and restricted shares differently. After the US tech sell-off of 5 November, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put Musk at $785 billion, while Forbes showed $869 billion on 1 November and $902.2 billion on 12 November. We state the list and date for every figure. Our report on Forbes vs Bloomberg net worth explains the gap. 12
Richest man in India
Mukesh Ambani is the richest man in India on Forbes’ list at $92.75 billion, about ₹8.7 lakh crore at ₹94 to the dollar, and 22nd in the world. Gautam Adani is 25th at $84.43 billion, about ₹7.9 lakh crore. 1
What happens next
Musk’s lead depends on SpaceX and Tesla shares, which moved by tens of billions of dollars in single days in November. The race for second place between Bezos and the Google founders is much closer than the race for first. For the next tier, see the wealthiest men in the world, and for the women’s list, the richest woman in the world.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the richest man in the world?
Elon Musk, with $902.2 billion (about ₹84.8 lakh crore) on Forbes’ real-time list on 12 November 2026.
Who is the second richest man in the world?
Jeff Bezos, with $387.1 billion, less than half of Musk’s fortune.
Who is the richest man in India?
Mukesh Ambani, with $92.75 billion (about ₹8.7 lakh crore), 22nd in the world on Forbes’ list.
Who was the richest man before Elon Musk?
Bill Gates led from 2013, then Jeff Bezos from 2018, then Elon Musk, with Bernard Arnault briefly on top in December 2022, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
