The number of billionaires in the world will reach a record number of 4,020 in 2026, an increase of 17% from the previous year, according to the latest Hurun World Millionaires List.
This ranking reflects wealth estimates as of January 15, 2026, and the number of billionaires increased by 578 from the previous year, and 726 new people were added to the list. This means that approximately two new billionaires have been created every day over the past year.
China Ranked first in number of billionaires with 1,110 people, followed by of US 1,000 people, India 308 people. germany and uk The top 5 countries have finished.
The report highlighted technology and artificial intelligence as the main drivers of wealth creation. A total of 114 billionaires are currently connected to AI-related companies, with 46 of them joining the list for the first time.
Elon Musk Buoyed by the rising valuations of SpaceX and Tesla, he maintained his position as the world’s richest person with an estimated fortune of US$792 billion. founder of amazon jeff bezos Second place is $300 billion; alphabet co-founder larry page was in the top three with US$271 billion.
new york remains the city with the highest number of billionaires, with 146 residents, followed by shenzhen and beijing.
According to the report, the most common source of billionaire wealth remains financial services, accounting for about 11% of wealth, followed by media and entertainment, retail, and consumer goods.
Overall, 3,201 people on the list increased their wealth during the year, while 809 saw their wealth decrease and 96 dropped off the list entirely. About 69% of billionaires are considered self-made, and 31% inherited their wealth.
Earlier, Kazinform news agency reported that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has set a new milestone with his rocket company SpaceX acquiring his artificial intelligence company xAI, creating a business worth about $1.25 trillion in total.
