The wealth of the richest people in the world, a list mainly comprised of US tech billionaires, grew by an unprecedented amount following Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. Anticipating tax cuts, limited government reach, and deregulation in key sectors such as energy and transportation, the stock market rallied, while cryptocurrencies surged to record highs on November 6.
Trump’s re-election for the presidency was not solely responsible for the hike in stock prices, of course, nor for the exploding net worth of billionaires as the bull market of the past year helped many of the rich become even richer. To illustrate the scale of the billionaires’ wealth growth for the last 12 months, the team at BestBrokers compared the current net worth of the wealthiest individuals on the planet with what they had a year prior. We analysed Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List, including only those with a net worth of over $30 billion as of November 13, 2024, and calculated how much it surged since November 13, 2023.
We discovered that Oracle’s owner and CEO Larry Ellison increased his net worth the most over the past twelve months, while Binance founder, Changpeng Zhao was the fastest to build up his fortune. Within just a year, Ellison became $91 billion richer, while the crypto king’s net worth rose by a staggering 518% within the same period.
Billionaires Who Increased Their Net Worth the Most in the Past 12 months
Based on the two snapshots of Forbes’ billionaire lists from November 13, 2023, and 2024, we calculated that the ten billionaires with the largest increases in net worth have a combined wealth of $1.67 trillion. Last year, these individuals were worth $1.045 trillion, meaning that they became $627.2 billion richer within twelve months.
Larry Ellison
We found out that the billionaire who gained the most wealth in the past 12 months is Oracle’s executive chairman and largest shareholder Larry Ellison whose net worth reached $232.40 billion as of November 13, 2024. This is an increase of 65.06% or $91.60 billion from November 2023. The company’s latest proxy statement shows Ellison owns around 1.15 billion shares or 42% to 43% of the company, which is now worth more than $200 billion and accounts for around 95% of his total net worth. Ellison was director of Tesla’s board from December 2018 to August 2022. He owned 45 million split-adjusted shares before quitting.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg ranks second on our list, with a net worth gain of $89.1 billion. Over the past couple of years, the Harvard dropout and controlling shareholder of Meta has been disposing of company stock through Rule 10b5-1. It allows directors to sell shares via a predetermined trade plan and avoid insider trading liability. Although Zuckerberg currently holds just 13.50% of Meta (or even less as he continues to sell shares), his wealth has risen significantly in the past year, reaching $202.70 billion, up 78.43% from just a year ago.
Jensen Huang
As of November 13, 2024, NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang has more than doubled his net worth to $129.2 billion. Driven by the increasing demand for their advanced artificial intelligence chips and strong investor enthusiasm, in June 2024, NVIDIA became the largest company in the world by market capitalisation. In its short-lived rise to the top position, the company reached a whopping $3.48 trillion market cap, helping its founder and CEO climb to the top 10 wealthiest individuals on the planet. With only 3.50% company share, Jensen Huang became $87.3 billion wealthier within a year.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, increased his net worth by $86 billion between November 13, 2023, and November 13, 2024, according to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires List. The co-founder and controlling shareholder of Tesla and SpaceX, of which he currently holds 13% and 42%, respectively, has been probably the largest beneficiary of Trump’s win in the elections this year. Even before the results were confirmed, Tesla shares surged more than 14%, with the stock continuing to climb, bringing the company’s market capitalisation back to the $1 trillion threshold and Musk’s net worth well above $300 billion.
Jeff Bezos
Similarly to Mark Zuckerberg and other large shareholders, in May, Amazon’s founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos entered a trade plan to dispose of 25 million shares by the end of the year. On November 13, he sold the last amount covered in the plan, roughly 39,538 shares worth roughly $8.4 million. Along with selling stock, Bezos has also been contributing to non-profit organisations, yet he still has over a billion of the company’s nearly 10.4 billion outstanding shares. In November 2024, his net worth reached $225.30 billion, making him $62 billion richer compared to a year ago.
Changpeng Zhao
Despite an unprecedented criminal trial for fraud and money laundering and a four-month sentence in a U.S. prison, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao is now among the richest people on the planet. The net worth of the Chinese-born Canadian coder and businessman is valued at $63.10 billion, a staggering 518.63% jump compared to twelve months ago. Although he stepped down as CEO last November, he still holds an estimated 90% of the company.
Michael Dell
Dell’s founder, chairman, and CEO, Michael Dell, has increased his wealth by 61.30% in a year, and his net worth is currently valued at $111.30 billion, making him the 12th richest individual in the world. According to the latest proxy statement filed in May, he owned around 46.30% of Dell Technologies, but since then, he has sold more than $2.12 billion worth of company stock. According to our calculations, his net worth has grown by $42.30 billion within 12 months.
Larry Page
Eight on our list is the co-founder of Google and now, Alphabet, Larry Page who increased his net worth by more than $40 billion between November 2023 and November 2024. Although he resigned from his position as CEO of Alphabet in 2019, he remains a board member and a controlling shareholder with around 3% ownership of the company. As of November 13 2024, his net worth was $150.50 billion, making him the 6th wealthiest person in the world.
Sergey Brin
With a similar share of Alphabet, Google’s other co-founder Sergey Brin also became significantly richer over the past year. His wealth increased by over $38 billion and is now valued at around $143.80 billion. He stepped down as president in 2019, but together with Page, he remains a member of the board and a controlling shareholder.
Rob Walton & family
The eldest son of Walmart’s co-founder, Sam Walton, Samuel Robson “Rob” Walton, is one of the heirs to the huge fortune from the hypermarket chain, now the world’s largest corporation by revenue and number of employees. The former chairman of the company, who also owns the Denver Broncos, has an estimated net worth of $104.3 billion, an increase of $36.80 billion. Most of his wealth stems from holding roughly 45.4% of Walmart shares (together with his family).
Billionaires Who Achieved the Fastest Wealth Growth in the Past 12 Months
Most of the exceptional shifts in billionaires’ estimated wealth, such as the 208% increase in Jensen Huang’s net worth from last year, can be explained by the change in the market value of their companies. Since the past year has been successful for many of these businesses, the large gains in their owners’ personal wealth are not unexpected.
Changpeng Zhao
One notable exception is the co-founder and former CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao. The incredible 518% surge in his net worth from last November has made him the world’s fastest wealth-growing multi-billionaire. According to online sources such as Forbes and Bloomberg, he earned $63.10 billion from his estimated 90% ownership of Binance. Currently, he ranks 25th in the Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. The former CEO recently told Bloomberg that he was receiving offers to sell his controlling stake but kept the details private. A potential sale may question the stability of his cryptocurrency exchange and will definitely change the crypto landscape.
Melinda French Gates
Bill Gates’ former spouse Melinda French Gates owns less than 1% of Microsoft shares, but according to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires List, she gained nearly $20 billion within the last 12 months. After the couple announced their divorce in 2021, she was allocated almost $2.4 billion worth of shares, becoming one of the fastest-growing billionaires in the world. Her net worth is currently valued at $30 billion.
Prajogo Pangestu
Prajogo Pangestu, the Indonesian business magnate and founder of Barito Pacific Group, once again increased his ownership in the company by 26,611,600 shares in October. According to Forbes, his net worth grew by 190.61% in the past 12 months, or $34.50 billion, and as of November 13 was $52.60 billion.
Thomas Peterffy
Hungarian-born digital trading pioneer Thomas Peterffy is the founder, chairman, and largest shareholder of Interactive Brokers, owning roughly 75% of the brokerage firm. In one year, he doubled his wealth and his net worth is now around $53.70 billion.
Eduardo Saverin
Although Brazilian billionaire entrepreneur and Facebook shareholder Eduardo Saverin has just 2% of the company, he increased his wealth by 78.33% within a year. His current wealth is valued at $32.1 billion, compared to just $18 billion a year ago. This is a 78.33% change from November 2023. Saverin is now Singapore’s wealthiest individual; in 2009, he immigrated to the Asian country and later renounced his U.S. citizenship. Despite his various investments and businesses, such as venture capital firm B Capital, the change in his net worth is at least partially attributed to his stake in Facebook.
Jeff Yass
Jeff Yass, the co-founder of Susquehanna International Group, is an options trader, investor, and one of Wall Street’s most successful billionaires. Yass has invested in hundreds of private companies globally, including TikTok parent ByteDance, where he holds a 15% share. According to Hedge Follow, Susquehanna has reduced its holdings in companies such as Nvidia (by 29%), Broadcom (by 77%), and Apple (by 61%) over the third quarter of 2024 to acquire stock in some of its competitors. Along with the notable 93.99% increase in its position in AMD, Yass also increased his shares in BlackRock’s iShares Tr (by 750%), in Spdr Gold Tr (by 704%), and in Crowdstrike (by 549%).
Stephen Schwarzman
Stephen Schwarzman is chairman, CEO, and co-founder of the global private investment company Blackstone Group. In the past 12 months, he has increased his wealth by $21.80 billion to $52.70 billion. The company’s market capitalisation is currently $151.12 billion, and it reported a revenue of $7 billion for the 2023 fiscal year. Blackstone started as a boutique merger-and-acquisition advisory firm and has become the world’s largest buyout firm, managing over $1 trillion in assets, according to Forbes.
Companies that made their owners the most money in the past 12 months
Alphabet (Google) and Meta Platforms (Facebook) lead in digital innovation and have significantly increased shareholder wealth over the past decade. Each company has its strategies and target markets, but both excel in online advertising. This year, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have fueled new growth, pushing their stock prices to all-time highs. However, of the companies and billionaire owners we looked at, Walmart has made the most money for its owners. Our calculations show it has increased the wealth of eight billionaire owners by 126.9 billion in the last 12 months.
Walmart
As of November 13, 2024, Walmart owners’ net worth was $386.6 billion. Compared to last November, these eight individuals gained $126.9 billion, with an average net worth increase of $15.86 billion per person. The company’s market capitalisation kept rising in November, from $677.22 billion on November 13 to $733.97 billion as of November 26 2024. The eldest son of Walmart’s co-founder, Rob Walton, saw his net worth increase by 54.5% from last year to $104.3 billion in November. Jim Walton, the youngest son of Walmart’s co-founder, added $34.9 billion to his net worth within a year. Their sister, Alice Walton, has a net worth of $95.5 billion, up $29 billion from November 2023.
Meta
Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, generated $134.9 billion in revenue in 2023, while its market capitalisation grew to $1.45 trillion this year. Over the past 12 months, Meta made 7 individuals $114.6 billion richer. Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin gained $202.7 and $32.10 billion, respectively. PayPal co-founder and early investor in Facebook, Peter Thiel, has doubled his net worth over the past 12 months. Although he sold most of his shares years ago, he still holds company stock and is on the board of directors. Within the past 12 months, he gained $6.4 billion more, and in November of this year, his net worth was $12.8 billion.
Alphabet
Alphabet is making substantial progress in artificial intelligence, and this focus on AI is helping the company grow its operations and finances. Over the past year, these developments have boosted the company’s success and increased the wealth of the six largest shareholders by $98 billion. Among them are co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, former CEO Eric Schmidt, and Arista Networks co-founder Andreas von Bechtolsheim, whose wealth largely stems from his early $100,000 investment in Google.
Koch, Inc.
Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America. According to Forbes, its annual revenue exceeds $125 billion. Charles Koch, chairman and co-CEO of Koch, Inc., has become $16.1 billion wealthier in the past year, and his current net worth is estimated at $67.5 billion. However, his brother’s widow, Julia Koch, stands out with a net worth increase of $17.5 billion to the current $74.2 billion. After her husband, David Koch, died in 2019, she inherited his 42% share in the corporation and is currently the wealthiest individual in the Koch family. In the past year, the combined net worth of Koch Inc. owners has increased to $170 billion.
Amazon
One of the largest companies in the world, Amazon has a market capitalisation of $2.13 trillion, and for the 2023 fiscal year, it generated nearly 575 billion in revenue. The price of shares increased 50% to $214.1 billion between November 2023 and November 2024. Founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos has had his net worth climb nearly 40% within that time as a result. Despite experiencing an $8.2 billion decrease in her wealth compared to last year, Bezos’ former spouse and Amazon shareholder MacKenzie Scott still holds a net worth of $29.5 billion. This substantial fortune ranks her as one of the wealthiest women in the world, standing at 61 on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, with only a 4% share in the company.
Dell
Dell Technologies was formed in 2016 via Dell’s $60 billion merger with computer storage giant EMC. As of November 13, 2024, its stock price reached $146.27, compared to just $48.62 one year before. As a result, at least two shareholders became $43.10 billion wealthier. Along with Michael Dell, Egon Durban, who is the co-CEO of private equity firm Silver Lake, has increased his wealth since last year. According to Forbes, his net worth is now $2.3 billion or 800 million more than in 2023.
INDITEX
Spain’s clothing giant INDITEX, the company behind brands like Zara and Bershka, saw its owners’ net worth grow by $36.1 billion over the past 12 months, making two billionaires even wealthier and bringing their combined fortune to $131.6 billion. The company’s founder, Amancio Ortega, has a net worth of $121 billion, up $33.2 billion over the past 12 months, putting him 9th in the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List. The company’s stock price also changed significantly, experiencing a 47.56% increase compared to November 2023; INDITEX reached a market capitalisation of $158.83 billion this year.
Berkshire Hathaway
Warren Buffet’s holding company Berkshire Hathaway also lands on our list with its billionaire shareholders’ net worth rising $31.7 billion since last November. Most of this is from Buffet’s constantly growing wealth, which reached $147.1 billion, up $30.8 billion from November 2023. Owning as many as 5,800 company shares, the other billionaire shareholder, Stewart Horejsi, increased his fortune by almost a billion, and his current net worth stands at $3.8 billion.
Mars Inc.
Owned entirely by the Mars family, the private company increased the wealth of six billionaires who had a combined net worth of $140.4 billion in November 2024. John Mars and his sister Jacqueline became $93.60 billion wealthier; each owns an estimated one-third of the company, while the rest is believed to be owned by the four daughters of their late brother, Forrest Jr. In August 2024, the food and animal care giant and the food manufacturing company Kellanova entered into a definitive agreement under which Mars agreed to acquire Kellanova for $83.50 per share in cash, for a total of $35.9 billion.
ByteDance (TikTok)
The developer of TikTok, Chinese tech company ByteDance, ranks 10th on our list of companies whose owners and shareholders increased their wealth the most over the past year. Co-founders Zhang Yiming and Liang Rubo were $2.2 billion and 200 million richer, respectively, as of November 13, 2024, compared to a year prior. Financial services firm Susquehanna’s co-founder Jeff Yass is also one of the largest investors of TikTok, owning roughly 15% of the Chinese social media giant. Within just a year, his net worth grew by more than 70% ($20.7 billion) to $49.6 billion thanks to his various investments and his sizeable stake in TikTok.
How much do billionaires’ changes in net worth really matter?
The world’s wealthiest people and their estimated net worth have their daily ups and downs, losing or gaining billions of dollars within minutes. We must remember that these individuals’ wealth, including non-financial and financial assets, is not simply an amount of money they can access at any moment. Their wealth fluctuates as they buy, sell, and acquire shares in companies and, most significantly, as the prices of these stocks rise or fall.
Not all of the billionaires we looked at gained wealth over the past year. Bernard Arnault, who has consistently been among the richest people on the planet for decades, lost $33.3 billion between November 2023 and November 2024. The founder and CEO of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company, controls around 60 companies and more than 75 brands. Arnault’s estimated net worth is probably of little importance to him and his fashion empire; it is simply a reflection of the short-term performance of LVMH stock on the markets.
Methodology
For this report, the team at BestBrokers did a comparison using a few key sources, with the Internet Archive setting the base. The platform provides free access to digitised media collections and archived copies of web pages, some dating back to 1996. It allowed us to access Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List from November 13, 2023.
Then on November 13, 2024, we explored Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List, focusing on individuals with a net worth exceeding $30 billion. Our analysis followed their wealth gains and losses between November 13, 2023, to November 13, 2024.
We used the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR public database to collect data about these individuals’ SEC filings, companies’ annual reports, and proxy statements.
By comparing billionaires’ past net worth with current figures, we calculated the percentage change to reveal both individual and average wealth increases or decreases. We gathered data on stock prices, market capitalisation, total net worth of companies, and their shares. This compiled data allowed us to rank the world’s wealthiest billionaires, highlighting those who gained the most net worth as both a nominal amount and a percentage change. We also singled out those companies that contributed the most to their owners’ net worth growth within 12 months.