MUMBAI: The rich got richer, and AI helped write the cheque. The global billionaire population surged to a record 3,795 people in 2025, while their combined wealth jumped 12.8 per cent to $15.1 trillion, according to Altrata’s Billionaire Census 2026.
The number of billionaires grew 8.2 per cent during the year, marking the strongest annual expansion in five years. Altrata attributed much of the increase to buoyant equity markets and the investment boom surrounding artificial intelligence.
AI-linked technology companies were among the biggest wealth generators. Altrata analysed 150 publicly listed companies that contribute significantly to billionaire fortunes and found that businesses making meaningful AI investments recorded 23 per cent faster market capitalisation growth than those without such investments over 2024 and 2025 combined.
That has turned AI into more than a technology story for the world’s wealthiest. For founders and major shareholders, the rapid rise of AI-focused stocks has become an increasingly important engine of personal wealth — while also tying fortunes more closely to the sector’s future performance.
Maya Imberg, head of thought leadership and analytics at Altrata, said many technology-focused billionaires could see their fortunes move sharply with developments in AI. She cautioned that the concentration of wealth in technology and AI brings additional market risk, although concentration by itself does not necessarily signal a bubble.
The wider investment backdrop was unusually favourable in 2025. For the first time since the pandemic, all major asset classes tracked by Altrata delivered positive returns. Equities posted double-digit gains, while changes in monetary policy also supported fixed-income markets.
But the biggest story was not simply that billionaire wealth grew, it was where the wealth accumulated.
Altrata identified 29 superbillionaires, each with fortunes exceeding $50 billion. Together, they controlled $4.1 trillion, or roughly 27 per cent of total global billionaire wealth.
That concentration has accelerated dramatically. In 2017, only 10 people had fortunes above $50 billion, and their combined wealth represented just 7.2 per cent of billionaire wealth.
Geographically, North America remained the world’s biggest billionaire hub, with 1,337 billionaires in 2025, up 11.6 per cent. Altrata pointed to the strength of the US private and public technology markets as one factor behind the increase.
Europe followed with 1,081 billionaires, up 7.9 per cent, while Asia recorded 881, an increase of 6.5 per cent.
The billionaire club remains overwhelmingly older and predominantly self-made. The average billionaire was 71 years old, while only 9 per cent were below 50.
Women accounted for just 13 per cent of billionaires globally. Meanwhile, only 8 per cent had fully inherited their wealth, meaning most had created their fortunes rather than simply receiving them.
Migration also remains a notable feature of the global wealth map. Foreign-born individuals accounted for around one-fifth of billionaires worldwide. Their presence was considerably higher in major wealth centres, reaching nearly 60 per cent in London, 48 per cent across the UK, 41 per cent in San Francisco and 19 per cent in New York.
So while the billionaire ranks are expanding, the money at the very top is expanding even faster. In 2025, the wealth ladder did not merely grow its top rungs became considerably heavier, with AI helping carry the load.
