scaping the Soviet-Afghan War in 1988 with just $700, Mirwais Azizi eventually made his way to Dubai in 1994, starting a business in textile manufacturing. In 2007, he ventured into real estate with Azizi Developments. The business now has more than 60 properties and is currently building what is expected to be the world’s second-tallest tower, in Dubai. Thirty-eight years after leaving Kabul, Azis is Afghanistan’s richest citizen (though he still lives in Dubai) and, worth an estimated $1.4 billion, its first and only billionaire.

Afghanistan isn’t the only nation to gain a billionaire citizen recently. So did neighboring Pakistan—thanks to Sualeh Asif, the California-based cofounder of $29.3 billion (valuation) AI coding tool Cursor, who is the first Pakistani to make Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list since 2010.

In total, 80 countries and territories have at least one billionaire citizen on this year’s ranking, up from 78 a year ago. While many of the world’s largest fortunes are still held by men, a number of women rank among the richest individuals in their countries, building wealth through industries ranging from mining and shipping to cosmetics and banking.

In Australia, Gina Rinehart (estimated net worth: $25.5 billion), rebuilt her father’s iron ore business into a global mining powerhouse through Hancock Prospecting. In Chile, Iris Fontbona ($52.6 billion) controls the Antofagasta mining empire and maintains one of the largest copper fortunes in the world. Shipping magnate Rafaela Aponte-Diamant ($44.5 billion) cofounded Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) with her husband, Gianluigi Aponte, turning it into one of the world’s largest container shipping firms. And, hailing from Barbados, pop icon Rihanna became a billionaire by transforming her global fame into a consumer empire through Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty.

The richest of all is Elon Musk, who remains the richest person in both America and the world for the second year straight. After massing a staggering $497 billion over the past year, Musk is now worth an estimated $839 billion—the highest net worth Forbes has ever found. Despite facing stiff competition in the United States—which is by far the country with the most billionaires, with a record 989—Musk is more than three times wealthier than his closest competitor, Google cofounder Larry Page (who is worth an estimated $257 billion). Greater China, with 610 billionaires (including Hong Kong), has the second-most billionaires; the richest is Zhang Yiming ($69.3 billion), the cofounder of TikTok parent company ByteDance. India, with 229 billionaires, is a distant third, led by industrial tycoon Mukesh Ambani ($99.7 billion).

Regionally, the Asia-Pacific has the most billionaires this year, with 1,229. The Americas, including the U.S., follows, with 1,186. Europe ranks third, with 875, followed by the Middle East & Africa, with 138.

Here’s the richest person in every country on Forbes’ 2026 World’s Billionaires list.

NET WORTHS ARE AS OF MARCH 1, 2026.

Richest person: Mirwais Azizi | Age: 63 | Net worth: $1.4 bil | Rank: 2712 | Source of wealth: Real estate

Richest person: Samir Mane | Age: 58 | Net worth: $1.9 bil | Rank: 2177 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Issad Rebrab & family | Age: 82 | Net worth: $3.6 bil | Rank: 1189 | Source of wealth: Food

Richest person: Marcos Galperin | Age: 54 | Net worth: $7.2 bil | Rank: 542 | Source of wealth: E-commerce

Richest person: Ruben Vardanyan & family | Age: 57 | Net worth: $1.3 bil | Rank: 2858 | Source of wealth: Investment banking

Richest person: Gina Rinehart | Age: 72 | Net worth: $25.5 bil | Rank: 101 | Source of wealth: Mining

Richest person: Mark Mateschitz | Age: 33 | Net worth: $45.8 bil | Rank: 43 | Source of wealth: Red Bull

Richest person: Rihanna | Age: 38 | Net worth: $1 bil | Rank: 3332 | Source of wealth: Music, cosmetics

Richest person: Eric Wittouck | Age: 79 | Net worth: $9 bil | Rank: 392 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person: Kenneth Dart | Age: 70 | Net worth: $4 bil | Rank: 1074 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person: Eduardo Saverin | Age: 43 | Net worth: $35.9 bil | Rank: 59 | Source of wealth: Facebook

Richest person (tie) Georgi Domuschiev | Age: 53 | Net worth: $2.9 bil | Rank: 1440 | Source of wealth: Animal health, investments

Richest person (tie): Kiril Domuschiev | Age: 56 | Net worth: $2.9 bil | Rank 1440 | Source of wealth: Animal health, investments

Richest person: Changpeng Zhao | Age: 49 | Net worth: $110 bil | Rank: 17 | Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency exchange

Richest person: Iris Fontbona & family | Age: 83 | Net worth: $52.6 bil | Rank: 35 | Source of wealth: Mining

Richest person: Zhang Yiming | Age: 41 | Net worth: $69.3 bil | Rank: 26 | Source of wealth: TikTok

Richest person: Jaime Gilinski Bacal | Age: 68 | Net worth: $14.7 bil | Rank: 196 | Source of wealth: Banking

Richest person: Vasily Anisimov | Age: 74 | Net worth: $2.1 bil | Rank: 1982 | Source of wealth: Real estate

Richest person: John Fredriksen | Age: 81 | Net worth: $21.2 bil | Rank: 118 | Source of wealth: Shipping

Republic Richest person: Michal Strnad | Age: 33 | Net worth: $31.1 bil | Rank: 68 | Source of wealth: Defense Contracting

Richest person: Anders Holch Povlsen | Age: 53 | Net worth: $16.9 bil | Rank: 171 | Source of wealth: Fashion retail

Richest person: Nassef Sawiris | Age: 65 | Net worth: $9.6 bil | Rank: 362 | Source of wealth: Construction, investments

Richest person: Kristo Käärmann | Age: 45 | Net worth: $2.2 bil | Rank: 1913 | Source of wealth: Payments, banking

Richest person: Nathan Kirsh | Age: 94 | Net worth: $9.1 bil | Rank: 383 | Source of wealth: Retail, real estate

Richest person: Antti Herlin | Age: 69 | Net worth: $4.8 bil | Rank: 891 | Source of wealth: Elevators, escalators

Richest person: Bernard Arnault & family | Age: 77 | Net worth: $171 bil | Rank: 7 | Source of wealth: LVMH

Richest person: Mikhail Lomtadze | Age: 50 | Net worth: $6 bil | Rank: 694 | Source of wealth: Fintech

Richest person: Dieter Schwarz | Age: 86 | Net worth: $67.2 bil | Rank: 29 | Source of wealth: Retail

Richest person: Vicky Safra & family | Age: 73 | Net worth: $27.1 bil | Rank: 94 | Source of wealth: Banking

Richest person: Stephen Lansdown | Age: 73 | Net worth: $3.2 bil | Rank: 1325 | Source of wealth: Financial services

Richest person: Robin Zeng | Age: 57 | Net worth: $53.2 bil | Rank: 34 | Source of wealth: Batteries

Richest person: Lorinc Meszaros | Age: 60 | Net worth: $5.2 bil | Rank: 823 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Thor Bjorgolfsson | Age: 58 | Net worth: $1 bil | Rank: 3332 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person: Mukesh Ambani | Age: 68 | Net worth: $99.7 bil | Rank: 21 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Prajogo Pangestu | Age: 81 | Net worth: $28.6 bil | Rank: 84 | Source of wealth: Petrochemicals, energy

Richest person (tie): John Collison | Age: 35 | Net worth: $17.5 bil | Rank: 162 | Source of wealth: Payment software

Richest person (tie): Patrick Collison | Age 37 | Net worth: $17.5 bil | Rank: 162 | Source of wealth: Payment software

Richest person: Idan Ofer | Age: 70 | Net worth: $34.6 bil | Rank: 61 | Source of wealth: Shipping

Richest person: Giancarlo Devasini | Age: 61 | Net worth: $89.3 bil | Rank: 22 | Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency

Richest person: Tadashi Yanai & family | Age: 77 | Net worth: $61.8 bil | Rank: 32 | Source of wealth: Fashion retail

Richest person: Vyacheslav Kim | Age: 56 | Net worth: $7.8 bil | Rank: 477 | Source of wealth: Fintech

Richest person (tie): Najib Mikati | Age: 70 | Net worth: $3.8 bil | Rank: 1137 | Source of wealth: Telecom

Richest person (tie): Taha Mikati | Age: 81 | Net worth: $3.8 bil | Rank: 1137 | Source of wealth: Telecom

Richest person: Christoph Zeller | Age: 68 | Net worth: $1.3 bil | Rank: 2858 | Source of wealth: Dental materials

Richest person: Michael Gans & family | Age: 62 | Net worth: $1.2 bil | Rank: 3017 | Source of wealth: Supply chain services

Richest person: Robert Kuok | Age: 102 | Net worth: $14.2 bil | Rank: 204 | Source of wealth: Palm oil, shipping, property

Richest person: Carlos Slim Helu & family | Age: 86 | Net worth: $125 bil | Rank: 16 | Source of wealth: Telecom

Richest person: Stefano Pessina | Age: 84 | Net worth: $6.3 bil | Rank: 664 | Source of wealth: Drugstores

Richest person: Othman Benjelloun & family | Age: 93 | Net worth: $1.7 bil | Rank: 2386 | Source of wealth: Banking, insurance

Richest person: Binod Chaudhary | Age: 70 | Net worth: $2.1 bil | Rank: 1982 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Jean-Louis van der Velde | Age: 62 | Net worth: $38 bil | Rank: 53 | Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency

Richest person: Graeme Hart | Age: 70 | Net worth: $10.2 bil | Rank: 323 | Source of wealth: Packaging

Richest person: Aliko Dangote | Age: 68 | Net worth: $28.5 bil | Rank: 86 | Source of wealth: Cement, sugar

Richest person: Torstein Hagen | Age: 83 | Net worth: $18.4 bil | Rank: 153 | Source of wealth: Cruises

Richest person: P.N.C. Menon | Age: 77 | Net worth: $3.9 bil | Rank: 1108 | Source of wealth: Real estate

Richest person: Sualeh Asif | Age: 26 | Net worth: $1.3 bil | Rank: 2858 | Source of wealth: AI software

Richest person: Eduardo Hochschild | Age: 62 | Net worth: $5.2 bil | Rank: 823 | Source of wealth: Mining

Richest person: Enrique Razon Jr. | Age: 66 | Net worth: $16.5 bil | Rank: 175 | Source of wealth: Ports

Richest person: Michal Solowow | Age: 63 | Net worth: $5.9 bil | Rank: 712 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person: Maria Fernanda Amorim & family | Age: 91 | Net worth: $7.6 bil | Rank: 498 | Source of wealth: Energy, investments

Richest person: Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani | Age: 66 | Net worth: $5.2 bil | Rank: 823 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person (tie): Matei Zaharia | Age: 40 | Net worth: $5 bil | Rank: 852 | Source of wealth: Data analytics

Richest person (tie): Ion Stoica | Age: 61 | Net worth: $5 bil | Rank: 852 | Source of wealth: Data analytics

Richest person: Alexey Mordashov & family | Age: 60 | Net worth: $37 bil | Rank: 57 | Source of wealth: Steel, investments

Richest person: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud | Age: 71 | Net worth: $19.9 bil | Rank: 135 | Source of wealth: nvestments

Richest person: Jason Chang | Age: 81 | Net worth: $14.2 bil | Rank: 204 | Source of wealth: Semiconductors

Richest person: Jaroslav Hascak & family | Age: 56 | Net worth: $2.2 bil | Rank: 1913 | Source of wealth: Investments

Richest person: Johann Rupert & family | Age: 75 | Net worth: $16.1 bil | Rank: 178 | Source of wealth: Luxury goods

Richest person: Jay Y. Lee | Age: 57 | Net worth: $27 bil | Rank: 95 | Source of wealth: Samsung

Richest person: Amancio Ortega | Age: 89 | Net worth: $148 bil | Rank: 10 | Source of wealth: Zara

Richest person: Justin Sun | Age: 35 | Net worth: $8.5 bil | Rank: 415 | Source of wealth: Cryptocurrency

Richest person: Stefan Persson | Age: 78 | Net worth: $24.2 bil | Rank: 107 | Source of wealth: H&M

Richest person (tie): Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | Age: 80 | Net worth: $44.5 bil | Rank: 44 | Source of wealth: Shipping

Richest person (tie): Gianluigi Aponte | Age: 85 | Net worth: $44.5 bil | Rank: 44 | Source of wealth: Shipping

Richest person: Terry Gou | Age: 75 | Net worth: $15.3 bil | Rank: 190 | Source of wealth: Electronics

Richest person: Mohammed Dewji | Age: 50 | Net worth: $2.1 bil | Rank: 1982 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Dhanin Chearavanont | Age: 86 | Net worth: $19.9 bil | Rank: 135 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Hamdi Ulukaya | Age: 53 | Net worth: $13.5 bil | Rank: 219 | Source of wealth: Greek yogurt

Richest person: Rinat Akhmetov | Age: 59 | Net worth: $7.8 bil | Rank: 477 | Source of wealth: Steel, coal

Richest person: Hussain Sajwani | Age: 73 | Net worth: $15.3 bil | Rank: 190 | Source of wealth: Real estate

Richest person: Michael Platt | Age: 57 | Net worth: $20.9 bil | Rank: 120 | Source of wealth: Hedge funds

Richest person: Elon Musk | Age: 54 | Net worth: $839 bil | Rank: 1 | Source of wealth: Tesla, SpaceX

Richest person: Juan Carlos Escotet | Age: 66 | Net worth: $11.3 bil | Rank: 281 | Source of wealth: Banking

Richest person: Pham Nhat Vuong | Age: 57 | Net worth: $27.7 bil | Rank: 93 | Source of wealth: Diversified

Richest person: Strive Masiyiwa | Age: 65 | Net worth: $2.1 bil | Rank: 1982 | Source of wealth: Telecom

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