Seven of the world’s ten wealthiest billionaires are starting off May with fatter fortunes than a month ago, led by Elon Musk, the world’s No. 1 richest. Shares of Tesla, one of his most valuable assets, recovered from a plunge early in April to end the month up about 7%. That contributed to a $46 billion increase in Musk’s fortune in the past month, landing him at $386.5 billion, per Forbes’ estimates.
The rise in fortunes of those at the top of the billionaires ranking came as the Nasdaq climbed 0.7% in the past month while the S&P 500 fell 1.1%. Stocks have been volatile in response to news about President Trump’s tariff plans, reports about adjustments to the tariffs and concerns about a possible recession. Business leaders across the country are pausing new ventures and investments amid the uncertainty.
The second biggest top-10 gainer for the month was Spain’s Amancio Ortega, founder of fashion firm Inditex–best known for its Zara chain. Ortega, ranked No. 9, is nearly $9 billion wealthier than at the beginning of April. That’s thanks to a 2% increase in the price of Inditex shares combined with about a 5% strengthening of the Euro against the dollar during the month of April, which put his fortune at an estimated $123.3 billion.
Luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault of France did not fare as well, despite the stronger Euro. In mid April, LVMH, the luxury conglomerate he leads, posted first quarter revenue that fell short of analyst expectations. The group’s sales in the U.S. fell 3%, led by a decline at cosmetics chain Sephora, while in Asia excluding Japan, sales tumbled 11%. That drove LVMH shares down more than 15% for the month, shaving nearly $15 billion off Arnault’s fortune. He did manage to keep his No. 6 rank among the world’s richest.
The two others in the top 10 whose fortunes fell: No. 2 Jeff Bezos (down $5.3 billion) and No. 3 Mark Zuckerberg (down $9.3 billion).
As a group, the top ten kick off this month worth $1.77 trillion–up $40 billion compared to April 1.
Forbes has been keeping track of the world’s billionaires since 1987. In April 2025 we found 3,028 of them for our annual list.
Below are the 10 richest people on earth as of May 1, 2025 at 12 a.m. Eastern time, according to Forbes. Stock prices fluctuate routinely, so these net worths may change on a daily basis. Forbes tracks the daily changes on our Real Time list of billionaires.
Who are the top 10 richest people in the world?
