The combined wealth of the ultra-rich exceeds $15 trillion

The world’s billionaire population reached a record 3,795 in 2025, as the artificial intelligence investment boom accelerated wealth creation, according to a new report from global wealth intelligence firm Altrata.

The number of billionaires rose 8.2%, the biggest annual increase in five years. Their combined wealth grew 12.8% to a record $15.1 trillion. Billionaires make up only 0.07% of people with net worth above $5 million, yet they control 13% of the total wealth held by that group.

The gains have become increasingly concentrated at the top. Altrata identified 29 “super-billionaires,” each worth more than $50 billion, whose combined wealth reached $4.1 trillion, or 27% of all billionaire wealth. In 2017, only 10 people met that threshold, accounting for 7.2% of the total.

Altrata said 150 publicly traded companies contributed most to the increase in billionaire wealth. Companies that invested at least $30 million in AI over the past five years outperformed companies that did not make such investments by 23% in market-capitalization growth between 2024 and 2025.

Maya Imberg, Altrata’s head of analysis and thought leadership, said Wall Street’s enthusiasm for AI had widened the wealth gap within the billionaire class. She also warned that fortunes tied to AI-focused technology companies could swing sharply in response to AI news. The report cited a one-day $18 billion drop in Elon Musk’s wealth and a weekly $50 billion decline for Larry Ellison, according to Forbes.

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We expect the fortunes of many of the wealthiest billionaires, those whose companies focus on technology, to rise and fall in response to AI news.