Billionaires list: Top 10 richest people as of July 2026
By Valerian Khakayi, July 1, 2026Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has retained his position as the world’s richest person, becoming the first individual in history to surpass the $1 trillion mark in net worth, which is equivalent to the Ksh129.5 trillion mark, according to the latest Forbes billionaire rankings for July 1, 2026.
According to Forbes, Musk’s fortune rose by an estimated $218 billion (Ksh 28.17 trillion) over the past month to reach $1.053 trillion (Ksh 136.36 trillion), largely driven by the public listing of SpaceX in June.
The increase comes despite a difficult month for many of the world’s wealthiest individuals, as a broad sell-off in technology stocks erased billions of dollars from billionaire fortunes.
“Elon Musk became the first trillionaire in world history in June after SpaceX went public during the month, helping boost the fortune of the rocket-maker’s founder by an estimated $218 billion over the past 30 days, to an estimated $1.053 trillion as of July 1 at 12 a.m. Eastern time,” Forbes stated.
Additionally, Forbes reported that only two of the world’s 10 richest people saw their wealth increase over the past month, Musk and legendary investor Warren Buffett. The remaining eight billionaires collectively lost an estimated $181 billion (Ksh 23.44 trillion).
“The rest of the top 10 richest people on the planet didn’t fare so well, as their net worths fell by $181 billion combined, amid a broad sell-off of technology stocks that saw the tech-heavy Nasdaq drop by nearly 3% (or almost three times the S&P 500’s nearly 1% decline),” Forbes added.
Other billionaires
Google co-founder Larry Page remained the world’s second-richest person despite his fortune declining by $18 billion (Ksh 2.33 trillion) to $291 billion (Ksh 37.68 trillion) following a drop in Alphabet’s share price.
Fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin held onto third place with an estimated net worth of $269 billion (Ksh 34.83 trillion), while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos remained fourth after his fortune fell by $28 billion (Ksh 3.63 trillion) to $249 billion (Ksh 32.24 trillion).
Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, rounded out the top five with an estimated net worth of $235 billion (Ksh 30.43 trillion).
One of the biggest changes in the rankings involved Larry Ellison, whose fortune dropped by an estimated $84 billion (Ksh 10.85 trillion) after Oracle shares tumbled during the month. The decline saw him fall from fifth to seventh place.
Despite losing an estimated $24 billion (Ksh 3.11 trillion), Mark Zuckerberg climbed one spot to sixth with a fortune of $194 billion (Ksh 25.12 trillion), while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang remained eighth with $172 billion (Ksh 22.27 trillion).
French luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault held onto ninth place with an estimated $147.9 billion (Ksh 19.15 trillion), while Warren Buffett returned to the top 10 after his fortune increased by about $8 billion (Ksh 1.04 trillion) to $147.8 billion (Ksh 19.12 trillion), replacing former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Full list
1. Elon Musk – $1.053 trillion (Ksh 136.36 trillion)
2. Larry Page – $291 billion (Ksh 37.68 trillion)
3. Sergey Brin – $269 billion (Ksh 34.83 trillion)
4. Jeff Bezos – $249 billion (Ksh 32.24 trillion)
5. Michael Dell – $235 billion (Ksh 30.43 trillion) – up from No. 6
6. Mark Zuckerberg – $194 billion (Ksh 25.12 trillion) – up from No. 7
7. Larry Ellison – $192 billion (Ksh 24.86 trillion) – down from No. 5
8. Jensen Huang – $172 billion (Ksh 22.27 trillion)
9. Bernard Arnault – $147.9 billion (Ksh 19.11 trillion)
10. Warren Buffett – $147.8 billion (Ksh 19.10 trillion) – up from No. 11
According to Forbes, the combined wealth of the world’s 10 richest people stands at approximately $2.95 trillion as of July 2026, although their fortunes continue to fluctuate with movements in global financial markets.
“The 10 richest people on earth as of July 1, 2026, at 12 a.m. are worth $2.951 trillion combined, up $37 billion since last month’s top 10. Stock prices fluctuate routinely, so these net worths typically change on a daily basis,” Forbes stated.