Wealth can be sought in numerous ways, from the wonderful (bubble tea) to the humorous (comedy) and even the fantastical (reviving the woolly mammoth). Certain industries, though, do particularly well when it comes to amassing ten-figure fortunes. This report reveals the top 10 industries with the most ten-comma club members as of 2025 and analyzes the sectors that have proven to be the most fruitful for billionaires.
Finance and Investments: The Reign Continues
In the year 2025, it was reported that 464 billionaires were accounted for from this sector, which makes up 15% of the total Forbes Billionaires list and overwhelming these financial tycoons have been easily gaining empires after empires with a wheat of 41 additional members totaling to empires of $400 billion difference from last year. The frenzied “money magicians’ total net worth also rose to approximately $2.6 trillion.” These billionaires are, like venture capitalist Theresia Gouw, private equity maestro Adebayo Ogunesi with $2.2 billion and the recently turned public Grinder George Raymond Zage III, who got an estimated $1.2 billion. And don’t forget the undeniable king of this sector, Berkshire Hathaway’s dominant, the Monger of Omaha himself, Warren Buffet, with an astounding increase to $154 billion since last year, adding $21 billion.
Technology: Fueled Second Place Achievement with an AI Rush
The technology sector captures the second highest ranking with 401 billionaires and comprises 13 percent of the billionaire demographic, lagging only behind finance. This sector has experienced tremendous expansion due to investor hype related to artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, self-proclaimed tech millionaires have witnessed the most significant increase in wealth, adding an astonishing $600 billion to their net worth and surpassing 46 in the number of billionaires. This list is headed by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, whose wealth is estimated at $216 billion after a $39 billion increase, and Tesla’s Elon Musk, still qualified primarily as an automotive billionaire by Forbes and ranking first with $342 billion. Severin Hacker ($1.1 billion), cofounder and CTO of language learning app Duolingo; Marissa Mayer ($1 billion), Google’s first female engineer and Yahoo’s former CEO; and Alexandr Wang ($2 billion), the youngest self-made billionaire, cofounder and CEO of Scale AI, all new inductees to the tech billionaire club, exemplify the tech self-made billionaire spree.
Manufacturing: A Dynamic Third
In the third place, manufacturing has withstood the test of time, with a total of 342 billionaires, or 11% of the list. The collective wealth of this sector’s billionaires has reached $1.1 trillion, having grown by $100 million compared to last year. Reinhold Wuerth of Germany holds on to his title as the richest person in this category, his fortune estimated at $35.1 billion, stunningly coming from his dominance of the Wuerth Group, the leading fastener and screw manufacturer. This sector welcomed 33 new billionaires, including Chinese vaping entrepreneur Zhang Shengwei, who has a net worth of $2.2 billion, and Swiss hearing aid magnate Hans-Ueli Rihs, who has a net worth of $1.8 billion.
Fashion and Retail: Reaching the Top Four
Retail and fashion consolidate at the top four with 297 billionaires comprising 10% of the list. Collectively, they hold a net worth of $2 trillion, which is an increase of $100 billion from last year. Yet, this sector is undergoing some turbulence, like with France’s Bernard Arnault of luxury goods empire LVMH, who is termed the richest in the field. He lost $55 billion in wealth because of what his luxury goods giant termed as “a challenging economic and geopolitical environment.” Regardless, the fashion and retail sector has added 16 new entrants to the billionaire’s club, including Alo Yoga’s co-founders Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge ($4.7 billion each), Chinese gold and jewelry magnate Xu Gaoming ($8.2 billion), and Saudi grocery and mall billionaire Abdullah Al Othaim ($2.5 billion).
The 10 Industries with the Most New Billionaires in 2025
Here’s a summary of the 10 industries with the most new billionaires as of March 7, 2025:
- Finance & Investments (464 billionaires, 15% of the list)
- Technology (401 billionaires, 13% of the list)
- Manufacturing (342 billionaires, 11% of the list)
- Fashion & Retail (297 billionaires, 10% of the list)
- Healthcare (230 billionaires, 7% of the list)
- Food & Beverage (223 billionaires, 7% of the list)
- Diversified (210 billionaires, 7% of the list)
- Real Estate (206 billionaires, 7% of the list)
- Media & Entertainment (116 billionaires, 4% of the list)
- Energy (106 billionaires, 4% of the list)
Final thoughts: Opportunities abound, but so does inequality.
The data above from the 2025 Forbes World’s Billionaires List highlights a stark disparity in wealth distribution across the globe. It is noteworthy how F. Forbes emphasizes the social problems of our world. In the modern economy, why do so many people remain so poor while the population of ultra-wealthy is increasing at an unprecedented rate? Analyzing the sheer numbers of self-made billionaires reveals that there is a complex interplay of innovation, consumer trends, and global economic forces that shape the landscape of wealth accumulation.
