Top 10 richest people in the world as of August 2026

The world’s richest people have seen significant changes in their fortunes in recent months, but Elon Musk remains firmly at the top despite a sharp drop in his wealth.

According to Forbes, the Tesla and SpaceX boss was worth an estimated $690 billion as of August 1, 2026, representing a decline of about $363 billion from the previous month.

Musk briefly became the world’s first trillionaire in June after SpaceX went public. However, his fortune took a major hit in July as the value of both SpaceX and Tesla declined.

SpaceX shares fell by 37% during the month, while Tesla’s stock dropped by 26%. As a result, Musk’s fortune has fallen below the $700 billion mark for the first time since December.

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Despite the decline, Musk remains comfortably ahead of Larry Page, co-founder of Google, who ranks second with an estimated fortune of $292 billion.

Larry Page has since added about $1 billion to his wealth during the month.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, recorded the biggest increase among the top 10 richest people. His fortune rose by about $29 billion to $278 billion, moving him into third place.

Bezos benefited from a 14% rise in Amazon’s share price in July, allowing him to overtake fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Brin now ranks fourth with an estimated fortune of $269 billion, after adding about $1 billion during the month.

Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, occupies fifth place with an estimated fortune of $229 billion, although he lost about $6 billion in July.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is sixth with an estimated $191 billion.

Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook in 2004 before the company expanded into Meta, which now owns major platforms including Instagram and WhatsApp.

Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, ranks seventh with an estimated fortune of $174 billion, up about $1 billion.

His wealth has been boosted by Nvidia’s strong position in the artificial intelligence industry, where demand for advanced chips and computing infrastructure remains strong.

Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, dropped from seventh to eighth place after losing about $24 billion, bringing his estimated fortune to $168 billion.

French billionaire Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of luxury goods giant LVMH, ranks ninth with an estimated $146 billion.

Arnault is the only non-American among the world’s 10 richest people.

Meanwhile, veteran investor Warren Buffett completes the top 10 with an estimated fortune of $145 billion.

The 95-year-old stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025 but remains chairman of the company.

Forbes estimates the 10 richest people were worth a combined $2.6 trillion as of August 1, 2026, with their fortunes fluctuating daily based largely on stock market movements.

See the full list below:

• Elon Musk – $690 billion

• Larry Page – $292 billion

• Jeff Bezos – $278 billion

• Sergey Brin – $269 billion

• Michael Dell – $229 billion

• Mark Zuckerberg – $191 billion

• Jensen Huang – $174 billion

• Larry Ellison – $168 billion

• Bernard Arnault – $146 billion

• Warren Buffett – $145 billion

With additional files from Forbes

MA