As the wealth gap continues to widen, more people are being propelled into the ultra-rich billionaire class—but there’s even another layer of exclusivity at the top. While there are thousands of individuals out there with more than $1 billion in their bank accounts, a small cohort of “super-billionaires” are the real ones experiencing unprecedented wealth gains.
There are currently 29 “super-billionaires” out there boasting fortunes over $50 billion—and a majority of them live in the U.S., according to a November 21 analysis from data intelligence company Altrata, shared exclusively with Fortune.
This is the third consecutive year that the average billionaire’s bank account has risen—but most of the money has been concentrated among a select few. While the global billionaire population increased by 5.6% in 2024 to a new high of 3,508 people, over half of those individuals only hold between $1 billion and $2 billion in wealth. Meanwhile, the 17% of billionaires who have more than $5 billion to their names control 62% of all money in this 10-plus figure group. If all the super-billionaires put their money together, they’d have a $4.13 trillion honeypot on their hands—nearly the same value of the world’s most valuable company, Nvidia.
“This ‘super-billionaire’ class has experienced the most dynamic wealth generation by far over the past decade, underlining the hyper concentration of global wealth at the very top,” the Altrata report noted.
There are also some broad trends around where super-billionaires are amassing their fortunes, and what industries they’re succeeding in. Among this hyper-exclusive class of the wealthy, around 65%, or 19, reside in America; meanwhile, about three live in China, two have primary residence in India, two are settled in France, one in Spain, while another flits between countries.
The U.S. is clearly the incubator of eye-watering money gains—and their success is due in large part to the nation’s AI boom in recent years. The richest person in the world, Elon Musk, has seen his wealth skyrocket thanks to the success of Tesla and SpaceX—and he could see even more money come his way, as shareholders just approved a record-breaking $1 trillion pay package for the 54-year-old CEO.
Meanwhile, Larry Ellison, the second-richest man after Musk with a fortune of $286.5 billion, enjoyed sizable fortune gains this year thanks to his 40% share in burgeoning AI force Oracle: the software company he co-founded back in 1977.
Overall, tech billionaires increased their wealth by almost 200% over the past decade—the most in any industry—while those working in entertainment saw their fortunes swell by nearly 150%.
“The technology sector features prominently among the world’s wealthiest billionaires, with the AI boom driving recent strong gains in the portfolio valuations of U.S.-based individuals such as Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Page,” the report said.
The world’s 10 richest super-billionaires—and nine are in the U.S.
