Bloomberg Billionaires Index
| Company type | Index |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial data, Wealth ranking |
| Founded | March 2012 |
| Founder | Bloomberg News |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Daily ranking of billionaires by net worth |
| Website | www |
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, introduced in March 2012, offers a daily listing of the 500 wealthiest people globally based on their net worth. Each billionaire's profile is detailed, and the index includes a feature that allows for the comparison of various fortunes. Updates occur every trading day following the close of the New York Stock Exchange.
Rankings
Updates to the rankings take place on days when the US stock market is open, immediately after the New York closing bell (Eastern Standard Time).
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Steady | No variation compared to the previous trading session. |
| Increase | Rise compared to the last trading day. |
| Decrease | Decline relative to the previous trading day. |
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Launch and background
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index, introduced by Bloomberg News in March 2012, is a daily ranking that lists the 500 wealthiest individuals worldwide. Initially tracking only the top 20 billionaires, the index progressively expanded to include the top 100, then 200, followed by 400, and ultimately reached 500 individuals by October 2016.
At its inception, the list was led by Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim, whose net worth was estimated at $65.8 billion. From May 2013 onward, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, held the leading position. Between 2016 and 2017, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Spanish fashion mogul Amancio Ortega vied for the top spot against Gates. Bezos overtook Gates in 2018, and by 2021, Elon Musk had ascended to become the richest person globally. Musk’s lead lasted until December 2022 when Bernard Arnault surpassed him, influenced by declines in Tesla’s stock price and LVMH’s sales performance. On May 31, 2023, Elon Musk reclaimed first place as Tesla shares recovered while LVMH’s shares dropped. Notably, on July 3, 2025, Bill Gates fell out of the top ten for the first time after more than thirteen years.
The Index has also uncovered significant hidden wealth, identifying over 400 previously unrecognized billionaires since its launch. Founding editor Matthew Miller noted that this process involves analyzing closely-held assets worldwide. Some prominent newly revealed billionaires include JPMorgan Chase chairman Jamie Dimon, Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, president of In-N-Out Burger, Ferrari heir Piero Ferrari, and Manufactory chairman Yeung Kin-Man of BIEL Crystal.
Besides ranking individuals, the Index provides context on the fortunes of notable public figures such as former Queen Elizabeth II and ex-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Methodology
This index delivers a real-time perspective on the wealth of the globe’s richest people, striving to transform how wealth fluctuations are tracked and reported by media outlets. It undergoes daily updates driven by stock market changes as well as economic and corporate developments.
The valuation process integrates both public information and private data sources by monitoring share prices, publicly disclosed holdings, and estimating private company values through comparisons with publicly traded peers. All valuations are converted into U.S. dollars using current exchange rates without factoring in any personal liabilities.
Journalists emphasize the index’s transparency in methodology compared to other rankings, attributing its precision to Bloomberg’s extensive data resources and reporting infrastructure, including access to Bloomberg terminals and a dedicated research team.
Data visualization
The comprehensive index is available through the Bloomberg Terminal, which offers analytical tools to compare billionaire wealth, observe significant asset shifts, and review one-year performance metrics categorized by individual profiles, industries, geographic regions, or countries.
Each billionaire’s profile includes detailed assessments of their asset portfolio along with insights into how their wealth is structured.