Elon Musk leads the list of the world’s richest men in August 2026, followed by Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, and Sergey Brin, according to Forbes.
DUM Editorial.- Elon Musk continues to top the list of the world’s wealthiest people, according to the Forbes ranking updated as of August 1, 2026. However, the businessman closed July with a sharp drop in his net worth, following the decline in SpaceX and Tesla shares.
On June 12, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire, but that record was short-lived. By the end of July, his fortune was estimated at US$690 billion, a reduction of US$363 billion compared to the previous month.
According to Forbes, SpaceX shares, which had traded as high as 67% above their IPO price in June, fell 37% during July. Musk’s stake in the company also lost value.
His nearly 11% stake in Tesla also suffered a reduction, after shares of the electric vehicle manufacturer fell 26% during the month.
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Larry Page remains the second richest man
In second place appears Larry Page, co-founder of Google, with an estimated fortune of US$292 billion, one billion more than the previous month.
Page, who reached over US$300 billion in net worth in April, retains a significant stake in Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
His rise within the rankings has been remarkable. On the 2025 annual Forbes list, he occupied seventh place, with an estimated fortune of US$144 billion.
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Jeff Bezos returns to third place
The big winner of July was Jeff Bezos, whose fortune increased by US$29 billion to stand at US$278 billion.
The increase was mainly related to the 14% rise in Amazon shares, the company he founded in 1994. With this growth, Bezos displaced Sergey Brin and returned to third place in the world rankings, a position he had not held since March.
Brin, also a co-founder of Google, came in fourth place with an estimated fortune of US$269 billion, after adding US$1 billion during the month.
Michael Dell and Zuckerberg round out the top six
The fifth place belongs to Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, with a fortune of US$229 billion. Dell lost US$6 billion during July, but maintained his position among the largest fortunes on the planet.
In sixth place is Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and current CEO of Meta, with an estimated net worth of US$191 billion, US$2 billion less than the previous month.
Jensen Huang surpasses Larry Ellison
The seventh position is held by Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, with an estimated fortune of US$174 billion. Huang moved up from eighth place after increasing his net worth by US$1 billion.
The movement caused Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, to drop to eighth place. His fortune fell by US$24 billion during July, to stand at US$168 billion, mainly due to the decline in Oracle’s shares.
Bernard Arnault and Warren Buffett close out the top 10
The Frenchman Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of the luxury group LVMH, appears in ninth place with a fortune of US$146 billion. He is the only non-US citizen among the ten richest people in the world in this ranking.
The tenth place corresponds to Warren Buffett, with an estimated fortune of US$145 billion.
The investor, known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025, although he continues as chairman of the company.
How much money do the ten largest fortunes accumulate?
According to Forbes, the ten richest people on the planet collectively hold about US$2.6 trillion, a figure US$368 billion lower than that recorded by the top ten the previous month.
The variations respond mainly to stock market movements, so the net worth of these entrepreneurs can change daily.
Alice Walton is the richest woman in the world
Although no woman is among the ten largest fortunes, Alice Walton continues to be the richest woman on the planet. The Walmart heiress had, as of August 1, 2026, an estimated net worth of US$119 billion, which placed her in 16th place in the global ranking.
Their fortune comes mainly from their shareholding in Walmart, inherited from their father, Sam Walton.
