How much money does it take to be one of the richest people on Earth? The answer is a net worth above £100 billion. To amass such staggering wealth, most of these individuals founded technology companies known the world over. Interestingly, this list of the world's wealthiest as of January 2026, as reported by Forbes, is dominated by Americans. There are over 3,100 billionaires, according to the publication, and these are the richest of the rich and how they made their fortunes.