TL;DR
Data snapshot: Aug 1, 2026, ET midnight (Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, monthly view). Elon Musk still tops the list (~$690B), but he lost a record $363B in July and is no longer a trillionaire; Jeff Bezos gained $29B in July to take #3 (first time since March); the top 10 is worth a combined $2.6T, down $368B month-over-month. Nine of the ten are American; the only non-U.S. member is France's Bernard Arnault (LVMH).
Top 10 (as of 2026-08-01)
| Rank | Name | Net worth (approx.) | July change | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $690B | −$363B | SpaceX / Tesla | Briefly the first trillionaire after SpaceX's Jun 12 IPO; SpaceX stock fell 37% in July |
| 2 | Larry Page | $292B | +$1B | Passed $300B in April — third person ever to do so | |
| 3 | Jeff Bezos (↑) | $278B | +$29B | Amazon | July's biggest winner; Amazon shares +14% |
| 4 | Sergey Brin (↓) | $269B | +$1B | Overtaken by Bezos, slips to #4 | |
| 5 | Michael Dell | $229B | −$6B | Dell Technologies | |
| 6 | Mark Zuckerberg | $191B | −$2B | Meta | |
| 7 | Jensen Huang (↑) | $174B | +$1B | Semiconductors (NVIDIA) | Swapped places with Ellison |
| 8 | Larry Ellison (↓) | $168B | −$24B | Oracle | Oracle stock fell 11% in July |
| 9 | Bernard Arnault | $146B | −$2B | LVMH | Only non-American in the top 10 |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | $145B | −$3B | Berkshire Hathaway |
What changed
- Musk falls out of trillionaire territory: when SpaceX went public on Nasdaq on Jun 12 (~$2.2T first-day market cap), Musk became the world's first trillionaire. SpaceX shares then rose as much as 67% above the IPO price in June but sank 37% in July. He holds 38% of SpaceX (valued ~$552B) and ~11% of Tesla (~$123B, down $43B; Tesla fell 26% in July after its Q2 earnings miss on Jul 22).
- Bezos is July's biggest winner: +$29B. He is co-CEO of new AI startup Prometheus (closed a round at a $41B valuation in June), an "artificial general engineer" for physical design.
- Gates is not in the top 10: Forbes cut his estimate in Oct 2024 and he dropped out.
- Richest woman: Alice Walton (Walmart) at ~$119B, ranked #16.
- Methodology: this is a monthly snapshot of Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires list, distinct from the March 2026 annual list (3,428 billionaires, $20.1T combined). Fortunes move daily with stock prices; Forbes maintains a separate real-time tracker.
FAQ
Who is the richest person in the world right now?
As of Aug 1, 2026 (Forbes), Elon Musk (~$690B), #1 since May 2024 — though he lost a record $363B in July and is no longer a trillionaire.
Why is Musk no longer a trillionaire?
He crossed $1T after SpaceX's June 12 IPO, but SpaceX stock fell 37% in July and Tesla dropped 26% after its Q2 earnings miss (Jul 22). His fortune shrank by $363B in July alone — more than any of the other top-10 members' entire net worth — to ~$690B.
Who is the world's 3rd richest person?
Jeff Bezos (~$278B), who passed Sergey Brin in July on the back of Amazon's +14% month — his first time in the top 3 since March.
What's the difference between Forbes' real-time and annual lists?
The annual list (published each March) covers every billionaire — 3,428 people worth $20.1T combined in 2026 — at a fixed date. The real-time list updates the top names daily with stock prices. This page uses the Aug 1 snapshot of the real-time list; numbers are not directly comparable to the annual list.
Who is the richest woman in the world?
Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, at ~$119B — #16 globally.
Sources
- Forbes, "The Top 10 Richest People in the World – August 2026" (updated Aug 1, 2026; data as of Aug 1, ET midnight; forbes.com)
- Forbes China translation (WeChat / 36Kr republication, 2026-08-03)
- Forbes 2026 World's Billionaires annual list (March 2026: 3,428 billionaires, $20.1T combined)