Forbes-Ranking 2026: Das sind die zehn reichsten Selfmade-Milliardäre der Welt

In 2026, Forbes released its ranking of the world's ten richest self-made billionaires. The rankings are based on continuously updated data from the economic magazine Forbes, last accessed on August 13, 2026. Here are the top ten self-made billionaire rankings:

10. Amancio Ortega - Inditex

Amancio Ortega, founder and largest shareholder of Inditex, one of the world's leading textile groups, founded the company in 1975 with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera. His empire includes famous brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, and Pull & Bear. Ortega is also among the richest Europeans, with an estimated net worth of $147.0 billion, securing him the tenth place on the list.

9. Steve Ballmer - Microsoft

Steve Ballmer was one of Microsoft's first employees and climbed to the top of the company. In 2014, he stepped down as CEO and the same year bought the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for $2 billion, a deal that paid off. Forbes estimates Ballmer's current net worth at $151.5 billion, placing him at the ninth position on the ranking. He and his wife have donated over $6.5 billion to philanthropic projects since 2014.

8. Jensen Huang - Nvidia

Jensen Huang is a co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, a leading provider in the fields of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and autonomous technologies. Born in Taiwan in 1963 and raised in the US, Huang studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and Stanford University. With an estimated net worth of $193.5 billion, he is among the ten richest self-made billionaires in the world.

7. Larry Ellison - Oracle

Larry Ellison, the founder of US software company Oracle, developed data processing systems for the CIA and US Air Force before specializing in application systems for business customers. Oracle quickly became a formidable competitor to market leader SAP and went public nine years after its founding. Today, it is primarily known for its database software "Oracle Database."

Larry Ellison was CEO of Oracle until 2014, then remained on the company's board of directors. He also served on Tesla's board from 2018 to 2022. His estimated net worth in 2026 is $194.8 billion, placing him in the seventh position on the list.

6. Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, founder, CEO, and chairman of Meta (formerly Facebook), studied computer science at Harvard University. In 2004, at the age of 19, he founded Facebook together with three classmates. What began as a social network for Harvard students has since become one of the most widely used social networks worldwide. Facebook went public in May 2012, and Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares during their lifetimes.

With a Forbes estimated net worth of $198.8 billion, Zuckerberg is among the richest self-made billionaires and ranks sixth on the list.

5. Michael Dell - Dell Technologies

Michael Dell, founder, chairman, and CEO of Dell Technologies, founded his company, PCs Limited, with a capital of $1,000 in 1984. He dropped out of school to establish the company. Dell later renamed the company Dell Computer Corporation. Just a year after its founding, Dell developed its first PC. The current Dell Technologies group was formed in 2016 through Dell's $60 billion merger with the storage giant EMC. With a net worth of $257.4 billion, Michael Dell holds the fifth place in the ranking.

4. Sergey Brin - Google

Sergey Brin, the computer scientist and entrepreneur, is of humble origins and immigrated to the US with his family at the age of six due to anti-Semitic persecution. Brin developed the search engine Google, which has amassed a fortune of $259.8 billion for him. This places him at the fourth position on the ranking. In December 2019, Brin decided to resign as President of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, but remains a shareholder and board member.