Quick Answer: The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking by the American business magazine Forbes of people who are billionaires, i.e., they are estimated to have a net worth of US$1 billion or more. The list was first published in March 1987. The net worth of each individual is cited in United States dollars, based on their documented assets, and accounting for debt and other factors. This ranking excludes royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions, as well as people whose wealth is not able to be completely ascertained. In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was first ranked at the top and became the first centibillionaire included in the ranking, surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who had topped the list 18 of the previous 24 years. In 2022, Bezos was surpassed by Elon Musk. In 2023, Musk was surpassed by French businessman Bernard Arnault, the first French person to top the list. In 2025 and 2026, Musk once again topped the list.