Overview

• The 19 richest U.S. households collectively gained $1 trillion in 2024, increasing their share of total U.S. household wealth to 1.8%.
• This marks a sharp rise in wealth concentration, as it took over 40 years for the top 0.00001% to grow their share from 0.1% in 1982 to 1.2% in 2023.
• Forbes’s 2025 World Billionaires List documented over 3,000 billionaires, collectively holding at least $16 trillion, the largest number ever recorded.
• Key figures among these top households include Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Stephen Schwarzman, and Warren Buffett.
• Experts highlight the rapid acceleration of wealth accumulation among the ultra-rich, raising concerns about widening economic inequality and its societal implications.