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Tuesday's Final Word
The concept of “richest person in the world” has evolved dramatically over the last two centuries. In the 1820s, a net worth of a few million dollars was enough to claim the title. Today, top billionaires command fortunes in the hundreds of billions. For instance, Jeff Bezos was worth about $113 billion in 2020 – already unfathomable wealth – yet within just two years Elon Musk would surge past $300 billion, setting new records. And in early 2025, Elon’s net worth came extremely close to hitting a mind-numbing $500 billion.
This article takes a journey through the richest people from 1820 to the present, including a year-by-year breakdown from 2020 to 2025, and highlights notable figures who may have been overlooked. We’ll also share fun anecdotes and legacy facts about each person along the way.
1820s – Stephen Girard (Net Worth: $7.5 Million)
- Adjusted for inflation: $105 Billion
- Stephen Girard, a French-born merchant who settled in Philadelphia, became the richest person in the world by 1810. His success in shipping, trading, and eventually banking allowed him to single-handedly finance the U.S. during the War of 1812.
- Fun Fact: Girard donated almost his entire fortune to charitable causes – including orphanages and schools – and funded the founding of Girard College in Philadelphia.
(Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)
1830s – Nathan Mayer Rothschild
- Following Girard’s death, Nathan Mayer Rothschild became the richest person in the world. A powerful banker based in London, he played a pivotal role in financing the British war effort against Napoleon.
- Fun Fact: Rothschild’s early intel on the Battle of Waterloo supposedly gave him an edge in the bond markets – a legendary financial power move.
- Overlooked Contender: Howqua (Wu Bingjian), a Chinese merchant, may have actually been richer than Rothschild during the 1830s, with a fortune from the tea and silk trade estimated at over $26 million – potentially making him the richest man globally at the time.
1840s – John Jacob Astor (Net Worth: $20 Million)
1850s – Cornelius Vanderbilt
- Vanderbilt built a steamboat empire from scratch and became the wealthiest American of the 1850s. He later transitioned into railroads, setting the stage for even greater wealth.
1860s – Cornelius Vanderbilt
- In the 1860s, Vanderbilt fully pivoted to railroads, acquiring key lines and founding what would become the New York Central. His wealth soared as trains replaced steamships.
Getty Images
1870s – Cornelius Vanderbilt (Net Worth: $105 Million)
- In his final decade as #1, Vanderbilt turned to philanthropy and donated $1 million to found Vanderbilt University in 1873.
1880s – William Henry Vanderbilt (Net Worth: $232 Million)
- Adjusted for inflation: $6.2 Billion
- William Henry inherited and expanded the Vanderbilt railroad empire. By the time of his death in 1885, he had more than doubled his father’s fortune.
- Fun Fact: His infamous quote: “The public be damned!” – a reply to a reporter questioning whether he would operate unprofitable trains for public benefit.
1890s – John D. Rockefeller
- Co-founder of Standard Oil, Rockefeller controlled over 90% of U.S. oil refining by the 1890s, making him the richest person in the world.
- Fun Fact: He began giving away dimes to children – a quirky but symbolic start to his immense lifetime of philanthropy.
Andrew Carnegie (Photo by APIC/Getty Images)
1900s – Andrew Carnegie (Net Worth: $480 Million)
- Carnegie sold Carnegie Steel to JP Morgan in 1901 and became the world’s richest. He gave away 90% of his fortune to education, libraries, and peace efforts.
1910s – John D. Rockefeller (Net Worth: $900 Million)
- Adjusted for inflation: $380 Billion
- Rockefeller regained the top spot. In 1916, he became the world’s first official billionaire.
- Fun Fact: His wealth after the Standard Oil breakup actually increased thanks to soaring shares in its spin-off companies.
- Overlooked Contender: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia may have controlled a personal and imperial fortune equivalent to over $300 billion in today’s money.
1920s – John D. Rockefeller
- Rockefeller’s giving accelerated in the 1920s, with donations that eradicated yellow fever and hookworm in the U.S. He remained the richest man until his death in 1937.
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1930s – John D. Rockefeller
- The Great Depression didn’t dethrone Rockefeller. He continued to donate heavily and left a philanthropic legacy spanning medicine, education, and the arts.
- Overlooked Contender: Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, was considered the richest monarch of the era by Time magazine.
1940s – Henry Ford
- Adjusted for inflation: $200 Billion
- The automobile pioneer revolutionized transportation and mass production. Ford was worth over $13 billion at his death in 1947.
- Fun Fact: Ford shocked the world in 1914 by paying workers $5 per day – more than double the prevailing wage.
Evening Standard/Getty Images
1950s – J. Paul Getty
- Getty struck oil in the Middle East and built Getty Oil into a global empire. He was famously frugal despite his wealth.
- Fun Fact: He installed a payphone in his mansion so guests wouldn’t run up his phone bill.
1960s – J. Paul Getty (Net Worth: $1.2 Billion)
- Getty remained on top through the ’60s while amassing one of the world’s most impressive private art collections.
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1970s – J. Paul Getty (Net Worth: $6 Billion)
- Adjusted for inflation: $50 Billion
- Getty made headlines when he initially refused to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson. He died in 1976.
1980s – Yoshiaki Tsutsumi (Net Worth: $20 Billion)
- Adjusted for inflation: $45.5 Billion
- A Japanese real estate mogul, Tsutsumi topped the global list during Japan’s 1980s economic bubble. He later lost most of his fortune after the bubble burst.
(Photo by Mike Cohen/Getty Images )
1990s – Bill Gates (Net Worth: $12.9 Billion in 1995)
- Gates first became the richest person in 1995. His Microsoft stake made him the world’s wealthiest for over a decade.
- Fun Fact: Gates once memorized employees’ license plates to track who stayed late at the office.
2000s – Bill Gates
- Despite the dot-com crash, Gates stayed #1 for most of the decade, only briefly overtaken by Warren Buffett in 2008. Gates shifted focus to philanthropy during this time.
2010s – Carlos Slim, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos
Three billionaires dominated the decade:
- Carlos Slim: 2010–2013, peaking at $73B from telecom in Mexico
- Bill Gates: 2014–2017, with ~$86B and a strong focus on philanthropy
- Jeff Bezos: 2018–2019, reaching $170B as Amazon stock soared
Year-by-Year Breakdown: 2020–2025
2020 – Jeff Bezos (Net Worth: $113 Billion)
- Amazon’s pandemic-fueled growth pushed Bezos’s fortune over $200 billion by summer. He sold billions in stock but remained #1.
2021 – Elon Musk (Net Worth: $300 Billion)
- Musk’s wealth surged with Tesla stock and private SpaceX gains. He briefly became the richest person in history.
- Fun Fact: Musk responded to hitting $300B by tweeting: “How strange.”
2022 – Elon Musk (Net Worth: $219 Billion)
- Despite stock selloffs and the controversial Twitter acquisition, Musk retained the top spot for most of the year.
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
2023 – Bernard Arnault (Net Worth: $211 Billion)
- The LVMH chairman became the first European to top the global wealth list. Musk briefly reclaimed the title mid-year.
- Fun Fact: Arnault’s family runs many of LVMH’s brands, and his children hold key executive roles.
2024 – Elon Musk (Net Worth: $252 Billion)
- Tesla rebounded and Musk’s AI company xAI raised billions. He once again took a commanding lead.
- Fun Fact: At one point, Musk was worth more than Bernard Arnault and Bill Gates combined.
2025 – Elon Musk (Net Worth: $499 Billion)
In late December 2024 and early January 2025, Elon Musk came within inches of having a net worth of $500 billion.
