There were 2,781 billionaires in the world last year, according to Forbes.
Each year, the financial magazine tallies its list of the world’s billionaires using a snapshot of financial information, including the latest stock prices, exchange rates, assets and more. The year saw the number of billionaires worldwide reach an all-time high.
Of the nearly 2,800 billionaires in the world, only 21 are Black. That’s fewer than 1%. Of those 21, only two are women. Eleven are Americans.
As of 2025, here are the world’s 21 Black billionaires:
1. Aliko Dangote: $10.9 billion
Africa’s richest man, Dangote has a net worth of $10.9 billion.
Dangote founded and owns nearly 88% of publicly traded Dangote Cement. He also owns stakes in publicly traded salt, sugar and flour manufacturing companies.
2. Robert F. Smith: $10.8 billion
Smith made his fortune through the private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, which he founded in 2000. A graduate of Cornell, he pledged $50 million (personally and through a foundation) to the university in 2016. And in 2019, Smith announced his family was providing a grant to eliminate the student debt of the entire Morehouse College Class of 2019.
3. David Steward: $11.4 billion
Steward is co-founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, an $11.2 billion IT provider whose customers include Citi, Verizon and the federal government.
4. Mike Adenuga: $6.9 billion
Adenuga, Nigeria’s second-richest man, made his first million at 26 selling lace and distributing soft drinks, according to Forbes. But he built his fortune in telecom and oil production.
5. Abdulsamad Rabiu: $5.1 billion
Rabiu is the founder of BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate with interests in sugar refining, cement production, real estate, steel, port concessions, manufacturing, oil, gas and shipping.
6. Michael Jordan: $3.5 billion
NBA great Jordan, one of the 10 Americans on the list, still has sponsorship deals with Hanes, Gatorade and Upper Deck 19 years after retiring from basketball.
7. Oprah Winfrey: $3 billion
In addition to the media, entertainment and business empire she’s built, Winfrey owns shares in Weight Watchers and has a partnership with Apple. She has donated nearly half a billion dollars to charities throughout her career, including more than $100 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
8. Patrice Motsepe: $2.8 billion
Motsepe was the first Black African to appear on the Forbes list. He became a billionaire in 2008 as founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals.
9. Jay-Z: $2.5 billion
In June 2019, Jay-Z became Hip-Hop’s first proven and viable billionaire, thanks to what Forbes called a “sprawling and diverse empire.”
10. Strive Masiyiwa: $1.8 billion
Masiyiwa “overcame protracted government opposition to launch mobile phone network Econet Wireless Zimbabwe in his country of birth in 1998,” according to Forbes. He and his wife, Tsitsi, have provided scholarships to more than 250,000 young Africans over the past 20 years through their Higherlife Foundation.
11. Alexander Karp: $9.7 billion
Alexander Karp is the co-founder and CEO of the software firm Palantir Technologies.
12. Michael Lee-Chin: $1.2 billion
A native of Jamaica, Lee-Chin made his fortune investing in National Commercial Bank Jamaica, AIC Limited and other companies.
13. Rihanna: $1.4 billion
Making her debut on Forbes’ list, Rihanna has a projected net worth of $1.4 billion from her ever-expanding Fenty empire that has now branched out to sleepwear and lingerie.
14. Tyler Perry: $1.4 billion
Credit: Courtesy of Tyler Perry Studios
Credit: Courtesy of Tyler Perry Studios
Perry is an actor, director, producer and screenwriter. The media mogul also owns Tyler Perry Studios in the heart of Atlanta on the historic grounds of the former Fort McPherson Army base.
Between his basketball and business ventures, including a start up in Blaze Pizza, to endorsements from Nike and Coca-Cola, James has his own media company, called SpringHill Entertainment.
15. Tiger Woods: $1.3 billion
Woods took the golf world by storm and went pro in 1996. Most of his capital comes from his success in the sport and endorsement deals. His partnerships with Nike, Gatorade and Rolex helped tip him over the edge, sending his net worth slightly over $1.2 billion.
16. LeBron James : $1.2 billion
Between his basketball and business ventures, including a start up in Blaze Pizza, to endorsements from Nike and Coca-Cola, James has his own media company, called SpringHill Entertainment
17. Adebayo Ogunlesi: $2.3 billion
Cofounder of private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, Nigeria-born Adebayo Ogunlesi’s New York-based business was bought out in 2024. The company was valued at $12.5 billion at the time, according to Forbes, and featured over a $100 billion in assets.
18. Femi Otedola: $1.7 billion
Nigeria’s Femi Otedola owns over 70% of local energy producer Geregu Power’s shares, as well as some shares in Zenith Bank and FBN Holdings. The businessman also has properties in Lagos, Dubai, London and Monaco.
19. Tope Awotona: $1.4 billion
Founder of software company Calendly, Tope Awotona immigrated from Lagos, Nigeria to the U.S. as a teenager. Before founding his multi-billion dollar business, Awotona had other “flopped” projects — including a business that sold gardening tools.
20. Mohammed Ibrahim: $1.3 billion
Mohammed Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel International in 1998, an originator in mobile phone service for Africa and the Middle East. In 2005, the Sudanese-born billionaire sold the company for $1.4 billion.
21. Earvin “Magic” Johnson: $1.6 billion
One of the all-time NBA greats, Earvin “Magic” Johnson earned roughly $40 million playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. From Starbucks to real estate, according to Forbes, Johnson made most of his money through joint venture partnerships — gaining billionaire status by 2023.
Black History in Atlanta and Georgia
You can go to ajc.com/black-history-month for more subscriber exclusives on the African American people, places and organizations that have changed the world.
About the Author
The Latest
Featured
