Beyoncé, Dr. Dre join billionaire ranks as global total climbs to 3,428

The world’s richest list has grown again, and this time it includes two of the most recognizable figures in modern music. Singer-songwriter Beyoncé and hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre have entered the billionaire ranks, joining a group that has climbed to a record 3,428 people worldwide, according to the latest annual tally from Forbes.

The new count adds about 400 names compared with 2025, reflecting a year when strong equity markets, supportive fiscal policies and rising interest in artificial intelligence companies lifted fortunes across several industries. It is also one of the largest waves of new billionaires in recent history. Only 2021 recorded a larger intake, when 493 people crossed the billion-dollar threshold during the rebound that followed the global pandemic.

Taken together, 390 new billionaires and 10 individuals returning to the list come from 40 countries and territories. Their combined wealth is estimated at $755 billion, or roughly $1.9 billion each on average. Using stock prices and exchange rates as of March 1, 2026, the figures show the world’s billionaires now control a record $20.1 trillion in wealth, up from about $16.1 trillion a year earlier, an increase of roughly $4 trillion.

From Destiny’s Child to billionaire status

For Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, reaching the milestone reflects nearly three decades in the music business. Forbes estimates her net worth at about $1 billion. Much of that wealth comes from album sales, global tours and an extensive music catalog, along with art and real estate investments she shares with her husband, rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z, whose fortune is estimated at $2.8 billion.

Beyoncé first rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the R&B group Destiny’s Child before launching a solo career that helped shape modern pop and R&B. Over the years she has built a reputation as one of the most awarded artists in music. She now holds the record for the most Grammy Awards ever won, with 35, including three trophies collected at the 2025 ceremony, where she earned her first Album of the Year honor.

Her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, was released in March 2024 and was followed by a global tour under the same name that began in April 2025. Alongside touring revenue, her earnings are supported by licensing deals, streaming income and investments that have steadily expanded her wealth.

Her public profile has also been reinforced by a series of headline moments and major property purchases. In May 2023, Beyoncé and Jay-Z reportedly bought a mansion in Malibu for $200 million, the most expensive home ever sold in California. She also returned to one of the biggest stages in entertainment in 2025 when she performed during halftime of the first Christmas Day National Football League game streamed by Netflix. The appearance came nearly twelve years after she headlined the Super Bowl halftime show.

Dr. Dre hits $1 billion fortune

Dr. Dre, born Andre Young, reaches the same financial milestone with an estimated fortune of $1 billion. His career spans music, production, business and film, beginning in the mid-1980s when he performed with the group World Class Wreckin’ Cru before gaining wider recognition as a founding member of the influential rap group N.W.A.. His work as a producer later helped define the sound of West Coast hip-hop.

After N.W.A. disbanded, Dre founded Aftermath Entertainment under Interscope Records, building a label that launched or expanded the careers of major artists including Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. His biggest financial success came through the headphone company Beats Electronics, which he co-founded with music executive Jimmy Iovine.

In 2014, Apple acquired the company for more than $3 billion in cash and stock, a deal that remains one of the largest acquisitions in the consumer electronics and music business. Dre has continued to expand his brand beyond music. In 2024 he partnered with longtime collaborator Snoop Dogg to introduce Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop, a ready-to-drink beverage brand inspired by their 1994 hit song.

Tech, manufacturing drive global wealth growth

While entertainment produced some of the most recognizable additions this year, technology and manufacturing remain the most common sources of new fortunes. The United States recorded the largest number of newcomers with 106, including two of the richest additions: Edwin Chen, founder of artificial intelligence company Surge AI, with an estimated $18 billion fortune, and Peter Mallouk, president and majority owner of financial planning firm Creative Planning, worth about $16.1 billion.

China followed with 55 new billionaires, including Liu Debing of Zhipu and Yan Junjie of MiniMax Group. Germany ranked third with 42 newcomers, while India added 30. Manufacturing accounted for the largest share, producing 91 billionaires. Technology followed with 70 newcomers, many connected to artificial intelligence companies. Finance and investments added another 51, including financial adviser Omani Carson and Greg Abel, who became CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January, succeeding longtime leader Warren Buffett.

Overall, the figures point to another year of expanding wealth at the top. The United States remains home to the largest number of billionaires with a record 989, including 15 of the world’s 20 richest individuals. China, including Hong Kong, follows with 610, while India ranks third with 229. Within that growing group now sit Beyoncé and Dr. Dre—two artists who built global careers in music and turned their success into business empires that have carried them into one of the world’s most exclusive financial circles.