Forbes released its global list of billionaires this week, with dozens of Canadians making the cut.
The number of billionaires has swelled from 140 during the first year of the list in 1987 to 3,028 billionaires that made the ranking this year, up 247 from about a year ago, according to the American media company. Forbes published the list in the April/May issue of its magazine and on its website.
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What’s more, this year’s group has a combined net worth of US$16.1 trillion, up almost US$2 trillion from 2024.
With 77 on the list, Canada was far behind the countries with the most billionaires. The United States dominated the list with 902 billionaires, China was second with 516 and India third with 205.
Here are the 77 people with Canadian citizenship who were included in the ranking:
Elon Musk (No. 1)
The wealthiest person in the world is Elon Musk, who happens to have Canadian citizenship through his mother, though his country is listed in the Forbes list as the United States and his residence as Austin, Texas. He is also an American and South African citizen. His net worth rose from US$195 billion last year to US$342 billion this year. The 53-year-old entrepreneur co-founded seven companies including electric car maker Tesla, rocket manufacturer SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI. Musk, who owns social media giant X, is also a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Changpeng Zhao (No. 24)
Changpeng Zhao was the second highest-ranking Canadian, claiming the 24th spot on the list. The 48-year-old cryptocurrency exchange magnate, known as CZ, is the founder and former CEO of Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange. His net worth has been rising over the past few years, from US$10.5 billion in 2023 to US$62.9 billion in 2025.
Sherry Brydson (No. 125)
Sherry Brydson took the 125th spot. Her net worth in 2025 was US$16.7 billion. Forbes did not list her wealth history. The 78-year-old is one of the six billionaire heirs to her late grandfather Roy Thomson’s media and publishing empire. Her family’s prime holding is more than 310 million shares of Thomson Reuters, according to Forbes.
The family also owns other assets including the Globe and Mail newspaper, as well as the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets NHL franchises.
David Cheriton (No. 163)
David Cheriton, dubbed the “professor billionaire,” struck it rich when he invested US$100,000 in Google during the company’s beginnings. Cheriton is professor emeritus of computer science at Stanford University in California.
He also co-founded Arista Networks, Granite Systems and Kealia, according to Forbes.
The 74-year-old’s wealth has grown over the past few years from US$9 billion in 2023 to US$14.3 billion in 2025.
Joseph Tsai (No. 195)
Joseph Tsai, 61, is the co-founder and chairman of Alibaba Group. The Taiwan-born magnate, who lives in Hong Kong and has a Canadian passport, is the second biggest individual shareholder of the e-commerce behemoth. His net worth has exploded from US$7.6 billion in 2023 to US$12.1 billion in 2025.
Jim Pattison (No. 213)
Jim Pattison’s net worth rose from US$9.3 billion in 2024 to US$11.4 billion this year. The Vancouver resident is the founder, chairman and CEO of the Jim Pattison Group, which runs 20 businesses involved in packaging, food and entertainment, including Guinness World Records, the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! chain and Great Wolf Lodge’s Canadian franchise rights. The 96-year-old also controls more than 50 per cent of forest products firm Canfor.
David Thomson (No. 264)
David Thomson, 67, is one of the heirs to the Thomson Reuters media and publishing giant. The Thomson Reuters chairman’s net worth plunged from US$67.8 billion in 2024 to US$10.2 billion this year.
Taylor Thomson (No. 264)
Taylor Thomson is tied with David Thomson in the 264th spot. She is also a Thomson Reuters heir. Her net worth was US$10.2 billion in 2025. Forbes didn’t include a chart of her wealth history.
Peter Thomson (No. 264)
Peter Thomson is among the Thomson Reuters heirs. He has a net worth of US$10.2 billion as of this year. Forbes didn’t include a chart of his wealth history.
Tobi Lutke (No. 337)
Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lutke sits at No. 337 on the list. He saw his wealth rise from US$4 billion in 2023 to US$8.9 billion this year.
Linda Campbell (No. 382)
Linda Campbell is one of the Thomson Reuters heirs. Forbes didn’t include her wealth history. Her net worth in 2025 is US$8 billion.
Gaye Farncombe (No. 382)
Thomson Reuters heir Gaye Farncombe is tied with Campbell in the 382nd spot. Forbes didn’t include her wealth history. Her net worth in 2025 is US$8 billion.
Dennis ‘Chip’ Wilson (No. 498)
Dennis “Chip” Wilson is the former CEO of Lululemon, which he founded in Vancouver in 2000. His 2025 net worth is the same as last year at US$6.8 billion. It rose from US$5 billion in 2023.
Alain Bouchard (No. 512)
Alain Bouchard, co-founder of convenience store behemoth Alimentation Couche-Tard, saw his wealth dip from last year. The 76-year-old’s net worth was US$6.6 billion this year, down from US$8 billion in 2024.
Peter Gilgan (No. 540)
Mattamy Homes founder Peter Gilgan saw his net worth rise from US$3.3 billion in 2023 to US$6.4 billion this year.
Stuart Hoegner (No. 561)
Stuart Hoegner has been general counsel for Tether and its sister company Bitfinex since 2014. His wealth skyrocketed from US$2.5 billion in 2024 to US$6.2 billion this year. The Canadian certified accountant owns about 13 per cent of Tether, the biggest issuer of crypto stablecoins, according to Forbes.
Mark Scheinberg (No. 581)
Mark Scheinberg, co-founder of online poker giant PokerStars.
Daryl Katz (No. 605)
Daryl Katz, founder and chairman, of Katz Group, which pivoted from pharmacies to real estate and entertainment, and Edmonton Oilers owner.
Stephen Smith (No. 605)
Stephen Smith, founder and executive chairman of Canadian mortgage lender First National Financial.
Anthony von Mandl (620)
Anthony von Mandl, creator of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. He founded Vancouver-based wine and spirits importer and distributor Mark Anthony.
Bruce Flatt (639)
Bruce Flatt is CEO and chair of the board of directors of global investment firm Brookfield Asset Management. He replaced Mark Carney in January after the Liberal leader decided to jump into politics.
Leonid Boguslavsky (688)
Leonid Boguslavsky, founder of early stage venture capital company RTP Global.
Mark Leonard and family (688)
Mark Leonard, founder and president of Canadian tech firm Constellation Software.
Bob Gaglardi and family (No. 700)
Bob Gaglardi, founder of Northland Properties, which deals with hotels, restaurants, sports and construction, and owner of the Dallas Stars NHL team.
Garrett Camp (No. 717)
Garrett Camp, chairman of ride-hailing app Uber.
Ling Tang (No. 717)
Ling Tang, a pre-IPO investor in marketing software and mobile game maker AppLovin.
Ryan Cohen (No. 767)
Ryan Cohen, co-founder and former CEO of online pets supplies store Chewy.
Carlo Fidani (No. 846)
Carlo Fidani, chairman of Toronto-area real estate firm Orlando Corp.
Emanuele (Lino) Saputo and family (No. 902)
Emanuele (Lino) Saputo, former chairman of his family’s dairy processing company Saputo.
Lawrence Stroll (No. 948)
Lawrence Stroll was behind luxury brand Michael Kors’s successful IPO in 2011 and is executive chairman of the Aston Martin car company.
Jean Coutu and family (No. 1,045)
Jean Coutu, founder of Canadian drugstore chain Jean Coutu.
Barry Zekelman (No. 1,072)
Barry Zekelman, co-owner of his family’s steel pipe and tube maker business Zekelman Industries.
Michael Latifi (No. 1,072)
Michael Latifi, founder and owner of Canadian meat processing giant Sofina Foods.
Jacques D’Amours (No. 1,141)
Jacques D’Amours, co-founder of Canadian convenience store conglomerate Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Jack Cockwell (No. 1,219)
Jack Cockwell, a famous dealmaker who built the Bronfmans’ Edper conglomerate, now known as money manager giant Brookfield Asset Management.
Serge Godin (No. 1,265)
Serge Godin, founder of Canadian tech company CGI Group.
N. Murray Edwards (No. 1,305)
N. Murray Edwards, investor in oilsands miner Canadian Natural Resources, aerospace firm Magellan and the NHL’s Calgary Flames.
Larry Tanenbaum (No. 1,305)
Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto FC.
Mitchell Goldhar (No. 1,362)
Mitchell Goldhar, founder of real estate firm SmartCentres.
Charles Bronfman (No. 1,462)
Charles Bronfman, former co-chair of his family’s spirits and alcohol business Seagram.
Robert Miller (No. 1,513)
Robert Miller, co-founder of electronics distributor Future Electronics. Miller is facing multiple charges following allegations that he paid more than 10 minors for sexual favours in the 1990s and 2000s.
Bill Malhotra (No. 1,626)
Bill Malhotra, founder and CEO of Ottawa real estate developer Claridge Homes.
V. Prem Watsa (No. 1,626)
V. Prem Watsa, founder, chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, a Toronto-based financial services company.
Hal Jackman (No. 1,688)
Hal Jackman and his family are the biggest shareholders of E-L Financial Corporation, a Toronto investment and insurance holding firm.
Clayton Zekelman (No. 1,688)
Clayton Zekelman owns a stake in steel firm Zekelman Industries.
Jay Hennick (No. 1,763)
Jay Hennick, CEO and biggest shareholder of Toronto-based real estate investment firm Colliers International.
Pierre Karl Peladeau (No. 1,763)
Pierre Karl Peladeau, the largest individual shareholder in the Quebecor media company.
Max Lytvyn (No. 1,850)
Max Lytvyn, co-founder and head of growth strategy for grammar checking tool Grammarly.
Pan Dong (No. 1,850)
Pan Dong, chairman the Blue Moon Group, a liquid detergent and soap supplier.
Alex Shevchenko (No. 1,850)
Alex Shevchenko, co-founder and product lead for grammar checking tool Grammarly.
Zhang Ning (No. 1,850)
Zhang Ning, chair of Chinese chemicals supplier Red Avenue New Materials Group.
Richard Fortin (No. 1,947)
Richard Fortin, co-founder and board member of convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard, which owns the Circle K chain.
Alan Zekelman (No. 2,019)
Alan Zekelman partially owns his family’s steel business, Zekelman Industries.
Ivan Zhao (No. 2,019)
Ivan Zhao, CEO and founder of productivity software firm Notion.
Naomi Azrieli (No. 2,110)
Naomi Azrieli, heir to the Azrieli Group real estate firm in Israel.
Sharon Azrieli (No. 2,110)
Sharon Azrieli, heir to the Azrieli Group real estate firm in Israel.
Stewart Butterfield (No. 2,110)
Stewart Butterfield, co-founder and CEO of team-based messaging software Slack.
Terence (Terry) Matthews (No. 2,110)
Terence (Terry) Matthews, founder of telecom firms Mitel and Newbridge Networks.
Michelle Zatlyn (No. 2,110)
Michelle Zatlyn, co-founder and president of internet infrastructure and security firm Cloudflare.
Stephen Jarislowsky (No. 2,233)
Stephen Jarislowsky, founder of investment management firm Jarislowsky Fraser.
Catherine Phillips (No. 2,233)
Catherine Phillips and her husband John were early investors in Canadian e-commerce firm Shopify.
John Phillips (No. 2,233)
John Phillips, an angel investor who bet on Shopify.
Gerald Schwartz (No. 2,233)
Gerald Schwartz, founder and chairman of Canadian private equity giant Onex.
Philip Fayer (No. 2,356)
Philip Fayer, founder, CEO and chairman of Canadian fintech company Nuvei.
Brandt Louie (No. 2,356)
Brandt Louie, a leader at grocery retailer H.Y. Louie and board chairman at drug store chain London Drugs Ltd.
Sam Pollock (No. 2,356)
Sam Pollock, CEO of Brookfield Infrastructure, a Brookfield spinoff.
Elly Reisman (No. 2,356)
Elly Reisman, co-founder of Toronto-based homebuilder Great Gulf Homes.
Huang Chulong (No. 2,479)
Huang Chulong, chairman of privately held Chinese business Galaxy Group.
Michael Andlauer (No. 2,623)
Michael Andlauer, founder of Andlauer Transportation Services and Associated Logistics Solutions.
Brian Hill (No. 2,623)
Brian Hill, founder of Vancouver-based women’s fashion retailer Aritzia.
Guy Laliberte (No. 2,623)
Guy Laliberte, co-founder of entertainment and circus company Cirque du Soleil.
Real Plourde (No. 2,623)
Real Plourde, co-founder and board member of Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Canadian convenience store titan that owns the Circle K chain.
Christopher Olah (No. 2,623)
Christopher Olah, co-founder and interpretability research lead at AI systems firm Anthropic.
Michael Lee-Chin (No. 2,790)
Michael Lee-Chin, investor of financial companies such as National Commercial Bank Jamaica and AIC Limited.
Apoorva Mehta (No. 2,790)
Apoorva Mehta, executive chairman and founder of U.S. grocery delivery firm Instacart.
Mark Miller (No. 2,933)
Mark Miller, chief operating officer of Canadian tech firm Constellation Software.
Christopher Urmson (No. 2,933)
Christopher Urmson, co-founder and CEO of self-driving vehicle tech startup Aurora.
Methodology
The Forbes World’s Billionaires list used stock prices and exchange rates from March 7, 2025. Forbes noted that the net worth could increase or decrease within days of publication. It said it included wealth belonging to a billionaire’s spouse and children in certain cases, particularly if the individual is the founder of the fortune.
