According to the international organization Oxfam, the wealth of billionaires increased by $2.5 trillion in 2025, which is a 16% rise compared to the previous year, reaching a record $18.3 trillion. This means that the growth of billionaires' wealth occurred three times faster than the average over the past five years.
“According to new data from Oxfam, the wealth of billionaires increased three times faster in 2025 than the average over the past five years... By the end of November 2025, their total wealth reached $18.3 trillion, which is $2.5 trillion more than the previous year,” the organization notes.
The Oxfam report also shows that over the year (from November 2024), the increase was 16.2%, which is three times higher than the annual growth since 2020. Moreover, when accounting for inflation, since March 2020, the wealth of billionaires has increased by 81%, equivalent to $8.2 trillion.
The report emphasizes that the number of billionaires has exceeded three thousand for the first time, while nearly half of the world's population continues to live in poverty. Additionally, Oxfam points out that about 60% of billionaires' wealth is generated through inheritance, nepotism, corruption, or monopolistic power.
“Trillions of dollars are inherited, leading to the formation of a new aristocratic oligarchy with significant power in political and economic spheres,” the press release states.
According to Oxfam's calculations, 36% of billionaires' wealth was inherited, and over the next thirty years, more than a thousand existing billionaires will pass on more than $5.2 trillion to their heirs, most of which will not be taxed.
“Half of the billionaires in the world live in countries where there is no inheritance tax, allowing them to pass their wealth to their children without taxation,” the report notes.
The report titled “Resisting the Power of the Rich” was published by Oxfam ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which will take place this week.
