What it takes to make $1 billion today - and tomorrow: Insights from The Wealth Report 2025

The Wealth Report 2025 by global property consultant Knight Frank offers valuable insights into what it takes to surpass the $1 billion or nine-figure wealth mark today—and what will be required to join the billionaire club of tomorrow.

The insights are based on a detailed analysis of over 2700 billionaires listed in the Forbes' annual wealth list. Here's a look at what the report says:

The billionaire of today

The report says the person making ₹1 billion today is likely to be in tech or finance. This person is likely to be a male, aged in mid 60s and primarily based in the US.

"Finance and investment win the numbers race, but when it comes to money, tech is the big winner in today’s billionaire landscape," the report says.

Finance and investment lead account for 427 of the billionaires on Forbes’ list, including Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg. However, tech dominates in terms of total wealth, with US$2.6 trillion spread across 342 billionaires.

Nine tech billionaires surpass US$50 billion each – more than any other industry. Fashion and retail follow, with six billionaires in the US$50 billion-plus range.

In terms of age, the report says wealth accumulation happens over a long-term, irrespective of the sector in which a person is working.

The average billionaire's age in 2024 was 65.7 years, up from 63.3 years in 2014 and higher than the 10-year average of 64. The average age of tech billionaires is 57.2 years. Only four industries have an average age under 65.

The average billionaire is likely to be a male. While female billionaires have grown from 10% to 13% over a decade, the gender wealth gap persists.

According to the report, men represent 87% of billionaires, holding US$12.4 trillion. Women account for just 13% of the list and hold US$1.78 trillion.

The richest woman, L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, is worth US$99.5 billion (15th overall) and the richest self-made woman, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, is 48th with US$33.1 billion.

The US dominates, with 30% of billionaires and 40% of total billionaire wealth, a 10-year high. It has extended its lead over China, whose 406 billionaires have seen its share of billionaire wealth fall below 10%.

The billionaire of tomorrow

The next generation of billionaires is likely to come from manufacturing. And they are increasingly, likely to be women.

While tech is seen as the go-to sector for becoming super rich, more new billionaires have emerged from the manufacturing sector.

"Perhaps surprisingly, manufacturing has produced more new billionaires than tech over the past 10 years. Half are in China, reflecting the nation’s industrial strength. Despite recent challenges, China also leads in the creation of new tech billionaires over the same period," the report says.

As new wealth hubs are emerging beyond the traditional centres, the report says that new billionaires are likely to be more global.

"Geopolitical shifts will always influence wealth creation. India, where the billionaire population grew 12% from 2023 to 2024, now hosts 191 billionaires, 26 of them created within the past year – up from just seven in 2019. France, Brazil, and Russia are also seeing significant increases," says the report.

The report expects that new billionaires are likely to be younger. Moreover, the number of women billionaires is also likely to increase.

"In 2024, over 82% of new billionaires were male, down from 90% four years ago. Of the billionaires under 30, nearly 47% were female last year, potentially pointing the way to a more balanced future."