Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote has once again emerged as the richest Black person in the world, topping Forbes’ 2025 list of Black billionaires with an estimated net worth of $23.9 billion. Dangote, founder of Dangote Group, maintains his long-held position thanks to his vast empire spanning cement, sugar, and recently, oil refining.
Following Dangote on the prestigious list is American tech mogul David Steward, founder of IT services firm World Wide Technology, with a fortune of $11.4 billion. Private equity investor Robert F. Smith comes in third at $10.8 billion, while Palantir CEO Alexander Karp is listed fourth with $8.4 billion.
Three other Nigerians made the top ten: telecom and oil tycoon Mike Adenuga ($6.8 billion), BUA Group’s Abdulsamad Rabiu ($5.1 billion), and investor Femi Otedola, who is tied in 12th place with basketball legend Magic Johnson, both worth $1.5 billion.
Also among the global elite are media icon Oprah Winfrey and South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, both ranked 8th with $3 billion. Others on the list include Jay-Z ($2.5B), Adebayo Ogunlesi ($2.2B), Tope Awotona ($1.4B), Tyler Perry ($1.4B), Rihanna ($1.4B), and athletes like Tiger Woods and LeBron James.
The 2025 list, compiled by Forbes and highlighted by data platform Statisense, reflects the growing diversity of wealth creation across technology, entertainment, sports, and traditional industries among people of African descent globally.
With African and diaspora billionaires making waves across multiple sectors, the list is a testament to Black excellence and entrepreneurship at the highest level.
StatiSense
