Meet the Global South’s richest in 2026
The world’s richest individuals remain overwhelmingly concentrated in the United States and Europe, but a small group of tycoons from emerging economies have climbed into the upper ranks of global wealth.
From telecom empires in Latin America to technology platforms in China and industrial conglomerates in India, these figures reflect the growing economic influence of the Global South.
#16 – Carlos Slim Helu
Net worth: about $125 billion
Country: Mexico
Industry: Telecommunications
Carlos Slim Helu remains the richest person in the Global South in 2026. The Mexican tycoon built his fortune through telecom giant América Móvil and a vast portfolio of investments under the conglomerate Grupo Carso.
Slim once held the title of the world’s richest person between 2010 and 2013 and continues to dominate business in Mexico and much of Latin America. His holdings stretch across telecommunications, infrastructure, retail and finance, reflecting decades of acquisitions across the Mexican economy.
#21 – Mukesh Ambani
Net worth: about $99.7 billion
Country: India
Industry: Conglomerate (energy, telecom, retail)
Mukesh Ambani is the wealthiest person in India and one of Asia’s most influential business figures. As chairman of Reliance Industries, he oversees a conglomerate involved in petrochemicals, oil refining, telecommunications and retail.
Reliance has expanded aggressively into digital services through Jio, which transformed India’s telecom market by bringing affordable internet to hundreds of millions of users.
#26 – Zhang Yiming
Net worth: about $69.3 billion
Country: China
Industry: Technology
Zhang Yiming, co-founder of ByteDance, built his fortune from the global success of TikTok and other digital platforms. The company’s rapid expansion turned him into one of China’s richest entrepreneurs.
ByteDance’s algorithm-driven content platforms have attracted billions of users worldwide, making it one of the most valuable technology firms to emerge from China.
#27 – Zhong Shanshan
Net worth: about $68.1 billion
Country: China
Industry: Beverages and pharmaceuticals
Often dubbed the “Lone Wolf” of Chinese business, Zhong Shanshan founded bottled-water giant Nongfu Spring and later expanded into pharmaceuticals.
His companies have benefited from China’s vast consumer market, helping him rise to become one of the country’s richest individuals.
#30 – Germán Larrea Mota Velasco
Net worth: about $67.1 billion
Country: Mexico
Industry: Mining
Mexican magnate Germán Larrea Mota Velasco leads Grupo México, the country’s largest mining company and one of the world’s major copper producers.
Under his leadership, the firm has expanded its mining and infrastructure operations across the Americas, cementing his position as one of Latin America’s richest businessmen.
Who dominates the top 10?
The very top of the global wealth rankings remains heavily dominated by US technology billionaires, according to the latest Forbes Billionaires data.
Elon Musk sits far ahead of the rest with an estimated $839 billion, making him by far the richest person in the world. His fortune is tied mainly to Tesla, SpaceX and artificial intelligence firm xAI.
The gap between Musk and the rest of the billionaire class is enormous. The next richest individuals have fortunes roughly one-third of his wealth or less.
Among them are several other US technology founders. Larry Page is worth roughly $257 billion, while fellow Google co-founder Sergey Brin has about $237 billion.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, holds an estimated $224 billion, while Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, has around $222 billion.
The top ranks also include figures outside the US technology sector. Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury group LVMH, remains Europe’s richest person with a fortune of about $178 billion.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
