Top 20 Youngest Billionaires in the World (2026)
The face of extreme wealth is getting younger. In 2026, a record-breaking 35 individuals under the age of 30 have achieved ten-figure fortunes, according to Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list . This represents the largest cohort of young billionaires in history, driven by a powerful combination of artificial intelligence mania, massive funding rounds, and traditional inheritance. Among them, a record 12 are self-made—the highest number ever—with the AI sector producing the youngest self-made billionaires the world has ever seen.
This comprehensive guide ranks the top 20 youngest billionaires in the world as of March 2026. The list includes a 20-year-old Brazilian university student who is the planet’s youngest billionaire, 22-year-old AI founders who have surpassed Mark Zuckerberg’s record, and heirs to some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical, eyewear, and industrial fortunes. All net worth figures are as of March 1, 2026, sourced from Forbes.
The Top 20 Youngest Billionaires (Ages 20-30)
1: Amelie Voigt Trejes – Age 20 | Brazil
Net Worth: $1.1 billion | Source: Industrial machinery (inherited) | Rank: Youngest billionaire in the world
Amelie Voigt Trejes is currently the youngest billionaire on the planet at just 20 years old . Her wealth comes from a significant stake in WEG, a Brazilian company that is one of the largest manufacturers of electric motors in the world. She is the granddaughter of Werner Ricardo Voigt, who co-founded the industrial machinery giant in 1961 . Despite her massive fortune, Amelie is currently a university student and does not run the company’s daily operations . She is seven weeks younger than the world’s second-youngest billionaire, Johannes von Baumbach.
2: Johannes von Baumbach – Age 20 | Germany
Net Worth: $6.6 billion | Source: Pharmaceuticals (inherited) | Rank: Wealthiest under-30 billionaire
Just weeks older than Amelie, Johannes von Baumbach is a German heir to the Boehringer Ingelheim fortune, one of the world’s largest private pharmaceutical companies, founded in 1885 . With an estimated net worth of $6.6 billion, he is not only the second-youngest billionaire but also the wealthiest person in the under-30 age group. Johannes is one of four von Baumbach siblings on the Forbes list, all of whom inherited stakes in the family pharma empire. He participates in competitive skiing in Austria.
3: Lívia Voigt de Assis – Age 21 | Brazil
Net Worth: $1.2 billion | Source: Industrial machinery (inherited)
Lívia is Amelie’s older sister and, like her sibling, derives her wealth from the family’s shares in the Brazilian industrial giant WEG . She and her sister Dora Voigt de Assis (age 28, also on this list) each hold a 3.1% stake in the company, which produces more than 21 million electric motors annually and exports to over 135 countries . Lívia is also a student and lives a relatively private life despite her ten-figure bank account.
4: Clemente Del Vecchio – Age 21 | Italy
Net Worth: $6.8 billion | Source: Eyewear (inherited)
Clemente Del Vecchio is one of the heirs to the EssilorLuxottica empire—the company behind nearly every major glasses brand, including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, and LensCrafters . After his father, Leonardo Del Vecchio, passed away in 2022, Clemente inherited a 12.5% stake in the family’s holding company Delfin, which controls the eyewear giant . His net worth is estimated at $6.8 billion, making him one of the richest under-30 billionaires in the world . His older brother Luca Del Vecchio, age 24, is also on the Forbes list with the same net worth.
5: Kim Jung-youn – Age 22 | South Korea
Net Worth: $1.5 billion | Source: Online gaming (inherited)
Kim Jung-youn is a South Korean billionaire who inherited a large stake in NXC, the parent company of the massive video game publisher Nexon, famous for games like MapleStory . Following the death of her father, the company’s founder, she became a billionaire alongside her older sister . Her fortune is estimated at approximately $1.5 billion . She is one of only six under-30 billionaires from Asia.
6: Surya Midha – Age 22 | United States
Net Worth: $2.2 billion | Source: AI recruitment (self-made) | Rank: Youngest self-made billionaire in history
Surya Midha is the co-founder and CEO of Mercor, an AI-driven hiring platform that uses algorithms to match software engineers with jobs . At 22 years old, he is officially the youngest self-made billionaire of all time, taking the title from Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang on the 2025 ranking and surpassing the record set by Mark Zuckerberg two decades ago . Midha and his two co-founders, Brendan Foody and Adarsh Hiremath, each hold an estimated 22% stake in Mercor, which was valued at $10 billion following a massive funding round . All three are Thiel Fellows (recipients of the Thiel Fellowship, which awards $100,000 to young entrepreneurs who drop out of college to pursue business ventures) and are also 22 years old, though Midha is a few months younger than his partners . He was born in San Jose, California to Indian immigrant parents and attended Georgetown University before dropping out .
7: Brendan Foody – Age 22 | United States
Net Worth: $2.2 billion | Source: AI recruitment (self-made)
Brendan Foody is the second co-founder of Mercor, the AI recruitment startup that has taken the tech world by storm . Like his partner Surya Midha, his net worth is estimated at $2.2 billion, derived from his ownership stake in the company. Foody studied economics before dropping out to pursue Mercor . He told Forbes last year: “It’s definitely crazy. It feels very surreal. Obviously beyond our wildest imaginations” .
8: Adarsh Hiremath – Age 22 | United States
Net Worth: $2.2 billion | Source: AI recruitment (self-made)
Adarsh Hiremath is the third co-founder of Mercor, rounding out the trio of 22-year-old AI entrepreneurs who made history by becoming billionaires at an age younger than Mark Zuckerberg was when he first joined the Forbes list . Hiremath attended Harvard before dropping out to pursue the venture . The success of these three young founders is often cited as a prime example of how quickly the AI boom is creating unprecedented new wealth .
9: Kevin David Lehmann – Age 23 | Germany
Net Worth: $4.9 billion | Source: Drugstores (inherited)
Kevin David Lehmann is a German billionaire who owns 50% of dm (drogerie markt) , Germany’s leading drugstore chain . His father transferred the stake to him in 2017 when Kevin was just 14 years old, though it remained under a trusteeship until he turned 18 . Today, his stake is worth approximately $4.6 to $4.9 billion . The company, founded in 1973, is a household name across Germany and Europe.
10: Pedro Voigt Trejes – Age 23 | Brazil
Net Worth: $1.0 billion | Source: Industrial machinery (inherited)
Pedro Voigt Trejes is the older brother of Amelie and Livia (the youngest billionaire and #3 on this list) . Like his sisters, he inherited his wealth through the Brazilian industrial company WEG, co-founded by his grandfather. His net worth is approximately $1.0 billion, keeping the Voigt family firmly planted as one of the most successful young dynasties in the world .
11: Luca Del Vecchio – Age 24 | Italy
Net Worth: $6.8 billion | Source: Eyewear (inherited)
Luca Del Vecchio is the older brother of Clemente Del Vecchio (#4 on this list) . Like his younger sibling, his fortune comes from a 12.5% stake in Delfin, the holding company that controls eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica . The two brothers are the richest under-30 billionaires in terms of net worth, each holding approximately $6.8 billion. Their late father, Leonardo Del Vecchio, founded the company that became the world’s largest eyewear conglomerate.
12: Franz von Baumbach – Age 24 | Germany
Net Worth: $6.6 billion | Source: Pharmaceuticals (inherited)
Franz von Baumbach is the third of four von Baumbach siblings to appear on this list . Like his brothers Maximilian and Johannes, and his sister Katharina, Franz inherited a stake in Boehringer Ingelheim, the German pharmaceutical giant founded in 1885 . The family fortune has kept all four siblings among the wealthiest under-30 individuals in the world.
13: Michael Truell – Age 25 | United States
Net Worth: ~$1.5 billion | Source: AI coding (self-made)
Michael Truell is a co-founder of Cursor, an AI coding startup that has become one of the most valuable AI development tools in the world . At 25 years old, Truell is part of a wave of young entrepreneurs who have capitalized on the AI boom to build billion-dollar fortunes from scratch. Cursor’s AI-powered code editor has been widely adopted by developers globally, driving the company’s valuation into the billions.
14: Aman Sanger – Age 25 | United States
Net Worth: ~$1.5 billion | Source: AI coding (self-made)
Aman Sanger is another co-founder of Cursor, the AI coding platform that has revolutionized software development . Alongside Michael Truell and Arvid Lunnemark, Sanger built the company from the ground up, capitalizing on the growing demand for AI-assisted development tools. All three founders are American and self-made, reflecting the dominance of the U.S. tech sector in producing young billionaires.
15: Carl-Anton Kunz – Age 27 | Germany
Net Worth: $1.1 billion | Source: Plumbing & heating supplies (inherited)
Carl-Anton Kunz is a shareholder of Cordes & Graefe, the parent company of GC Group, a German wholesaler that covers a wide range of products for plumbing and HVAC systems . He inherited a stake in the company from his grandfather Uwe Hollweg, who was the longtime leader of the business. Kunz is one of the European heirs on this list, representing the traditional manufacturing sector.
16: Zahan Mistry – Age 27 | Ireland
Net Worth: $3.1 billion | Source: Diversified (inherited)
Zahan Mistry and his older brother Firoz (#18 on this list) each inherited a 4.6% stake in Tata Sons after their father died in a car accident in 2022 . Tata Sons is the holding company of the $180 billion (revenue) Mumbai-based multinational conglomerate that owns 30 companies spanning six continents, selling everything from cars to jewelry. The Mistry brothers are citizens of Ireland, where the family has significant business interests.
17: Shayne Coplan – Age 27 | United States
Net Worth: $1.0 billion | Source: Prediction markets (self-made)
Shayne Coplan is the founder and CEO of Polymarket, one of the world’s largest prediction markets . In October 2025, billionaire Jeff Sprecher’s Intercontinental Exchange invested $2 billion in Polymarket at a $9 billion valuation—a deal that made Coplan a billionaire overnight . With an estimated 11% stake, he briefly became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire before being surpassed weeks later by Surya Midha .
18: Firoz Mistry – Age 29 | Ireland
Net Worth: $3.1 billion | Source: Diversified (inherited)
Firoz Mistry is the older brother of Zahan Mistry (#16) and, like his sibling, inherited a 4.6% stake in Tata Sons following their father’s death in 2022 . The Mistry family’s stake in the Indian conglomerate has made both brothers billionaires. Their uncle, Shapoor Mistry, is chairman of the family’s Mumbai construction giant, Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
19: Luana Lopes Lara – Age 29 | Brazil
Net Worth: $1.3 billion | Source: Prediction markets (self-made) | Rank: Youngest self-made woman billionaire
Luana Lopes Lara is the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire . A former ballerina and MIT graduate, she co-founded Kalshi, a prediction markets firm that allows users to bet on outcomes ranging from sports games to political elections . Despite spending most of her childhood training at an elite ballet school and performing as a professional ballerina in Austria for nine months, she excelled academically, winning gold at the Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad. She co-founded Kalshi with Tarek Mansour (#20) and serves as its COO, holding an estimated 12% stake in the company, which reached an $11 billion valuation in December 2025.
20: Tarek Mansour – Age 29 | United States
Net Worth: $1.3 billion | Source: Prediction markets (self-made)
Tarek Mansour is the co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, the prediction markets platform he built with Luana Lopes Lara . Mansour grew up in Lebanon and taught himself English while studying for the SATs before meeting his co-founder at MIT, where both majored in computer science . Kalshi reached an $11 billion valuation in December 2025 following a $1 billion funding round, with Mansour holding an estimated 12% stake .
Honorable Mentions (Ages 29-30)
The following billionaires, while slightly older than the top 20, are still under 30 and deserve recognition:
| Rank | Name | Age | Citizenship | Net Worth | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Fabian Hedin | 26 | Sweden | $1.6 billion | AI coding (self-made) |
| — | Arvid Lunnemark | 26 | Sweden | ~$1.5 billion | AI coding (self-made) |
| — | Abbas Sajwani | 26 | UAE | $1.9 billion | Real estate (inherited) |
| — | Katharina von Baumbach | 26 | Germany | $6.6 billion | Pharmaceuticals (inherited) |
| — | Dora Voigt de Assis | 28 | Brazil | $1.4 billion | Industrial machinery (inherited) |
| — | Maximilian von Baumbach | 28 | Germany | $6.6 billion | Pharmaceuticals (inherited) |
| — | Wang Zelong | 29 | China | $1.2 billion | Chemicals (inherited) |
| — | Alexandra Andresen | 29 | Norway | $2.5 billion | Investments (inherited) |
| — | Alexandr Wang | 29 | United States | $3.2 billion | AI (self-made) |
Key Trends and Insights
1. AI Is Creating Unprecedented Young Wealth
The 2026 list marks a historic shift: for the first time, the majority of new self-made young billionaires come from the artificial intelligence sector . The three founders of Mercor (ages 22) and the founders of Cursor (ages 25-26) represent a new generation of entrepreneurs who have built billion-dollar fortunes in record time. As one analysis noted, “The success of these young founders is often cited as a prime example of how quickly AI is creating new wealth” .
2. Inheritance Still Dominates
While self-made young billionaires reached a record 12 in 2026, the majority of under-30 billionaires still inherited their fortunes . European heirs—particularly the von Baumbach siblings (Germany, pharmaceuticals), the Del Vecchio brothers (Italy, eyewear), and the Voigt siblings (Brazil, industrial machinery)—dominate the wealthiest ranks of the list.
3. American Self-Made Dominance
All of the American under-30 billionaires on the Forbes list are self-made . This reflects the unique entrepreneurial ecosystem of the United States, particularly in the technology and AI sectors. By contrast, nearly all of the European billionaires on the list (with the exception of Fabian Hedin and Arvid Lunnemark) inherited their fortunes .
4. Geographic Distribution
| Region | Number of Under-30 Billionaires | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 13 | Mostly inherited fortunes |
| United States | 8 | All self-made |
| Asia | 6 | Mix of inherited and self-made |
| Brazil | 4 | WEG family dominates |
| Middle East | 1 | Abbas Sajwani (UAE) |
5. Record-Breaking Statistics
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Total under-30 billionaires: 35 (a record)
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Total under-30 wealth: $92.4 billion
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Self-made under-30 billionaires: 12 (a record)
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Youngest self-made billionaire in history: Surya Midha, 22
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Youngest self-made woman billionaire: Luana Lopes Lara, 29
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who is the youngest billionaire in the world in 2026?
Amelie Voigt Trejes, age 20, of Brazil is the youngest billionaire in the world. She inherited her $1.1 billion fortune from her grandfather, who co-founded the industrial machinery giant WEG .
2. Who is the youngest self-made billionaire in history?
Surya Midha, age 22, co-founder of AI recruitment startup Mercor, is the youngest self-made billionaire in history. He surpassed the record previously held by Mark Zuckerberg (who debuted at age 23) .
3. How many billionaires are under 30 in 2026?
A record 35 billionaires are under the age of 30 on the 2026 Forbes World’s Billionaires list .
4. Who is the richest person under 30?
Luca Del Vecchio and Clemente Del Vecchio (ages 24 and 21, respectively) are tied as the richest under-30 billionaires, each with a net worth of $6.8 billion from their stakes in EssilorLuxottica . Johannes von Baumbach (age 20) follows closely with $6.6 billion .
5. Who is the youngest self-made woman billionaire?
Luana Lopes Lara, age 29, co-founder of prediction markets firm Kalshi, is the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire .
6. How did AI create so many young billionaires?
The AI boom of 2024-2026 has led to massive valuations for AI startups. Companies like Mercor (AI recruitment), Cursor (AI coding), Lovable (AI coding), and Scale AI (data labeling) achieved billion-dollar valuations within years—or even months—of founding, creating enormous wealth for their young founders .
7. What is the total wealth of all under-30 billionaires?
The combined wealth of all 35 under-30 billionaires is $92.4 billion as of March 1, 2026 .
8. Which country has the most young billionaires?
Europe has the most under-30 billionaires with 13, followed by the United States with 8, and Asia with 6 .
9. Are there any young billionaires from Africa?
As of 2026, there are no billionaires under 30 from Africa on the Forbes list. However, Nigerian and South African entrepreneurs are increasingly appearing in the broader billionaire ranks .
10. How does this compare to previous years?
The number of under-30 billionaires increased by 0.4 percentage points from 2025, from approximately 0.6% to 1% of all billionaires . The number of self-made young billionaires also reached a record high of 12, up from 8 in previous years.
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Conclusion
The 2026 Forbes World’s Billionaires list reveals a fascinating shift in the landscape of extreme wealth. While inheritance still accounts for the majority of under-30 fortunes—particularly among European heirs to pharmaceutical, eyewear, and industrial empires—the rise of artificial intelligence has produced a record number of self-made young billionaires. The three 22-year-old founders of Mercor have not only surpassed Mark Zuckerberg’s age record but have also demonstrated that the AI boom is creating wealth at an unprecedented pace.
As AI continues to disrupt industries and generate massive valuations, the trend toward younger, self-made billionaires is likely to accelerate. The 2026 list may well be remembered as the moment when the torch passed from the social media generation (Zuckerberg) to the AI generation (Midha, Foody, and Hiremath). With 35 individuals under 30 now holding ten-figure fortunes—and 12 of them having built those fortunes themselves—the future of wealth creation looks younger, faster, and more technologically driven than ever before.