Top 10 richest self-made billionaires under 40: Nikhil Kamath only India-based name, has Rs 3 lakh crore net worth

Chen is part of a larger wave. Since March, when Forbes finalised its 2025 World’s Billionaires List, 27 new self-made billionaires under 40 have joined the ranks. Nearly half of them built their fortunes in artificial intelligence.

In total, Forbes counts 71 self-made billionaires aged 39 or younger as of December 2025. The only other time that number reached 71 was in 2021, during the pandemic-driven market boom. That figure later dropped sharply to 34 in 2023 after markets cooled and some billionaires crossed the age limit.

Most of today’s young billionaires earned their wealth in technology (48 of them) or finance and investments (12). Americans make up nearly half the list, with 32 names. China follows with eight, India with six, and Australia, Sweden and Canada each contributing three. Eight of the 71 are women.

While the number matches the 2021 record, their combined wealth does not. Together, this year’s 71 self-made billionaires under 40 control $218 billion, which is impressive but roughly half of the $444 billion total recorded in 2021. Back then, Zuckerberg alone was worth $97 billion.

Second on the current list is Wang Ning of China, with a net worth of $15.7 billion. He founded Pop Mart International Group in 2010 and took it public in Hong Kong in 2020. As chairman and CEO of the $33 billion company, Wang oversees a brand known for its collectible figurines sold in “blind boxes”, where buyers don’t know which toy they’re getting. The massive popularity of Pop Mart’s Labubu dolls, rabbit-like characters with sharp teeth and playful grins, has pushed the company’s stock up more than 100 per cent in the past year.

India’s self-made billionaires under 40

Four individuals of Indian origin feature on Forbes’ 2025 list of the richest self-made billionaires under 40, with a combined net worth exceeding $11 billion.

At 35, Ankur Jain ranks 19th with a fortune of $3.4 billion. Based in the United States, Jain founded Bilt Rewards in 2019, a company that allows renters to earn rewards on their housing payments. Earlier, he co-founded Humin, a contact management app that was sold to Tinder in 2016. A graduate of the Wharton School, Jain now leads Bilt as CEO; private investors have valued the company at $10.8 billion.

Close behind him is 39-year-old Nikhil Kamath, ranked 20th with a net worth of $3.3 billion. Kamath co-founded Bengaluru-based Zerodha in 2010 along with his older brother Nithin Kamath. The brokerage firm went on to become one of India’s most successful financial startups.

Here are the rest of the richest under-40 billionaires: