Are most billionaires self-made?
Short answer
Yes. About 65% are self-made, up from about 58% in 2010.
The numbers
- 65% self-made in 2026 vs about 58% in 2010 (businesstats.com summary of Forbes and Wealth-X data).
What Billionaires Told Us
“You’re going to see how businesses were started with no money and became like Paul Mitchell. I believe today we are the world’s largest privately-owned salon haircare company.”