By George Omagbemi
The wealth of the world’s richest Black billionaires continues to rise, with African industrialists, American technology entrepreneurs, investors, athletes and entertainers dominating the global ranking.
As of September 2026, Aliko Dangote remains the richest Black person in the world, while his fortune has experienced a dramatic increase following the revaluation of his refinery. Forbes recently placed Dangote’s net worth above $50 billion, making him significantly wealthier than previously reported.
The following is an updated ranking based on the latest available wealth estimates and Forbes real-time billionaire data. Because billionaire fortunes fluctuate with company valuations, share prices and other assets, the figures can change.
- Aliko Dangote — $51.3 Billion
Country: Nigeria
Source of wealth: Cement, manufacturing, sugar, oil and refining
Aliko Dangote remains the world’s richest Black person. His fortune has surged following the revaluation of his privately held refinery after a major investment deal gave the asset a new market reference value. Dangote’s business empire spans cement, sugar, fertiliser and petroleum refining. Forbes recently reported his fortune above $50 billion.
- Alexander Karp — $18.6 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Technology and software
Alexander Karp is co-founder and chief executive officer of Palantir Technologies. The company’s strong performance has significantly increased his personal fortune, placing him among the world’s wealthiest Black technology entrepreneurs.
- David Steward — $12.3 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Information technology
David Steward built his fortune through World Wide Technology, the technology services company he co-founded. He remains one of America’s wealthiest Black businessmen.
- Abdulsamad Rabiu — $12.2 Billion
Country: Nigeria
Source of wealth: Cement, sugar, food and manufacturing
Abdulsamad Rabiu is chairman of BUA Group, with major interests in cement, sugar, food production and other industrial sectors. His BUA businesses have made him one of Nigeria’s most prominent industrialists.
- Robert F. Smith — $10.9 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Private equity and technology
Robert F. Smith founded Vista Equity Partners, a private-equity firm specialising in technology and software companies. His fortune has made him one of the most prominent Black figures in global finance.
- Mike Adenuga — $6.9 Billion
Country: Nigeria
Source of wealth: Telecommunications and oil
Mike Adenuga built his fortune through telecommunications and petroleum. He is the founder of Globacom and has extensive interests in Nigeria’s oil industry.
- Michael Jordan — $4.3 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Basketball, endorsements and investments
Basketball legend Michael Jordan transformed his sporting fame into a global business empire. His Jordan Brand partnership with Nike and other investments have made him one of the world’s wealthiest athletes.
- Patrice Motsepe — $3.6 Billion
Country: South Africa
Source of wealth: Mining and investments
Patrice Motsepe built his fortune through African Rainbow Minerals and other investments. He is one of South Africa’s most prominent Black businessmen and remains a major figure in African business and sport.
- Oprah Winfrey — $3.4 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Television, media and investments
Oprah Winfrey transformed her television career into a global media and investment empire. Her businesses, production interests and investments have established her as one of the world’s wealthiest Black women.
- Jay-Z — $2.8 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Music, entertainment and investments
Shawn Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z, has built substantial wealth beyond music through investments, entertainment, consumer brands and other businesses.
- Adebayo Ogunlesi — $2.5 Billion
Country: Nigeria/United States
Source of wealth: Private equity and infrastructure
Adebayo Ogunlesi is a Nigerian-born businessman and investor whose wealth has been built largely through private equity and infrastructure investments.
- Strive Masiyiwa — About $2 Billion
Country: Zimbabwe
Source of wealth: Telecommunications
Strive Masiyiwa founded Econet and became one of Africa’s most successful telecommunications entrepreneurs. His business interests extend across several sectors and markets.
- Magic Johnson — About $1.6 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Sports, investments and business
Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson converted his sporting success into a wide-ranging business and investment portfolio.
- Tiger Woods — About $1.5 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Golf, endorsements and investments
Tiger Woods built his fortune through professional golf, sponsorships, endorsements and business investments.
- Herriot Tabuteau — About $1.5 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals
Herriot Tabuteau founded Axsome Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for neurological and other disorders.
- Tope Awotona — About $1.4 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Technology
Nigerian-born entrepreneur Tope Awotona founded Calendly, the widely used scheduling software platform. His success has made him one of the prominent Black figures in global technology.
- LeBron James — About $1.4 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Basketball, endorsements and investments
NBA superstar LeBron James has built substantial wealth through basketball, endorsements, investments and business ventures.
- Tyler Perry — About $1.4 Billion
Country: United States
Source of wealth: Film, television and entertainment
Tyler Perry built his fortune through film and television production, acting, intellectual property and ownership of Tyler Perry Studios.
- Mohammed Ibrahim — About $1.3 Billion
Country: United Kingdom/Sudan
Source of wealth: Telecommunications and investments
Mo Ibrahim built his fortune through telecommunications, most notably through Celtel International, before expanding his interests into investment and philanthropy.
- Femi Otedola — About $1.3 Billion
Country: Nigeria
Source of wealth: Energy and investments
Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola built his fortune through energy and investments. He remains among the Black billionaires with significant business interests in Nigeria.
The Changing Face of Black Wealth
The latest ranking demonstrates how widely Black billionaire wealth is distributed across the global economy.
Nigeria has a particularly strong presence, with Dangote, Rabiu, Adenuga, Ogunlesi and Otedola appearing among the world’s wealthiest Black individuals. Their fortunes have largely been built around manufacturing, energy, telecommunications, infrastructure and investment.
The United States dominates the ranking numerically, with major fortunes coming from technology, private equity, entertainment and professional sports.
What stands out is that the wealth is no longer concentrated in traditional industries alone. Technology has produced fortunes for entrepreneurs such as Karp, Steward and Awotona, while entertainment and sports have created billion-dollar fortunes for Jordan, Oprah, Jay-Z, Woods, James and Perry.
The figures should be treated as estimated net worth rather than cash holdings. Billionaire wealth can change rapidly as share prices, private-company valuations, exchange rates and other assets move.
For September 2026, however, one development stands above the rest: Dangote’s extraordinary rise above the $50 billion mark has dramatically widened the gap between him and the other Black billionaires.
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