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Bill Gates Net Worth 2026: $115–122 Billion

Daniel Reed
Bill Gates headshot

Bill Gates Net Worth 2026: $115–122 Billion

Bill Gates net worth: Bill Gates’s net worth is estimated at roughly $115–122 billion as of November 2026. Forbes put it at about $121.2 billion, ranking him around 17th richest in the world, while Bloomberg’s estimate was lower, at about $116 billion in October 2026. The exact figure moves daily with the markets.

Last updated: November 2026

Who is Bill Gates?

Bill Gates’s biography runs from a Seattle schoolroom to the top of the global rich list: he co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, built it into the world’s dominant software company, and was the world’s richest person for 18 of the 24 years between 1995 and 2017. Since 2000 his main work has been philanthropy through the Gates Foundation, and in May 2025 he announced the foundation would spend more than $200 billion over 20 years and close in 2045 — giving away virtually all of his wealth. That pledge is the single biggest reason his ranking has slid: the fortune is shrinking deliberately.

How the money breaks down

Microsoft shares, once almost the whole fortune, are now a small fraction of it. Gates owns about 1% or less of Microsoft — estimates differ — after decades of selling shares and donating them to the Gates Foundation Trust. The bulk of his personal wealth now sits in Cascade Investment, his private investment company, which Bloomberg identifies as the primary source of his current fortune. Cascade is privately held and publishes no full portfolio, but its largest disclosed stakes, from US Securities and Exchange Commission filings in 2026, are:

  • Republic Services (waste and recycling) — about 37.9%, 116.2 million shares disclosed in a filing of 9 September 2026; Cascade is the largest shareholder, and the stake was worth roughly $26 billion at the share price at the time.
  • AutoNation (car retail) — about 21.1%, 7.06 million shares, disclosed in May 2026.
  • FEMSA (Fomento Económico Mexicano) — about 14.0% of a class of shares, 27.9 million American depositary shares, disclosed in March 2026.
  • Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts — a controlling 71.25% stake, raised from 47.5% in September 2021 by buying half of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s holding for about $2.21 billion.

Cascade also holds long-standing positions in companies such as Ecolab, Deere & Company and Canadian National Railway, though some holdings have since been sold or donated. Because Cascade is private, no complete, current list of its holdings exists.

One common confusion must be avoided: the Gates Foundation Trust is not Gates’s personal wealth. The Trust holds the foundation’s endowment — $92 billion as of 30 June 2026 — and its US stock portfolio, disclosed in a filing of 14 August 2026, was $34.42 billion across 24 stocks, led by Berkshire Hathaway ($7.35 billion), Caterpillar ($6.77 billion), Canadian National Railway ($6.18 billion) and Waste Management ($5.96 billion). Those are charitable assets, being spent down toward the foundation’s closure in 2045, and they are not counted in his personal net worth.

Wealth trajectory

Year Milestone
1987 First listed as a billionaire by Forbes at $1.25 billion — then the world’s youngest-ever self-made billionaire, age 31.
1995–2007 World’s richest person for 13 consecutive years (Forbes).
1999 First person ever to pass $100 billion — the first centibillionaire — at the peak of the dot-com boom.
1995–2017 World’s richest person in 18 of 24 years.
1 March 2026 Forbes World’s Billionaires 2026 annual list: $108.0 billion, ranked 19th (prices as of 1 March 2026).
November 2026 Forbes real-time estimate about $121.2 billion, around 17th richest in the world; Bloomberg about $116 billion (October 2026).

Why he is no longer the richest person in the world

Gates’s slide down the rich list is mostly a story of giving, not losing. He has donated tens of billions of dollars to the Gates Foundation — Bill and Melinda French Gates gave a combined $63.9 billion to the foundation from its inception through 2025, according to foundation figures reported in 2026 — and the May 2025 pledge to spend more than $200 billion by 2045 accelerates that. At the same time, other tech fortunes have grown faster than his diversified, dividend-paying portfolio.

Readers comparing figures across years should also note two methodology breaks at Bloomberg: in July 2025 Bloomberg cut its Gates estimate by about $50 billion, lowering Cascade appreciation rates to reflect his charitable giving and a wealth figure Gates published in May 2025; and in January 2026 it removed a further $12.5 billion for the agreed transfer to Melinda French Gates for her independent charitable work. Figures from before those changes are not directly comparable with later ones — one reason this article reports a range rather than a single number.

How this estimate was made

Net worth is an estimate, not an audited balance sheet, and Forbes and Bloomberg use different methods and dates, so their figures legitimately differ. This article’s range of roughly $115–122 billion brackets the two best current estimates — Forbes’s real-time figure of about $121.2 billion (November 2026) and Bloomberg’s figure of about $116 billion (October 2026). The Forbes annual-list anchor of $108.0 billion (prices as of 1 March 2026) is the correct figure for “the 2026 Forbes list”. Holdings are taken from SEC filings where stated; the Gates Foundation Trust’s assets are excluded because they are charitable, not personal. For comparison, fellow tech founders covered on this site include Jensen Huang’s net worth and Larry Page’s net worth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bill Gates’s net worth?

Bill Gates’s net worth is estimated at roughly $115–122 billion as of November 2026. Forbes put it at about $121.2 billion, ranking him around 17th richest in the world, while Bloomberg’s estimate was about $116 billion in October 2026.

How did Bill Gates make his money?

He made it by co-founding Microsoft in 1975 and holding a large stake as the company grew into the world’s dominant software maker. Today most of his wealth sits in Cascade Investment, his private investment company, with large stakes in Republic Services, AutoNation, FEMSA and Four Seasons Hotels.

How much Microsoft stock does Bill Gates own?

About 1% or less — estimates differ. He has sold and donated most of his Microsoft shares over the decades, including large donations to the Gates Foundation Trust, so Microsoft stock is now a small fraction of his fortune.

Is Bill Gates still the richest person in the world?

No. He was the world’s richest person for 18 of the 24 years between 1995 and 2017, but by November 2026 he ranked around 16th–17th, largely because he has given tens of billions of dollars away and because other tech fortunes have grown faster.

How much has Bill Gates given away?

Bill and Melinda French Gates gave a combined $63.9 billion to the Gates Foundation from its inception through 2025, according to foundation figures reported in 2026. In May 2025 Gates announced the foundation would spend more than $200 billion over the next 20 years and close on 31 December 2045, saying he would give away virtually all his wealth through it.

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