Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and once the world’s richest man, has dropped to 12th place on the global wealth list, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of 9 July 2025.The latest data shows Mr Gates now has a net worth of $124 billion, highlighting a notable shift in the global wealth hierarchy. This decline is largely attributed to his continued philanthropic commitments, which have increasingly outpaced his investment returns.The tech pioneer’s fortune has decreased by $35.2 billion since the beginning of the year, representing a 22.2% drop, an outlier among fellow tech billionaires whose fortunes have surged, largely driven by booming artificial intelligence and tech stocks.ALSO READ: Top 10 richest men of 2025: All you need to know about Forbes’ latest rankingRecommended For YouNews2025-07-12T09:13:12+00:00I don’t feel sorry for Hawa Koomson; she deserves it – Hannah Bissiw on brutal beatingNews2025-07-13T12:48:57+00:00GES releases 2025/2026 academic year calendar for basic schoolsNews2025-07-11T20:23:07+00:00NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn secures Ablekuma North seat after tense, violence-hit rerun___4264175___https:______static.pulse.com.gh___webservice___escenic___binary___4264175___2015___10___15___19___bill-gatesDespite a modest $487 million increase in recent trading, Gates’ deliberate strategy of wealth redistribution has fundamentally altered his position among the world’s wealthiest individuals.Now at age 69, Gates holds just 1% of Microsoft shares, a stark contrast to the early days of the company he helped build into the world’s largest software maker, which posted $245 billion in revenue in 2024. He stepped down from the company’s board in March 2020, and his stake is no longer disclosed in Microsoft’s proxy filings.ALSO READ: Top 10 fastest-growing African companies 2025The majority of his remaining fortune is managed through Cascade Investment, a private investment firm with holdings in numerous publicly traded companies, including Canadian National Railway, Deere & Company, and Ecolab. Another contributing factor to Gates’ decline in the rankings was his 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates. Company filings revealed that over $5 billion worth of shares were transferred to her as part of the settlement. These assets have been excluded from his net worth calculations.Top of the List: Musk, Zuckerberg and Ellison Lead the WayMeanwhile, Elon Musk continues to dominate the global billionaire rankings, maintaining his position as the world’s richest person with a net worth of $347 billion. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg holds second place with $258 billion, followed closely by Oracle’s Larry Ellison, who sits in third with $251 billion.ALSO READ: Top 10 African countries with the highest personal income tax in 2025Top 10 Richest People in the World (as of 9 July 2025)RankNameTotal Net worth$ Last change$ YTD change Industry1. Elon Musk$347B-$1.41B-$85.3BTechnology2. Mark Zuckerberg$258B+$4.13B+$51.0BTechnology3. Larry Ellison$251B+$1.10B+$58.6BTechnology4. Jeff Bezos$243B+$2.82B+$4.36BTechnology5. Steve Ballmer$174B+$2.20B+$27.0BTechnology6. Bernard Arnault$161B+$1.28B-$15.6BConsumer7. Larry Page$160B+$1.82B-$8.03BTechnology8. Sergey Brin$150B+$1.69B-$8.00BTechnology9. Warren Buffett$144B+$789M+$2.19BDiversified10. Jensen Huang$142B+$2.47B+$27.6BTechnologySource: