Becoming a billionaire isn’t as easy as the Forbes article makes it sound! Per capita in the US it was 160% easier in 1930, in today’s dollars, than it is in 2026. Although per capita, worldwide, there are 74 times as many billionaires now as there were in 1930.
World: 1930 vs 2025
• 1930 (world) billionaire share: ~0.00005%
• 2025 (world) billionaire share: ~0.0037
United States: 1930 vs 2025
• 1930 (US) billionaire share: ~0.00041%
• 2025 (US) billionaire share: ~0.00026%
Per capita, that means the US has about 0.64 times as many billionaires now as in 1930, i.e., roughly one‑third fewer per capita than in 1930.
Globally, billionaire prevalence has exploded, while in the US it is actually well below 100 years ago, on a per‑capita basis.
