On 21 October 2026 the Forbes real-time list had 24 billionaires from Mexico, with a combined net worth of $257 billion. That is 1.3% of the world total and puts Mexico #15 of 77 countries on the list. On 19 January 2020 it was 17 billionaires and $146 billion (1.5% of the world).
The video shows the richest people one by one. This article looks at what the tiles cannot show: the whole list, where the money comes from, how the country total moved, and what the average billionaire looks like.
How concentrated is the wealth?
The richest person, Carlos Slim Helu & family, holds $120 billion, or 47% of the national total. The top three together hold 80% and the top ten 91%. On the world list Carlos Slim Helu & family is ranked #15.
The average billionaire from Mexico had $8.6B in January 2020 and has $11B now, 1.2 times as much.
The number of people on the list grew from 17 to 24, so the increase in the total reflects both higher valuations and more people being listed.
Where the money comes from
Counting each person under the main industry Forbes gives, telecom is the largest source of wealth in Mexico: $120 billion, or 47% of the total. It is followed by metals and mining (28%), diversified (7.7%).
How the total moved
The combined net worth of billionaires from Mexico started at $146 billion in 2020, fell to $95 billion on 24 March 2020 and reached its highest point of $270 billion on 25 August 2026, when the list had 24 billionaires from Mexico.
By 31 August 2026 (the last day of the country series) it was $266 billion, close to the peak.
The number of billionaires from Mexico on the list ranged from 12 to 24 during this period. A person can enter or leave the list because the cut-off moves with the market, not only because their own wealth changes.
Biggest movers among the people in the video
Comparing 1 February 2020 with 21 October 2026, the largest relative gains were Germán Larrea Mota Velasco ($17B to $69B, +309%), Carlos Hank Rhon ($2.3B to $4.2B, +81%) and Carlos Slim Helu ($67B to $119B, +77%).
The weakest development was Ricardo Salinas Pliego ($14B to $3.6B, -75%) and Jeronimo Arango ($4.6B to $4.4B, -4%).
Who the billionaires are
Of the 24 billionaires from Mexico, 3 are women (12%). Forbes gives an age for too few of them to say anything about the average.
How to read the numbers
- Figures are Forbes estimates in current US dollars, taken from the real-time list. The source project states that it makes no claim to accuracy or completeness.
- A person is assigned to a country by citizenship, not by where they live. A family entry (marked “& family”) refers to the family fortune.
- Daily values are noisy because they follow stock prices, so the video steps through the data in half-month intervals and the chart above shows weekly values.
- The country series ends on 31 August 2026; the list used for the 21 October 2026 numbers is the latest one available.
Sources
Forbes real-time billionaires, compiled by komed3 (rtb-api on GitHub, MIT licence).
