Riyadh - Mubasher: Forbes Middle East revealed that Saudi Arabia has returned to its 2025 list of the world's billionaires, for the first time since 2018. This year's list boasts 15 Saudi billionaires, the highest percentage among countries in the region .

This year's list includes 15 Saudi billionaires, 14 of whom are new billionaires thanks to their stakes in companies listed on the Saudi stock market.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud topped the list of Saudi billionaires with a net worth of $16.5 billion, followed by Sulaiman Al Habib with a fortune of $10.9 billion, and Emad Al Muhaidib with $3.8 billion.

The Forbes list also included Essam Al-Muhaidib and Sulaiman Al-Muhaidib, with an equal fortune of $3.6 billion each, and Mohammed Abu Nayan, with $3.2 billion.

Abdullah Al-Othaim and Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi each recorded a fortune of $2.5 billion, while Abdullah Amer Al-Nahdi's fortune reached $2.3 billion, followed by Waleed bin Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim with a fortune estimated at $1.4 billion, and Khaled Abdulrahman Saleh Al-Rajhi and Yousef Mohammed Jamjoom with a fortune of $1.2 billion each.

Hamad Ali Al Saqri's wealth reached $1.1 billion, while Ammar Sulaiman Faqih and Mazen Sulaiman Faqih each recorded a wealth of $1 billion.

A significant portion of the wealth of most Saudi billionaires is held in companies listed on the Tadawul stock market. For example, shares in Fakeeh Healthcare Group, owned by Ammar and Mazen Fakeeh, and MBC Group, owned by Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, were set to go public in 2024.

Six of the 15 Saudi billionaires work in the healthcare sector, four own stakes in various companies, and three operate across the finance and investment sectors.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Arab billionaires, with 15 billionaires with a combined net worth of $55.8 billion, followed by the UAE and Egypt with five billionaires each, worth $24.3 billion and $20.6 billion, respectively.

According to the Forbes Billionaires List for 2025, the number of billionaires worldwide has surpassed 3,000 for the first time, with 247 new additions to the list, which currently includes 3,028 billionaires, compared to 2024.

Not only are there more billionaires, they're richer than ever, with a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion, an increase of nearly $2 trillion compared to 2024.

The US ranks first with a record 902 billionaires, followed by China (516 - including Hong Kong) and India with 205 billionaires.

The number of Arab billionaires in nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa region will reach 38 by 2025, with a combined net worth of $128.4 billion. This is a significant increase compared to 2024, when 20 Arab billionaires were listed with a combined net worth of $53.7 billion.