Every figure on BillionaireList points back to a public source. This page explains which kinds of sources we use, how we cite them and how to read the source line you see next to a number.
The kinds of sources we use
Published rankings
Annual and real-time rankings of the world's richest people publish a net worth for each person on a given date. We record the figure, the date it refers to and a link to the page where it was published. We take the number and the attribution, never the text around it.
Company filings and reports
Annual reports, ownership disclosures and regulatory filings show how much of a listed company a person holds, and when a stake was bought, sold or pledged. These documents are the most precise public record of a fortune built on listed shares.
Press reports
Reporting on share sales, listings, acquisitions, funding rounds, divorces and court cases adds facts that filings do not cover, especially for private companies.
Open public knowledge bases
Identity facts such as full name, date of birth, citizenship and company roles come from open public knowledge bases. We check them against filings and press reports before they appear on a profile.
How a source line reads
Next to every net worth figure you see three things.
| Part | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Amount | The estimate in US dollars |
| As of date | The date the estimate refers to, not the date we stored it |
| Source | The publisher or document type, linked to the original page |
A line such as "$12.4B, as of 3 October 2026, published ranking" means the figure comes from a published ranking and describes that person's wealth on 3 October 2026. Follow the link to see the original.
Under each profile there is a full list of sources used for the figures and for the description, each with its date.
Why dates matter
A net worth figure without a date is close to useless. Share prices move every trading day, private companies are revalued with each funding round, and a single stake sale can change a fortune by billions. A figure from last year and a figure from last week are not comparable.
That is why the ranking only includes people whose latest public estimate is from an established publisher (a published wealth ranking such as Forbes, Bloomberg or Hurun, a company filing or major press) and dated within the current ranking window, which starts on 1 September 2026, and why change figures always show both dates. When two people sit close together in the ranking, check their dates before drawing conclusions.
What we do not use
We do not use anonymous tips, private documents, leaked data or figures without a traceable public source. We do not publish home addresses, family members who are not public figures or other private details. When there is no dated public estimate for a person, the profile shows "Not estimated".
Sources in exports and the API
Paid exports and the API carry the same information as the site: each figure comes with its date, the publisher and the source link as separate fields, so your own reports can cite the original.
If you find a source that changes the picture, use the correction form on the profile and include the link.