Two Nigerian-born billionaires, Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi and Tope Awotona, have been named in Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s Richest Immigrants.
The list features 125 billionaires from 41 countries, who collectively make up 14% of all billionaires living in the U.S. and control 18% of the country’s total billionaire wealth.
Top on the list are three South Africans, including Elon Musk ($393.1bn, Tesla, SpaceX); Patrick Soon-Shiong ($5.6bn, pharmaceuticals), and Rodney Sacks ($3.6bn, energy drinks).
They are closely followed by Ogunlesi, with a net worth of $2.4 billion, ranked 77th and recognized for his success in private equity, while Awotona, known for founding scheduling software company, Calendly, sits at 106th with a $1.4 billion net worth.
Other African-born billionaires on the list include Haim Saban from Egypt ($3.1B, TV and investments); Marc Lasry from Morocco ($1.9B, hedge funds); and Bharat Desai from Kenya ($1.6B, IT consulting).
Forbes noted that a remarkable 93% of them were self-made, having built their fortunes primarily in industries such as technology and finance.
The growing number of immigrant billionaires, up from 92 in 2022 to 125 in 2025, reflects a shifting demographic and reinforces what Forbes describes as the “immigrant mindset”: a blend of resilience, innovation, and the drive to seize opportunity that continues to shape America’s economic landscape.
Forbes also released a list of top 10 America’s richest immigrants to include Elon Musk, net worth: $393.1bn; Sergey Brin, net worth, $139.7bn; Jensen Huang, net worth, $137.9bn; Thomas Peterffy, net worth, $67.9bn; and Miriam Adelson & Family, net worth, $33.4bn.
Others are Rupert Murdoch & Family, net worth, $24bn; Peter Thiel, net worth, $21.8bn; Jay Chaudhry, net worth, $17.9bn; Jan Koum, net worth, $16.9bn; and John Tu, net worth, $14.1bn