Latin America's Billionaires Lose $33 Billion, But 146 Still Control Vast Wealth: Report

Latin America's billionaire population and wealth declined over the past year, even as the number of billionaires worldwide continued to rise, according to new figures from Altrata's Billionaire Census 2025.

The region now counts roughly 95 billionaires, down from 110 in the previous edition. Their combined net worth totals $484.3 billion — about 3% of global billionaire wealth, compared with 4% a year ago, the Census reports.

Mexico's Carlos Slim Helú remains the wealthiest individual in Latin America, followed by Mexican mining executive Germán Larrea and Chile's Iris Fontbona and family, as Bloomberg pointed out in a recent ranking. The top fortunes are concentrated in industries including telecommunications, mining, beverages and finance. Brazil and Mexico continue to host the largest number of billionaires in the region.

Globally, the billionaire population reached a record high of more than 3,000 individuals this year, with wealth rising to approximately $11.8 trillion. Altrata attributes the increase largely to gains in technology, financial services and retail in North America and Asia.

Wealth concentration also remains elevated, with the top 10% of billionaires holding more than half of global billionaire wealth. One in five maintain multiple residences across different regions. However, Latin America saw limited cross-border expansion compared to other parts of the world.

Latin America was also one of the few regions showing a contraction. The report's authors noted that asset markets in the region largely disappointed, "reflecting less favorable terms of trade for the major commodity-exporting wealth markets, sticky inflation, softer economic growth, and heightened late-year uncertainty over the impact of a more protectionist US trade policy."

The report also stressed that fiscal concerns weighed on equities in the region's largest billionaire hub of Brazil, while most Latin American central banks maintained an easing stance against an uncertain backdrop for many emerging markets.

Despite the decline in overall billionaire numbers, the region's largest conglomerates continue to maintain major roles in telecommunications, natural resources and financial markets. However, the report suggests that Latin America's share of global billionaire wealth will remain relatively small compared to faster-growing regions.