Which Industries Are Actually Churning Out Billionaires?

Want to know where the money’s really flowing? Knight Frank’s latest research on billionaires created between 2014-2024 reveals some fascinating patterns — and a few surprises.

Manufacturing took everyone off guard, birthing 500+ billionaires in the past decade. China and India are the hotspots, and with Trump pushing “bring manufacturing home” policies, the U.S. sector could be next. But fair warning: you’ll need serious capital and industry chops.

Tech remains the obvious play — 443 new billionaires in 10 years. AI and GPU manufacturing (hello, Nvidia) are the current darlings. The barrier to entry? Brutal competition. But if you spot a real problem to solve, valuations can skyrocket fast.

Finance & Crypto minted 353 billionaires. Venture capital feeding unicorns is one path, but crypto founders are proving you can also get rich building exchanges or fintech platforms yourself.

Fashion & Retail created 318 billionaires, though it’s capital-intensive. Bernard Arnault’s $140B empire didn’t happen overnight — but buying small brands and scaling them is a real strategy.

Healthcare (biotech/pharma): 284 new billionaires. The catch? Long development timelines, massive R&D costs, and you need a breakthrough product that actually solves a major problem.

The pattern? Most billionaires didn’t just invest — they built something. Pick a sector that’s heating up, find the inefficiency, and execute.