Forbes has released its anticipated America’s Richest Immigrants list for 2025, and two Nigerian-born trailblazers have claimed their spots among the elite.
This list, featuring 125 foreign-born U.S. citizens worth $1.3 trillion combined included individuals who have built billion-dollar fortunes while living in the United States.
These billionaires, originally from 41 countries, account for 14% of all U.S.-based billionaires and hold 18% of the nation’s total billionaire wealth.
Forbes noted that the vast majority 93% of America’s richest immigrants are self-made, with many building their fortunes in tech and finance.
A breakdown of this list showed that six African countries are represented including South Africa and Nigeria.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk from South Africa, is also the richest global immigrant. According to Forbes, Musk has an estimated fortune of $393.1 billion.
Musk, who moved to the U.S. via Canada as a student, built his wealth through Tesla and SpaceX.
The 2025 billionaire rankings also revealed that Patrick Soon-Shiong ($5.6B, pharmaceuticals) from South Africa emerged as the second richest American immigrant, and Rodney Sacks ($3.6B, energy drinks) also from South Africa came third.
Nigeria followed with two names: Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi ($2.4B, private equity) and Tope Awotona ($1.4B, software).
Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya each have one representative: Haim Saban ($3.1B), Marc Lasry ($1.9B), and Bharat Desai ($1.6B), respectively.
The rankings reveal a regional wealth concentration, with South Africa and Nigeria leading Africa’s billionaire count. The rankings also revealed an increase in immigrant billionaires from 92 in 2022 to 125 in 2025.
