Fifteen Filipino business tycoons have secured their places on Forbes Magazine’s 2025 list of the world’s wealthiest individuals, with real estate mogul Manuel Villar once again leading the Philippine contingent.
Villar, dubbed the “brown taipan,” posted an estimated net worth of $17.2 billion, bolstered by record-breaking profits from his mass housing and memorial park firm, Golden MV Holdings Inc., which reportedly logged nearly P1 trillion in net income last year—a first in Philippine business history.
Ports and gaming magnate Enrique Razon followed with $10.9 billion, while San Miguel Corporation head Ramon Ang came in third with $3.7 billion. Lucio Tan landed in fourth with $3 billion.
Siblings and heirs of the late retail tycoon Henry Sy Sr. also made the list individually, highlighting the continued influence of the SM Group in the country’s economy. The Sy siblings included Henry Jr. ($2.3B), Hans ($2.2B), Herbert ($2.1B), Harley ($1.9B), Teresita Sy-Coson ($1.9B), and Elizabeth ($1.7B).
Among the other familiar names were Alliance Global’s Andrew Tan ($1.6B), retail king Lucio Co ($1.4B), Jollibee founder Tony Tan Caktiong and wife Susan Co (each with $1.3B).
A standout addition this year is Eusebio Tanco, who entered the ranks with a $1.2-billion fortune, boosted by the surging valuation of Digiplus Interactive Corp., a firm in the online gaming space.
Compared to last year’s 16 Filipino billionaires, the 2025 roster is slightly shorter, but still reflects the country’s stronghold in property, retail, and food sectors.
Globally, Forbes listed a record-breaking 3,028 billionaires with a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion. Elon Musk reclaimed the top spot as the world’s richest person, his wealth skyrocketing to $342 billion due to rising valuations of xAI, SpaceX, and Tesla.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump saw his fortune soar to $5.1 billion, driven by gains in Trump Media & Technology Group and his latest foray into cryptocurrencies.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and French luxury giant Bernard Arnault rounded out the global top five.
