The 5 Industries Most Likely To Make You a Billionaire
Written by
Jacob Wade
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Want to make a cool billion dollars in your lifetime but don’t know where to start?
A study by Knight Frank found that most recent billionaires — created from 2014 to 2024 — came from a handful of top industries.
And while the obvious industries of technology and finance were among the group, there are a few surprises, as well. So if you’re looking to start the next billion-dollar business, take a look at these top industries.
Manufacturing
Somewhat surprisingly, manufacturing businesses produced over 500 new billionaires in the past 10 years. In 2024 alone, 46 new billionaires emerged from the manufacturing sector, many coming from India and China, according to Forbes.
With manufacturing on the rise globally, the recent trade war has heated up competition. With the Trump administration determined to bring manufacturing back stateside, manufacturing may be set to boom in the U.S.
To become a manufacturing tycoon, it would take a lot of industry knowledge, a penchant for fast action and potentially a lot of upfront capital to acquire the space and machinery needed to manufacture at scale.
Technology
It’s no surprise that technology continues to pump out billionaires, with 443 new billionaires created over the past decade in the sector. From social media apps to fintechs to AI companies and more — technology is a fast-paced growth industry ripe for wealth creation.
AI has changed everything, with computer chip and GPU manufacturers like Nvidia and Super Micro Computer benefitting from the exponential demand for hardware that can run complex AI systems. There are seeming unlimited pathways to becoming a billionaire in technology — but the competition is fierce.
To actually build a billion-dollar technology company, you should look for industries that are ripe for disruption. A simple app that solves a painful age-old problem could quickly take off and launch at a billion-dollar valuation.
Finance and Investments
The finance and investments sectors continue to brandish new billionaires each year, with 353 new billionaires minted over the last decade. Many of this newfound wealth comes from venture capital firms putting money into unicorn companies and riding the wave.
But there are also some new crypto billionaires that have jumped on the scene with the massive rise in bitcoin prices. What’s interesting is that, while there are crypto billionaires from investing early, much of the wealth creation comes from founding a crypto business, such as a crypto exchange or other crypto platform.
To become a billionaire in the finance sector, you’ll usually need to build something, like a fintech app, first and sell it — then deploy your capital into startups. You could also build a platform that offers innovative ways to invest or bank, following the trends of growing industries like payday loan apps or cryptocurrency.
Fashion and Retail
Luxury is a tough industry to break into but can pay very well — especially for those in the fashion and retail industry. There are several fashion billionaires in the Forbes top 100 — and 318 new billionaires were created in the industry from 2014 to 2024 alone.
The most famous fashion billionaire, Bernard Arnault, owns a slew of luxury brands and has continued to grow his net worth — currently over $140 billion. There are several other fashion billionaires, as well, but it takes time to build a fashion empire.
Retail, on the other hand, focuses on the opposite end of the spectrum, and the richest retail family is the Waltons — of Walmart fame.
To build out a business in fashion or retail, it may take quite the upfront investment and capital to build something that grows enough to net you a billion dollar net worth. But buying up small businesses and growing them into something more can be a strategy that helps you piece together a billion-dollar fashion or retail empire.
Healthcare
Biotech and pharmaceuticals are huge industries, especially in the wake of a global pandemic. From vaccines to weight loss to hospitals and medical devices, there’s big money in healthcare, as proven by the 284 new billionaires who came from this industry over the past decade.
To build a billion-dollar net worth from the healthcare sector, you’ll likely need to develop a new drug or solution that helps millions of people with common health problems. There is massive competition in the industry — and long development cycles for pharmaceuticals. You’ll need the ability to push through setbacks, be well-funded and truly understand the market to become a healthcare billionaire.
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