3 Surprising Countries That Have Less Money Than Elon Musk
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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In late 2024, Elon Musk’s net worth eclipsed $500 billion briefly, securing his spot as the world’s richest person. As of mid-August 2025, Musk’s net worth stood at around $378 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That’s a far cry from $5 billion, but was roughly $70 billion ahead of Oracle founder Larry Ellison in second place.
Comparing Musk’s wealth in mid August 2025 to GDP’s across the world in December 2024 (the most recent data available), Musk’s wealth exceeded the GDP of roughly 150 countries, according to according to Trading Economics. While many people reading this won’t recognize the names of many countries with GDP’s in the millions or low billions, let’s explore a few popular tourist destinations that most people wouldn’t consider “poor” countries that have GDPs less than Musk’s net worth.
Chile
With a GDP of $330 billion, Chile is recognized as one of the richest nations in South America, but it’s GDP still falls behind Musk’s net worth. A renowned adventure travel destination, Chile is set to earn close to $3.3 billion in tourism revenue in 2025, according to Statista. The country has an export-driven economy, with income derived from extensive production and sales of copper, fish and wine, according to Global Finance.
Portugal
Portugal is another country with a healthy economy that has yet to exceed Musk’s net worth. The country’s GDP, $309 billion as of December 2024, has shown steady growth of just under 2% in recent years, with 2.2% growth projected in 2026, according to the European Commission for Economy and Finance. Portugal frequently earns spots on lists of the best places to travel or retire, proving that you don’t need Musk’s wealth to live comfortably.
Greece
With a GDP of $257 billion, Greece’s GDP is ranked 23rd out of the countries in Europe, more than $50 billion behind Portugal. It’s still considered a wealthy country, however, with much of its income derived from tourism. Although the country’s economy has struggled in the past, it has shown expansion greater than 2% in recent years, which is expected to continue, according to the European Commission.
GDP vs. Net Worth
The comparison of Musk’s money versus a country’s GDP is not an equal comparison. The gross domestic product represents the total value of all goods and services produced or purchased over a year. Meanwhile, net worth equals the total amount of assets minus liabilities a person holds at any given time. By this measure, roughly 110 countries have more wealth than Musk right now, according to statistics from BrilliantMaps.com.
Musk vs. South Africa
Interestingly, at press time, Musk’s birth country of South Africa has a GDP of $400 billion, slightly higher than Musk’s, but close enough that its ranking could shift with a single jump in Tesla stock. It’s important to note that most of Musk’s wealth is held in stocks. He frequently sells or borrows against his Tesla stock to fund other ventures, including the purchase of social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
What Wealth Comparisons Actually Mean
Since much of Musk’s wealth is illiquid and GDP doesn’t equal assets held at a moment in time, these comparisons don’t serve a practical purpose. However, they do offer a good indication of Musk’s massive wealth, which can often be difficult for many people to comprehend. It also shows how assets are distributed unevenly across the world.
Disclaimer: Article was last updated on August 12, 2025, so prices reflect that date.
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