Bill Gates’ net worth in 2025: How much has he made (& given away)?
Despite being a millionaire a thousand times over, Microsoft co-founder-turned-global-philanthropist Bill Gates has promised to part with “virtually all” of his money in his lifetime.
Laura Rodini

It might seem easy to wax philosophical when you’re sitting on more money than most people could ever dream of, but, in a blog post published shortly before the birth of his first grandchild, Bill Gates took stock of his life’s achievements and concluded that money wasn’t really that important, after all.

“Being wealthy makes my life much more comfortable, but not more fulfilling,” wrote the co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) and perennial placeholder on Forbes’ list of World’s Billionaires. He added that there were only three things in life he needed to feel satisfied: His family, his friends, and doing work that mattered.

After spending much of his life dominating the “world’s richest” lists, Gates has vowed to give away 99.96% of his wealth through his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which advances education and public health initiatives around the globe. His goal is to make the world better for future generations, including his two grandchildren, Leila and Mia — and he has given away an astounding $59 billion in the process.

According to Forbes, when their marriage formally ended on August 2, 2021, the couple had no prenup in place, and so French Gates walked away with a reported $25 billion settlement. In June, 2024, French Gates stepped down from the nonprofit they had jointly founded, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided her with an additional $12.5 billion to commit to her philanthropy.