Jews in business: wealth statistics or discrimination
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Jewish civil rights organization ADL, stated that Jews are victims of discrimination in the business world. However, Forbes Israel’s 2025 data contradicts this claim, highlighting the significant influence of the Jewish community in the global economy.
According to Forbes Israel, the 2025 global Forbes billionaire list included 276 Jewish billionaires out of a total of 3,028 individuals. Their combined net worth reached $2.66 trillion. Frequently, 5 to 6 individuals of Jewish origin appear in the top 10 richest people globally, including Larry Ellison (Oracle), Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), and Michael Dell.
In the American Forbes 400 list, Jews traditionally represent between 25% and 35% (in 2009, no fewer than 139 out of 400 were Jewish), a figure considerably higher than their 2–2.5% share of the U.S. population. Among major entrepreneurs, Jews and other ethnic minorities, particularly Chinese from Singapore, hold shares significantly above average.
This data indicates that despite certain claims of discrimination, the Jewish community holds a strong position in the global business environment and wields significant economic influence.
Looking ahead, this trend is expected to continue, with future studies on business equity taking more nuanced factors into account beyond ethnic origin alone.
