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Top 5 richest people in modern history (inflation-adjusted)

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The 5 richest people in modern history (inflation-adjusted) by peak net worth, inflation-adjusted: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and more.

Snapshot · 2026-09-23

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  1. 1

    John D. Rockefeller

    ~$400 billion (est.)

  2. 2

    Andrew Carnegie

    ~$370 billion (est.)

  3. 3

    Cornelius Vanderbilt

    ~$200 billion (est.)

  4. 4

    John Jacob Astor

    ~$170 billion (est.)

  5. 5

    Elon Musk / Jeff Bezos (nominal modern)

    ~$200–800 billion