Want to know who the richest people in China are? Just buckle up and join us at Townflex as we take you on a very interesting journey to fulfill your quest.
China remains a powerhouse in global economics, home to some of the world’s wealthiest individuals. In 2025, Chinese billionaires continue to dominate various industries, from technology and real estate to e-commerce and pharmaceuticals.
Taking a closer look at Forbes’ list, it is evident that China holds a significant position in the global billionaire landscape. China is home to 2752 billionaires, the second-leading country after the United States, which has over 2761 billionaires.
Who Is China’s Richest Person?
The China Billionaire list 2025 is topped byZhang Yiming who currently has a net worth of $56.2 Billion wealth. Followed by Zhong Shanshan with a total of $56.0 billion in wealth. Ma Huateng comes third with a net worth of $51.5 billion.
This article is based on Forbes’ latest real-time billionaire list, which tracks the daily ups and downs of the world’s richest people. We at Townflex keep this article updated from time to time to make sure readers are served with updated information at all times
Who are China’s top Billinaires in 2025? Below is an updated list of the top 20 richest people in China based on their net worth, industry impact, and market influence.
Top 20 Richest People in China 2025
1. Zhang Yiming – $65.5 Billion
Industry: Technology, Social Media. The ByteDance founder, creator of TikTok, continues to see exponential growth in AI-driven content platforms, securing his place among China’s wealthiest.
- Age: 41
- Net Worth Forbes: $65.5 Billion
2. Zhong Shanshan – $56.0 Billion
Zhong Shanshan, the founder of Nongfu Spring, remains China’s richest person in 2025. His empire in bottled water and pharmaceuticals has continued to thrive, making him a dominant figure in China’s business landscape.
Hangzhou-born Zhong dropped out of elementary school amid China’s turbulent Cultural Revolution. He eventually worked as a construction worker, a newspaper reporter, and a beverage sales agent before establishing his own firm. Zhong also controls Wantai Biological, which makes rapid diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
- Age: 70
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Beverages, pharmaceuticals, self-made
- CEO and Chair: Nongfu Spring
- Net Worth Forbes: $56.0 Billion
3. Ma Huateng (Pony Ma) – $51.5 Billion
Industry: Technology, Internet Services. The Tencent CEO, responsible for WeChat, QQ, and numerous gaming ventures, remains one of the most influential figures in China’s tech ecosystem.
- Age: 53
- Net Worth Forbes: $51.5 Billion
4. Lei Jun – $42.6 Billion
Industry: Smartphones, Technology. The founder of Xiaomi, Lei Jun, has successfully expanded globally, making Xiaomi a dominant brand.
- Age: 55
- Net Worth Forbes: $42.6 Billion
5. Colin Huang – $39.1 Billion
Industry: E-Commerce. The Pinduoduo founder has transformed online shopping, competing with giants like Alibaba and JD.com.
- Age: 45
- Net Worth Forbes: $39.1 Billion
6. William Lei Ding – $35.1 Billion
Industry: Online Gaming. The founder of NetEase, one of China’s largest gaming companies, continues to see rapid revenue increases, fueled by international expansion.
- Age: 53
- Net Worth Forbes: $35.1 Billion
7. He Xiangjian – $27.9 Billion
Industry: Home Appliances. The Midea Group founder has solidified his presence as a leader in the smart home and appliance sector.
- Age: 82
- Net Worth Forbes: $27.9 Billion
8. Jack Ma – $27.2 Billion
Industry: E-Commerce. Despite stepping back from Alibaba, Jack Ma’s influence on China’s digital economy remains strong, and his investments continue to grow.
- Age: 60
- Net Worth Forbes: $27.2 Billion
9. Wang Chuanfu – $26.0 Billion
Wang Chuanfu is the chairman and CEO of BYD, which has grown to become one of the world’s largest EV companies.
Wang was born in a farm town in one of China’s poorest provinces in 1966. He was orphaned as a teen and raised by his older brother and sister.
The high achiever made it to college and excelled as he focused on battery technology. Wang co-founded BYD, a rechargeable battery firm, in 1995.
- Age: 59
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Batteries, automobiles, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: BYD
- Net Worth Forbes: $26.0 Billion
10. Lu Xiangyang – $19.7 Billion
Industry: Battery Manufacturing. The vice chairman of BYD, China’s top electric vehicle and battery company, remains a critical figure in the green energy revolution.
- Age: 62
- Net Worth Forbes: $19.7 Billion
11. Wang Ning & family – $16.6 Billion
Wang Ning is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Pop Mart International Group, a toy manufacturer that went public in Hong Kong in 2020.
Pop Mart, founded in 2010, sells miniature figurines for around $10 each in so-called blind boxes that conceal the toys within.
The company collaborates with artists to create several lines of toys. The best-selling series includes Dimoo, Molly, and Skullpanda. Pop Mart also offers to international markets like Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States.
- Age: 38
- Net Worth Forbes: $16.6 Billion
12. Wang Wei – $16.6 Billion
Industry: Logistics, E-Commerce. As the founder of SF Express, China’s largest courier company, Wang Wei has seen tremendous growth in the logistics sector.
- Age: 54
- Net Worth Forbes: $16.6 Billion
13. Eric Li (Li Shufu) – $16.1 Billion
Eric Li, better known as Li Shufu, is the chairman of Geely Automobile Holdings, one of China’s leading automakers and one of the few not state-owned.
Geely has been expanding globally since 2010, when it acquired Swedish automaker Volvo. In addition, the corporation has acquired holdings in Aston Martin, a luxury sports car manufacturer in the United Kingdom, and Lotus Technology, an electric vehicle manufacturer.
In May 2024, Geely’s electric vehicle company Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding raised $441 million in an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
- Age: 61
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Automobiles, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Geely Automobile Holdings
- Net Worth Forbes: $16.1Billion
14. Qin Yinglin – $15.6 Billion
Qin Yinglin is the chairman and CEO of Muyuan Foods, China’s largest pig breeder and pork producer. The businessman, who was born in Neixiang county in northern Henan province, began his career at a state-run pig manufacturer before branching out.
He founded his own business in 1992 with his wife, Qian Ying, who now serves on Muyuan’s board. Back then, the couple only owned 22 pigs. Muyuan, a Shenzhen-listed company, now has an annual pig farming capacity of approximately 80 million head.
- Age: 59
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Pig breeding, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Muyuan Foods
- Net Worth Forbes: $15.6 Billion
15. Huang Shilin – $15.5 Billion
Huang Shilin was the former vice chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), one of the world’s major battery providers to the electric car sector.
Huang resigned from the board in 2022. CATL, which debuted on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2018, supplies batteries to manufacturers including BMW, Volkswagen, and Geely.
Since 2023, the business has been working with Ford to develop a battery facility in Michigan, albeit the initial $3.5 billion plant has been scaled due to geopolitical difficulties.
- Age: 58
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Batteries, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: CATL
- Net Worth Forbes: $15.5 Billion
15. Zhang Zhidong – $15.4 Billion
Industry: Technology. A co-founder of Tencent, Zhang Zhidong remains influential in the tech sector.
- Age: 53
- Net Worth Forbes: $15.4 Billion
16. Zheng Shuliang & family – $14.9 Billion
Zheng Shuliang is the vice chairman of China Hongqiao Group, one of the country’s leading aluminum producers, which was created by her late husband, Zhang Shiping.
Zhang, who died in 2019, helped to build Hongqiao into a multibillion-dollar firm amid Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening-up policies.
Zhang Bo, the couple’s son, serves as chairman and CEO of Hongqiao, which is listed in Hong Kong. Their daughter, Zhang Hongxia, is the chairman of Weiqiao Textile, a textile manufacturer that was taken private from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in March 2024.
- Age: 79
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Aluminum products
- CEO and Chair: China Hongqiao Group
- Net Worth Forbes: $14.9 Billion
17. Lin Muqin & family – $13.9 Billion
Lin Muqin is the chairman and CEO of Shanghai-listed energy drink manufacturer Eastroc Beverage.
The mogul began his career as a technician at a state-owned construction firm before moving on to a beverage company in Shenzhen.
In 1997, he became vice president of Eastroc, a state-run beverage company at the time. Lin reportedly scraped up more than 4 million yuan ($570,000) to buy the company in the early 2000s.
- Age: 61
- Net Worth Forbes: $14.9 Billion
18. Dang Yanbao – $13.8 Billion
Dang Yanbao is the chairman of Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group, a supplier of coal-chemical products. He worked in building materials and investment before establishing Baofeng Energy in 2005.
His privately owned solar farm company, Baofeng New Energy, is planning an IPO in China. In 2022, another private company, Baofeng Energy Storage, broke ground on China’s first energy storage project that covers the entire supply chain in the southern city of Yinchuan.
- Age: 52
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Coal, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group
- Net Worth Forbes: $13.8 Billion
19. Zhong Huijuan – $13.2 Billion
Zhong Huijuan is the chairman and CEO of Chinese drugmaker Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, which produces oncology, psychoactive, antidiabetic and other drugs. Zhong’s husband, Sun Piaoyang, is also a pharmaceuticals billionaire and leads Shanghai-listed Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine.
- Age: 64
- Net Worth Forbes: $13.2 Billion
20. Zhu Yi – $11.8 Billion
Zhu Yi is the chairman of Biokin Pharmaceutical, a developer of drugs including anesthesia injections, cancer drugs as well as traditional Chinese medicine treatments.
- Age: 61
- Net Worth Forbes: $11.8 Billion
21. Chen Tianshi – $11.6 Billion
Chen Tianshi is the chairman and CEO of chipmaker Cambricon Technologies. Before cofounding Cambricon in 2016, he worked as a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Computing Technology.
- Age: 40
- Net Worth Forbes: $11.6 Billion
22. Wang Xing – 11.1 Billion
Wang Xing is the chairman and CEO of Meituan, which was formed in 2015 by the merging of Meituan, a group buying site similar to Groupon, and Dianping.com, a Yelp-like platform.
Wang co-founded China’s first collegiate social network, xiaonei.com, which was sold to Oak Pacific Interactive in 2006. Meituan, a Hong Kong-listed company, has evolved into a food-delivery heavyweight in mainland China and will launch foreign delivery brand Keeta in the city in 2023, marking the first step toward global expansion.
In 2021, Wang transferred shares worth more than $2 billion to his foundation amid a Chinese antitrust inquiry.
- Age: 45
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Food delivery, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Meituan
- Net Worth Forbes: $11.1 Billion
23. Wei Jianjun & family – $11.0 Billion
Wei Jianjun is the chairman of Great Wall Motor, one of China’s leading SUV manufacturers, with sales in more than 170 countries and territories.
In 1990, at the age of 26, he took over the debt-ridden Great Wall Automobile Industry Company, the progenitor of the current company. Wei had worked in a carpet plant and a water-pump factory before joining Great Wall.
- Age: 60
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Automobiles, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Great Wall Motor
- Net Worth Forbes: $11.0 Billion
24. Qi Shi & family – $10.8 Billion
Qi Shi is the chairman of Shenzhen-listed East Money Information, which runs one of China’s most popular financial and stock information websites.
The former financial futures researcher established the firm in 2005. He was born Shen Jun and has used the pen name Qi Shi, which means “in fact,” since his days as a financial columnist.
- Age: 55
- Country/Territory: China
- Industry: Financial information, Self Made
- CEO and Chair: Shenzhen-listed East Money Information
- Net Worth Forbes: $10.8 Billion
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is currently the richest person in China?
As of 2025, Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, holds the position of the richest person in China.
Which industries dominate the list of China’s wealthiest individuals?
The technology and manufacturing sectors are prominent among China’s wealthiest, with significant contributions from e-commerce, automotive, and consumer electronics industries.
