African-born entrepreneurs account for just a small fraction of America's richest immigrant billionaires by number, but they command an outsized share of the group's wealth, thanks largely to South Africa-born Elon Musk.
A new ranking of America's richest immigrant billionaires by Forbes shows that nine African-born billionaires have amassed a combined fortune of $952.9 billion, representing about 43% of the collective $2.2 trillion wealth held by the 144 foreign-born billionaires on the list.
The latest ranking, which features a record number of immigrant billionaires, highlights the growing economic influence of entrepreneurs who built their fortunes after moving to the United States.
This year's list includes 144 immigrant billionaires, up from 125 a year earlier, with their combined wealth surging from $1.3 trillion to $2.2 trillion.
Together, they account for nearly 15% of all American billionaires and about one-quarter of the country's billionaire wealth.
