Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is no longer among the ten richest people in the United States, marking the first time in 34 years that the Microsoft cofounder has fallen out of the top tier of Forbes’ annual ranking.

 

According to the Forbes 400 list released Wednesday, Gates now ranks No. 14, with an estimated net worth of $107 billion, the same as last year but far behind rivals whose fortunes continue to soar. He trails Mike Bloomberg (No. 13) and sits just ahead of Walmart heiress Alice Walton (No. 15), the richest woman in the U.S.

 

Gates, who once reigned as America’s richest person for nearly a quarter century, began slipping in the rankings after his 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates. That year, his fortune fell from $134 billion to $107 billion as French Gates received assets worth $29 billion and a $12.5 billion allocation for her own philanthropy.

 

Despite the decline, Gates’ wealth shift is largely self-driven. He has pledged to donate 99% of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation by 2045, the year he turns 90. Since last year alone, he has contributed about $7 billion.

 

“My will is very clear that when I die, all that money goes into the foundation,” Gates told Forbes earlier this year.

 

The foundation, which will eventually shut down, is focused on eradicating polio, tackling malaria, and ensuring no mother or child dies of preventable causes.

 

With his philanthropic mission accelerating, Gates’ fortune is expected to keep shrinking, further cementing his place as one of history’s most influential givers, even as his name slips down the billionaire rankings.