Scoring Methodology
Our comprehensive approach to measuring billionaire impact on society
Overview
The Billionaire Impact Score is a comprehensive metric that evaluates the positive societal impact of the world's wealthiest individuals. Our methodology considers multiple dimensions of impact including philanthropy, job creation, innovation, and social responsibility.
Scoring Components
Nine measures grouped into four pillars: Philanthropy 34%, Job Creation 25%, Innovation Impact 20% and Social & Economic 21%.
1. Amount given (20%) — Philanthropy
Total documented lifetime charitable giving on a fixed scale: $10 billion or more given earns full marks, smaller totals score in proportion.
2. Share of wealth given (10%) — Philanthropy
Giving divided by wealth plus giving. Giving away a quarter or more of total wealth earns full marks.
3. Philanthropy rating (4%) — Philanthropy
A 0–100 rating of how consistent and far-reaching the giving is — foundations, pledges and recorded donations. A rating, not a percentage of wealth.
4. Jobs created (25%) — Job Creation
Direct and indirect employment scale of their businesses, compared against everyone tracked.
5. Innovation (20%) — Innovation Impact
R&D, patents, and transformative products and technologies.
6. Social impact (7%) — Social Responsibility
Labor ethics, employee treatment and community advocacy.
7. Sustainability (4%) — Social Responsibility
Environmental stewardship and record.
8. Economic impact (3%) — Social Responsibility
Responsible contribution to economic development in the communities they operate in.
9. Net worth (7%) — Social & Economic
Size of fortune, compared with everyone else tracked.
Calculation Method
Each measure is placed on a 0–100 scale, then weighted by the percentages above:
Where a rating has not been established for someone, its weight is shared across the measures we do have rather than counted as a zero. Giving is the exception: it counts as zero until a donation is recorded. That sharing is capped, so a thin profile can never be lifted above a complete one simply by having fewer measures. Reported giving that exceeds three times someone's wealth is treated as unverified and left out of the score entirely. Every profile shows a "Why this rank" breakdown listing exactly which measures earned their score.
Data Updates
Fortunes refresh daily, giving news is checked every day, and rankings are snapshotted once a day. We continuously refine our methodology based on feedback from economists, philanthropic experts, and social impact researchers.