Mark Zuckerberg has been at the top of the list of the richest people in the world for years: here is the net worth and how much the king of Meta and creator of Facebook earns today
How much does Mark Zuckerberg earn? A question we’ve all asked ourselves at least once, given that we’re talking about the person who, with Facebook, revolutionized—perhaps forever—our way of life, ushering in the era of social networks.
After all, when we think about the world of social media, the way we communicate, share images, and stay connected, it’s impossible not to come across the name Mark Zuckerberg. Founder of Facebook, now at the helm of Meta Platforms (which also includes Instagram and WhatsApp), Zuckerberg has transformed an idea born in a university classroom into a tech empire that shapes our daily lives. In a constantly evolving ecosystem, dominated by artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and battles for users’ screen time, he remains a key player.
And when a name is so present, it makes you wonder: how much does he really earn? What is his net worth? And how much of his income comes from salary, stocks, bonuses, or property? In the constant hunt for the extra billion, technological advances, and turbulent markets, getting an up-to-date picture means digging through reports, public budgets, and unofficial estimates. Let’s try to answer the initial question by taking a look at the evolving net worth, salary, and earnings of Meta’s CEO.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Net Worth
When discussing Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth, it’s important to keep in mind that his wealth comes almost exclusively—and largely—from his shareholding in Meta Platforms.
According to reliable Forbes estimates, Zuckerberg is ranked second in the world’s richest people list for 2025, with a total net worth of $216 billion. However, according to the real-time rankings, updated to November 2025, the Meta CEO currently has a net worth of approximately $219 billion.
It’s worth noting that he’s a huge distance from the top earner, namely Elon Musk, who has more than double Zuckerberg’s net worth (approximately $500 billion). Behind him, however, Zuckerberg is competing with other top earners, constantly swapping places on the podium: we’re talking about Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Larry Ellison (Oracle), and Larry Page (Google).
Other estimates, such as those reported by Benzinga, put the figure much higher, around $270 billion by August 2025, while the renowned Bloomberg Index Billionaire estimates a net worth of $225 billion, not far from the Forbes report.
This is a veritable peak for the Meta CEO, given that in 2023 the same renowned American magazine estimated his net worth to be $63.4 billion. In 2024, he added $72 billion to his net worth thanks to the positive performance of the company’s shares. Today’s peak confirms that Zuckerberg’s stake—directly or indirectly—in Meta now represents the lion’s share of his wealth.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Salary as CEO of Meta
Mark Zuckerberg is the current CEO of Meta Platforms and, for this role, has been receiving a salary of $1 per year since 2013, a certainly symbolic amount. Confirmation comes from company filings, such as the SEC report (the official filing as of April 17, 2025); this means that his true wealth lies primarily in share ownership.
However, if we look under "other compensation"—personal security expenses and travel—in 2023, Zuckerberg earned a total of $24.4 million from his company, a much less symbolic figure.
According to official documents, his total compensation (base salary plus benefits) for the year ended December 31, 2024, was approximately $27.22 million (source: Nasdaq).
As is often the case with big tech executives, the bulk of this amount comes from items such as personal security expenses, private jet use, and secure housing, rather than bonuses or additional stock ownership. In fact, he formally requested a base salary of just $1.
Interestingly, although the company has a bonus plan for executives that allows many managers to receive up to 200% of their base salary (compared to 75% previously), this plan does not apply to Zuckerberg: he is reportedly not included in the standard executive bonus plan. Thus, the sum of approximately $27 million represents everything Meta is paying him in benefits and reimbursements for 2024: a large amount by any "normal" perspective, but small when compared to his total net worth of over $200 billion.
Perhaps the most significant figure is the following: Zuckerberg earns not only through his annual salary or bonus, but also through the appreciation of his shares over time. Every time Meta sees the value of the stock increase, his stake increases in value proportionately.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Biography and Career: The Rise of the Social Network Billionaire
Mark Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984 and his story began while he was a student at Harvard University, where he founded Facebook on February 4, 2004 with classmates. From the beginning, his vision was clear: to make the world more open and connected. The social network grew rapidly and became a global phenomenon in just a few years.
The acquisitions of Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014) are key milestones in Zuckerberg’s journey from simply running a startup to governing a digital communications empire.
At the same time, Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021, marking a shift toward the metaverse and artificial intelligence, beyond the traditional confines of social media. Zuckerberg’s path is not without obstacles: the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 highlighted its responsibilities related to user privacy and data management, forcing Meta to face a $5 billion fine and to review its policies and approaches. The move was also a strong signal that with great power comes great responsibility, to paraphrase a well-known comic.
On a personal note, Zuckerberg is married to Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician and philanthropist, and the mother of his three children. The two met at Harvard University and married on May 19, 2012, in a private ceremony at their home in Palo Alto, California.
Their philanthropic efforts through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative aim to allocate a significant portion of the family fortune to social and health causes. According to some sources, Zuckerberg and his wife are spending $3 billion in an effort to end, cure, or manage all disease by 2100.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Quanto guadagna Mark Zuckerberg? Il patrimonio del CEO di Meta
