The math is honestly staggering. Most of us celebrate a tiny 3% raise at work or a $50 win on a scratch-off ticket. Meanwhile, Bill Gates is operating on a level of wealth that feels less like "money" and more like a law of physics. If you’ve ever wondered if the legend is true—that he literally makes more money picking up a $100 bill than he’d lose by ignoring it—you're in the right place.
He makes about $117 per second.
That’s not a typo. While you took a breath to read that sentence, another hundred bucks just hit the virtual pile. By the time you finish this paragraph, he’s up by enough to buy a decent used car. It’s wild. But the thing is, "income" for a centibillionaire isn't like a paycheck from a boss. It's a living, breathing ecosystem of dividends, capital gains, and compound interest.
How much does Bill Gates make per second in 2026?
To get to that $117 figure, we have to look at how his wealth moves. Most analysts look at the annual growth of his net worth. As of early 2026, Gates is worth roughly **$105 billion to $115 billion**, depending on which tracker you trust (Forbes and Bloomberg always have a slight "billionaire-bias" gap).
If we take an average annual increase of about $3.7 billion—which is a conservative estimate based on his historical 10-year growth—the numbers break down like this:
- Yearly: $3,700,000,000
- Daily: $10.1 million
- Hourly: $422,300
- Per Minute: $7,038
- Per Second: $117.30
Some years are way higher. In 2022, he reportedly added over $5 billion to his net worth despite the market being a mess. In those peak years, the "per second" rate can skyrocket to over **$160**. Basically, his wealth grows faster than the average person can spend it, even if they were trying to be reckless.
It isn't just Microsoft anymore
You’d think all this cash comes from Windows 11 or Xbox Game Pass. Not really. Honestly, Microsoft is just a piece of the puzzle now. Gates has spent years diversifying his portfolio through Cascade Investment LLC, his private holding company.
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He owns a massive chunk of Canadian National Railway. He’s the largest private owner of farmland in the United States, holding over 270,000 acres. He’s got huge stakes in Waste Management, Deere & Company, and Ecolab. These aren't "get rich quick" tech stocks. They are "boring" companies that provide essential services. Garbage, trains, and tractors. They pay out steady dividends every single quarter.
Then there’s the Warren Buffett factor.
The Gates Foundation Trust holds billions in Berkshire Hathaway stock. Because Gates and Buffett are close, a lot of that "passive income" is actually the result of some of the smartest value investing in history.
Why his net worth actually drops sometimes
Here is the kicker: Bill Gates is trying to go broke. Sorta.
He’s committed to giving away 99% of his wealth. In January 2026, the Gates Foundation announced it was upping its annual payout to $9 billion. When you are giving away $9 billion a year, your net worth is going to take a hit, no matter how well your stocks are doing. That is why he has actually dropped down to around the 14th or 15th richest person in the world recently.
If he had never donated a cent? Experts at Forbes estimate he would be worth over $1.2 trillion. He would be the world's first trillionaire by a long shot.
The $100 bill myth
You've probably heard the old joke: "If Bill Gates drops a $100 bill, is it worth his time to pick it up?"
Mathematically, it takes about 2 seconds to lean down and grab a bill. In those 2 seconds, he "earns" about $234 just by existing. If he stops to pick up the $100, he now has $334.
He doesn't stop earning the passive income just because he’s bending over. It's not an "either-or" situation. So, yeah, it’s always worth it to pick up the hundred bucks. But the fact that we even have to do the math to check tells you everything you need to know about the scale of his fortune.
What this means for you
Looking at these numbers can be a bit depressing if you’re staring at a mounting phone bill. But there is a lesson in how he makes his money now.
- Passive is King: Gates hasn't had a "job" at Microsoft for years. His money works for him.
- Diversify: He didn't stay only in tech. He bought land, railroads, and waste disposal.
- Compound Interest: When you have $100 billion, even a "bad" 5% return is $5 billion.
You might not be making $117 a second, but the principle of putting your money into assets that pay dividends is how the "Gates Method" works for everyone. Even if it's just $117 a month instead of a second, the goal is the same: let the money do the heavy lifting.
If you're looking to start your own wealth-building journey, the best move is to look at dividend-paying stocks or low-cost index funds that mirror the "boring but steady" companies Gates favors. You can use tools like the SEC's EDGAR database to see exactly what the Gates Foundation is buying and selling every quarter (look for their 13F filings). It's a free roadmap to billionaire-style investing.