Many billionaires hold much of their net worth in the stock of the company they founded. Forbes has been keeping track of the world’s billionaires since 1987. The U.A.E. is home to the highest number of billionaires on the list as well as cumulative wealth, with a total net worth of $55.1 billion. Knight, who cofounded Nike in 1964 with just $500, is still reaping hefty dividends—$400 million (pretax) worth over the past year—thanks to a 25% stake in the shoe and apparel company. Supply chain difficulties and Covid restrictions in China nudged Nike’s shares down 3%.
He ranked No. 13 on Forbes’ lists of the World’s Billionaires in both 2023 and 2024. An uptick in Inditex shares in September landed Ortega back among the top ten richest for the first time in years. In the past month, he fell from No. 9 to No. 10 as shares of Inditex declined; his fortune shrank by an estimated $3.8 billion. He bought X, then known as Twitter, for $44 billion in October 2022 and owns an estimated 74% of the social media company, which is now worth less than half what he paid for
top 100 richest person in world
it. It’s been a year like no other, and we aren’t talking about the pandemic.
The world’s 15 youngest billionaires 2023
Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, which is involved in multiple industries including petrochemicals and textiles. Next time you Google anything, remember Page, who is one of its co-founders. The U.S. still tops all countries with the most billionaires at 735, followed by China's 607.
Zhong Shanshan Net Worth
The richest woman in the world is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers of France. As of January 1, 2024, she is worth an estimated $98.9 billion and is the world’s 14th richest person. Her fortune lies in her ownership stake in cosmetics giant L’Oreal, which she inherited from her late mother. As of October 1, 2023, the richest man in the world is Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla; he’s worth an estimated $250 billion.
Ballmer’s fortune rose by an estimated $3.9 billion in November primarily due to an uptick in Microsoft shares, which climbed about 4% during the month. Page cofounded search engine Google with fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin in 1998 and served as CEO until 2001 and from 2011 to 2015. He now serves as a board member of Google’s parent Alphabet and continues to be a controlling shareholder. In 2012, Ellison bought 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai for $300 million. Ellison invested in Tesla and served on the board of the car company from 2018 through August 2022.
He owns 23% of Tesla between stock and options, and has pledged some of his stock as collateral for loans. He owns 23% of Tesla between stock and options, but has pledged some of his stock as collateral for loans. The fast fashion pioneer cofounded Inditex, known for its Zara chain of stores, in 1975 with his ex-wife, Rosalia Mera (d. 2013). Ortega ranked No. 6 richest in the world in 2020, with a $55 billion fortune.
Musk, who became CEO of Tesla in 2008, took the company public in 2010.
See below for the full list of the world’s billionaires and our methodology.
Gains by Zhong-led beverage producer Nongfu Spring offset a decline in shares of his Covid test supplier Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy after the country eased pandemic restrictions at the end of last year.
The Middle East billionaires’ collective wealth amounted to $100.9 billion.
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Arnault was the world’s richest person for most of the first half of 2023; he fell to No. 2 on June 8, 2023. As of January 1, 2024 Arnault is worth $9.4 billion more than a month ago, per Forbes’ estimates, following a rise in the the price of LVMH shares. As of January 1, 2024, the richest person in the world is Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla; he’s worth an estimated $251 billion.
Vladimir Potanin Net Worth
The Oracle chairman and former CEO rose four spots amid a tough year for tech, as Oracle shares increased 10% on solid earnings and a focus on security. Ellison bought one of Florida’s most expensive homes for $173 million last summer, adding to his portfolio of glitzy real estate, including the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where he lives. As of December 1, 2024, the richest person in the world is Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He moved into the number one spot in late May 2024, overtaking Bernard Arnault of France.
As of October 1, 2023, she is worth an estimated $83.4 billion and is the 15th in the list of richest people. For eight days in June 2023, Ellison overtook Jeff Bezos as the third richest person in the world following a rise in Oracle’s share price. His fortune has declined by about $16.5 billion between September 1 and October 1, 2023. Arnault still clocks in at No. 2 richest, but he’s worth about $22 billion less than a month ago, as a result of a nearly 11% drop in the price of luxury goods group LVMH’s share price. Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris is still the richest Arab in the world and ranked second in the Middle East after Durov, with a net worth of $8.8 billion.
