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| Illustration by Kevin McGivern for Forbes |
This year has been outstanding for the world's billionaires, who have seen their wealth grow despite global challenges like wars, political unrest, and inflation. There are now more billionaires than ever before, totaling 2,781 individuals. This is 141 more than last year and exceeds the previous record set in 2021 by 26 people. Together, these billionaires hold a massive $14.2 trillion in wealth, which is $2 trillion more than in 2023 and $1.1 trillion higher than the previous record set in 2021.
Most billionaires, around two-thirds of them, have seen their wealth increase compared to last year. However, a quarter of them have seen their wealth decline.
The top 20 billionaires alone have collectively added $700 billion to their wealth since 2023. The United States leads in the number of billionaires, with a record 813 individuals who together have a wealth of $5.7 trillion.
China follows 473 billionaires (including those from Hong Kong), who have a total wealth of $1.7 trillion, despite challenges like weak consumer spending and a real estate market downturn that caused a loss of around $300 billion in wealth. India also saw a record number of billionaires, with 200 individuals on the list.
To calculate their net worth, we used stock prices and exchange rates as of March 8, 2024.
Top 10 Billionaires
| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Change | Age | Country | Source | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard Arnault & family | $233 B | ▲ | 75 | France | LVMH | Fashion & Retail |
| 2 | Elon Musk | $195 B | ▲ | 52 | United States | Tesla, SpaceX | Automotive |
| 3 | Jeff Bezos | $194 B | ▲ | 60 | United States | Amazon | Technology |
| 4 | Mark Zuckerberg | $177 B | ▲ | 39 | United States | Technology | |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $141 B | ▲ | 79 | United States | Oracle | Technology |
| 6 | Warren Buffett | $133 B | ▲ | 93 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway | Finance & Investments |
| 7 | Bill Gates | $128 B | ▲ | 68 | United States | Microsoft | Technology |
| 8 | Steve Ballmer | $121 B | ▲ | 68 | United States | Microsoft | Technology |
| 9 | Mukesh Ambani | $116 B | ▲ | 66 | India | Diversified | Diversified |
| 10 | Larry Page | $114 B | ▲ | 51 | United States | Technology |
