The World's Billionaires
| List of the world's billionaires, ranked in order of net worth | |
The net worth of the world's billionaires increased from less than US$1 trillion in 2000 to over $7 trillion in 2015. | |
| Publication details | |
|---|---|
| Publisher |
|
| Publication | Forbes |
| First published | March 1987[1] |
| Latest publication | April 5, 2022 |
| Current list details (2022)[2] | |
| Wealthiest | Elon Musk |
| Net worth (1st) | US$219 billion |
| Number of billionaires | 2,668 |
| Total list net worth value | US$12.7 trillion |
| New members to the list | 236 |
| Forbes: The World's Billionaires website | |
The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking by documented net worth of the wealthiest billionaires in the world, compiled and published in March annually by the American business magazine Forbes. The list was first published in March 1987.[1] The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated and is cited in United States dollars, based on their documented assets and accounting for debt and other factors. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists.[3] This ranking is an index of the wealthiest documented individuals, excluding any ranking of those with wealth that is not able to be completely ascertained.[4]
In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was ranked at the top for the first time and became the first centibillionaire included in the ranking,[5] surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who had topped the list 18 of the previous 24 years. In 2022, after topping the list for four years, Bezos was surpassed by Elon Musk.[2]
Methodology
Each year, Forbes employs a team of over 50 reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world's wealthiest individuals[6] and sometimes groups or families – who share wealth. Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list. According to Forbes, they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any questions.[7] Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets – land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet the figures and improve the estimate of an individual's holdings. Finally, positions in a publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication. Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios. Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual's estimated worth in United States dollars. Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly, an individual's true wealth and ranking at the time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled.[6]
When a living individual has dispersed his or her wealth to immediate family members it is included under a single listing (as a single "family fortune") provided that individual (the grantor) is still living. However, if a deceased Billionaire’s fortune has been dispersed, it will not appear as a single listing, and each recipient will only appear if his or her own total net worth is over a $Billion (his or her net worth will not be combined with family members')[6] Royal families and dictators that have their wealth contingent on a position are always excluded from these lists.[8]
Annual rankings
The rankings are published annually in March, so the net worths listed are snapshots taken at that time. These lists only show the top 10 wealthiest billionaires for each year.
Legend
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
| Has not changed from the previous ranking. | |
| Has increased from the previous ranking. | |
| Has decreased from the previous ranking. |
2022
In the 36th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,668 billionaires with a total net wealth of $12.7 trillion, down 97 members from 2021.[2]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $219 billion | 50 | United States | Tesla, SpaceX |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $177 billion | 58 | United States | Amazon |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault & family | $158 billion | 73 | France | LVMH |
| 4 | Bill Gates | $129 billion | 66 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Warren Buffett | $118 billion | 91 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 6 | Larry Page | $111 billion | 49 | United States | Alphabet Inc. |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $107 billion | 48 | United States | Alphabet Inc. |
| 8 | Larry Ellison | $106 billion | 77 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 9 | Steve Ballmer | $91.4 billion | 66 | United States | Microsoft |
| 10 | Mukesh Ambani | $90.7 billion | 64 | India | Reliance Industries |
2021
In the 35th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,755 billionaires with a total net wealth of $13.1 trillion, up 660 members from 2020; 86% of these billionaires had more wealth than they possessed last year.[9][10]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | $177 billion | 57 | United States | Amazon |
| 2 | Elon Musk | $151 billion | 49 | United States | Tesla, SpaceX |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault & family | $150 billion | 72 | France | LVMH |
| 4 | Bill Gates | $124 billion | 65 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | $97 billion | 36 | United States | Meta Platforms |
| 6 | Warren Buffett | $96 billion | 90 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 7 | Larry Ellison | $93 billion | 76 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 8 | Larry Page | $91.5 billion | 48 | United States | Alphabet Inc. |
| 9 | Sergey Brin | $89 billion | 47 | United States | Alphabet Inc. |
| 10 | Mukesh Ambani | $84.5 billion | 63 | India | Reliance Industries |
2020
In the 34th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,095 billionaires with a total net wealth of $8 trillion, down 58 members and $700 billion from 2019; 51% of these billionaires had less wealth than they possessed last year.[11] The list was finalized as of 18 March, thus was already partially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | $113 billion | 56 | United States | Amazon |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $98 billion | 64 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault & family | $76 billion | 71 | France | LVMH |
| 4 | Warren Buffett | $67.5 billion | 89 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $59 billion | 75 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Amancio Ortega | $55.1 billion | 84 | Spain | Inditex, Zara |
| 7 | Mark Zuckerberg | $54.7 billion | 35 | United States | Facebook, Inc. |
| 8 | Jim Walton | $54.6 billion | 71 | United States | Walmart |
| 9 | Alice Walton | $54.4 billion | 70 | United States | Walmart |
| 10 | S. Robson Walton | $54.1 billion | 77 | United States | Walmart |
2019
In the 33rd annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,153 billionaires with a total net wealth of $8.7 trillion, down 55 members and $400 billion from 2018.[12] The U.S. continued to have the most billionaires in the world, with a record of 609, while China dropped to 324 (when not including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).[12]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | $131 billion | 55 | United States | Amazon |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $96.5 billion | 63 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $82.5 billion | 88 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Bernard Arnault | $76 billion | 70 | France | LVMH |
| 5 | Carlos Slim | $64 billion | 79 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 6 | Amancio Ortega | $62.7 billion | 82 | Spain | Inditex, Zara |
| 7 | Larry Ellison | $62.5 billion | 74 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 8 | Mark Zuckerberg | $62.3 billion | 34 | United States | Facebook, Inc. |
| 9 | Michael Bloomberg | $55.5 billion | 77 | United States | Bloomberg L.P. |
| 10 | Larry Page | $50.8 billion | 45 | United States | Alphabet Inc. |
2018
In the 32nd annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the aggregate wealth of the top 20 richest people on Earth amounted to about 13 percent of all billionaires' fortunes combined.[13] A record of 2,208 billionaires were in the ranking and the total wealth was $9.1 trillion, up 18% since 2017. For the first time, Jeff Bezos was listed as the top billionaire due to Amazon's rising stock price that resulted in one person's biggest one-year gain in wealth ($35 billion) since Forbes started tracking in 1987.[13] The U.S. had the most billionaires in the world, with 585, while China was catching up with 476 when including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; it had 372 when excluding those three places.[13] Forbes excluded Al-Walid bin Talal and all other Saudi billionaires due to the absence of accurate wealth estimations as a result of the 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge.[14]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | $112 billion | 54 | United States | Amazon |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $90 billion | 62 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $84 billion | 87 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Bernard Arnault | $72 billion | 69 | France | LVMH |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | $71 billion | 33 | United States | Facebook, Inc. |
| 6 | Amancio Ortega | $70 billion | 81 | Spain | Inditex, Zara |
| 7 | Carlos Slim | $67.1 billion | 78 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 8 | Charles Koch | $60 billion | 82 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 8 | David Koch | $60 billion | 77 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 10 | Larry Ellison | $58.5 billion | 73 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
2017
On the 30th anniversary of the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, for the fourth year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world.[5] In 2017, there was a record of 2,043 people on the list, which is the first time over 2,000 people were listed. This included 195 newcomers of whom 76 were from China and 25 from the U.S.; there were 56 people under 40 and it had a record of 227 women.[15] The number of billionaires increased 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 in 2016; this was the biggest change in over 30 years of tracking billionaires globally.[5] Added together, the total net worth for 2017's billionaires was US$7.67 trillion, up from US$7.1 trillion in 2015.[5][16] This was the first time after 12 years that Carlos Slim was not within the top five. The U.S. had the most billionaires in the world, with a record of 565. China had 319 (not including Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macau), Germany had 114, and India had the fourth most with 101; India reached over 100 billionaires for its first time.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $86.0 billion | 61 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $75.6 billion | 86 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Jeff Bezos | $72.8 billion | 53 | United States | Amazon |
| 4 | Amancio Ortega | $71.3 billion | 80 | Spain | Inditex, Zara |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | $56.0 billion | 32 | United States | Facebook, Inc. |
| 6 | Carlos Slim | $54.5 billion | 77 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 7 | Larry Ellison | $52.2 billion | 72 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 8 | Charles Koch | $48.3 billion | 81 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 8 | David Koch | $48.3 billion | 76 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 10 | Michael Bloomberg | $47.5 billion | 75 | United States | Bloomberg L.P. |
2016
For the third year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes' 2016 list of the world's billionaires.[17] This is the 17th time that the founder of Microsoft had claimed the top spot. Amancio Ortega rose from last year's position of number four to second.[18] Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway came in third for the second consecutive time,[19] while Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim slipped from last year's second position to fourth. Jeff Bezos of Amazon,[20] Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook[21] and Michael Bloomberg of Bloomberg L.P.,[22] appeared for the first time on the Forbes top 10 billionaires list, coming at fifth, sixth and eighth positions, respectively. Zuckerberg became the youngest top 10 billionaire this year at the age of 31. Larry Ellison, Charles Koch and David Koch also slipped from their previous year's positions, with Ellison dropping to seventh from fifth, and the Kochs falling to ninth position from sixth.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $75.0 billion | 60 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Amancio Ortega | $67.0 billion | 79 | Spain | Inditex |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $60.8 billion | 85 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Carlos Slim | $50.0 billion | 76 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 5 | Jeff Bezos | $45.2 billion | 52 | United States | Amazon |
| 6 | Mark Zuckerberg | $44.6 billion | 31 | United States | Facebook, Inc. |
| 7 | Larry Ellison | $43.6 billion | 71 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 8 | Michael Bloomberg | $40.0 billion | 74 | United States | Bloomberg L.P. |
| 9 | Charles Koch | $39.6 billion | 80 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 9 | David Koch | $39.6 billion | 75 | United States | Koch Industries |
2015
In the 29th annual Forbes list of global billionaires, a record 1,826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of $7.1 trillion compared to $6.4 trillion in the previous year. 46 of the billionaires in this list were under the age of 40. A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time, of whom 25 percent hailed from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57; followed by India, with 28; and Germany, with 23.[23] The United States had the largest number of billionaires with 526. Russia went down to 88 from 111 in 2014. Russia was placed behind China, Germany and India by the number of billionaires. Self-made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1,191 positions (over 65 percent), while just 230 (under 13 percent) had wealth through inheritance. The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but were still working to increase their fortunes is 405.[24]
Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires. This was the 16th time that the founder of Microsoft claimed the top spot. Carlos Slim came in second for the second consecutive time. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway placed third, while Amancio Ortega of Spain, slipped down a position from the previous year to number four. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle, rounded off the top five. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking female at number eight. America's Evan Spiegel, co-founder of photo messaging app Snapchat, became the youngest billionaire this year at age 24. At age 99, David Rockefeller maintained his position as the oldest billionaire included in the list.[25] Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, rose to number 16 with $33.4 billion. Iceland had a billionaire, Thor Bjorgolfsson, in the list after a gap of five years. Guatemala had a billionaire, Mario Lopez Estrada, for the first time in its history.[26]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $79.2 billion | 59 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Carlos Slim | $77.1 billion | 75 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $72.7 billion | 84 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Amancio Ortega | $64.5 billion | 78 | Spain | Inditex |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $54.3 billion | 70 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Charles Koch | $42.9 billion | 79 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 6 | David Koch | $42.9 billion | 74 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 8 | Christy Walton | $41.7 billion | 66 | United States | Walmart |
| 9 | Jim Walton | $40.6 billion | 66 | United States | Walmart |
| 10 | Liliane Bettencourt | $40.1 billion | 92 | France | L'Oreal |
2014
Gates added $9 billion to his fortune since 2013 and topped the Forbes 2014 billionaire list. He had topped the list in 15 of the previous 20 years, but his previous number one ranking was in 2009.[27] Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim came in second place after being number one the previous four years. Zara founder Amancio Ortega placed third for the second consecutive year. American investor Warren Buffett was in the top five for the 20th consecutive year, placing fourth.[28] America's Christy Walton was the highest ranking woman, placing ninth overall.[1] Aliko Dangote of Nigeria became the first African to enter the top 25, with an estimated net worth of $25 billion.[3]
A total of 1,645 people made the 2014 billionaire list, representing a combined wealth of $6.4 trillion.[28] Of those, a record 268 were newcomers, surpassing 2008's 226 newcomers.[1] 100 people listed in 2013 failed to make the list.[28] The number of women on the list rose to a record 172 in 2014.[1] Approximately 66 percent of the list were self-made, 13 percent achieved their wealth through inheritance alone, and 21 percent through a mixture of the two.[3]
The United States had 492 billionaires on the list, the most of any country.[28] It also had the most newcomers with 50, and women with 54.[1] China had the second most billionaires with 152, while Russia was third with 111.[28] Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania, and Uganda were all represented on the list for the first time. Turkey saw the most people drop off the list, 19, due to a period of high inflation in the country.[3]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $76.0 billion | 58 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Carlos Slim & family | $72.0 billion | 74 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 3 | Amancio Ortega | $64.0 billion | 77 | Spain | Inditex |
| 4 | Warren Buffett | $58.2 billion | 83 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $48.0 billion | 70 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Charles Koch | $40.0 billion | 78 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 6 | David Koch | $40.0 billion | 73 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 8 | Sheldon Adelson | $38.0 billion | 80 | United States | Las Vegas Sands |
| 9 | Christy Walton & family | $36.7 billion | 65 | United States | Walmart |
| 10 | Jim Walton | $34.7 billion | 65 | United States | Walmart |
2013
Carlos Slim topped the 2013 billionaire list, marking his fourth consecutive year at the top. Gates remained in second, while Amancio Ortega moved up to third. Ortega's gain of $19.5 billion was the largest of anyone on the list.[29] Warren Buffett failed to make the top three for the first time since 2000, placing fourth. Diesel founder Renzo Rosso was among the top newcomers, debuting with an estimate net worth of $3 billion.[30]
A global rise in asset prices led Forbes editor Randall Lane to declare "It [was] a very good year to be a billionaire". However, it was not a good year to be Eike Batista, who fell from seventh to 100th, suffering the largest net loss of anyone on the list.[29] Overall, net gainers outnumbered net losers by 4:1.[30]
A record total of 1,426 people made the 2013 list, representing $5.4 trillion of assets.[31] Of those, 442 billionaires hailed from the United States.[29] The Asian-Pacific region had 386 billionaires and Europe 366. The list also featured a record number of newcomers, 210, representing 42 countries. 60 people from the 2012 list fell below a billion dollars of assets in 2013, and eight others from the 2012 list died. The Asia-Pacific region had the most drop-offs, with 29, followed by the United States with 16. The 2013 list featured 138 women, of which 50 came from the United States. A majority of the list (961 individuals, 67 percent) were entirely self-made; 184 (13 percent) inherited their wealth, and 281 (20 percent) achieved their fortune through a combination of inheritance and business acumen.[31] Vietnam's Phạm Nhật Vượng was the first person from that country to be included in this list.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Slim & family | $73.0 billion | 73 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $67.0 billion | 57 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Amancio Ortega | $57.0 billion | 76 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| 4 | Warren Buffett | $53.5 billion | 82 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $43.0 billion | 68 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Charles Koch | $34.0 billion | 77 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 6 | David Koch | $34.0 billion | 72 | United States | Koch Industries |
| 8 | Li Ka-shing | $31.0 billion | 84 | Hong Kong | Cheung Kong Holdings |
| 9 | Liliane Bettencourt & family | $30.0 billion | 90 | France | L'Oréal |
| 10 | Bernard Arnault | $29.0 billion | 63 | France | LVMH |
2012
Carlos Slim topped the 2012 list, marking this third consecutive year at the top. Gates placed second but narrowed the gap from 2011 as Slim's fortune fell $5 billion while Gates' rose $5 billion. Warren Buffett remained in third place. Bernard Arnault of France was the top-ranking European on the list, placing fourth.[32] Ricardo Salinas Pliego was the greatest gainer in terms of dollars, adding $9.2 billion to his fortune and moving up to number 37 overall.[32] Making her debut on the list at age 27, Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire ever.[33] Colombia's Alejandro Santo Domingo was the highest-ranked newcomer, inheriting a $9.5 billion stake in Santo Domingo Group from his father.[32] India's Lakshmi Mittal was the largest loser as his fortune dropped from $31.1 billion to $20.7 billion as the price of steelmaker ArcelorMittal fell sharply.[32] As a result, he failed to make the top 10 for the first time since 2004 and lost his title of richest Asian to Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing.[34]
A record total of 1,226 people made the 2012 list, representing 58 countries. Of those, 126 were newcomers to the list and 104 were women. The United States had the greatest number of billionaires with 425. Russia had 96 people on the list, while China had 95.[32] Georgia, Morocco, and Peru were newly represented on the list. Falling stock prices in Asia contributed to 117 former billionaires falling from the list worldwide. Twelve others listed in 2011 died. Overall, net gainers (460) barely outnumbered net losers (441).[34]
To coincide with the release of the 2012 list, Forbes announced a then-new "Billionaire Real-Time Ticker" updating the wealth of the world's top 50 billionaires in real time.[32]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Slim & family | $69.0 billion | 72 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $61.0 billion | 56 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $44.0 billion | 81 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Bernard Arnault | $41.0 billion | 63 | France | LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton |
| 5 | Amancio Ortega | $37.5 billion | 75 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| 6 | Larry Ellison | $36.0 billion | 67 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 7 | Eike Batista | $30.0 billion | 55 | Brazil | EBX Group |
| 8 | Stefan Persson | $26.0 billion | 64 | Sweden | H&M |
| 9 | Li Ka-shing | $25.5 billion | 83 | Hong Kong | Cheung Kong Holdings |
| 10 | Karl Albrecht | $25.4 billion | 92 | Germany | Aldi |
2011
In the 25th annual Forbes list of global billionaires, Slim added $20.5 billion to his fortune, the most of anyone, and retained his number one ranking with a total fortune of $74 billion. Gates remained in second place with $56 billion, while Warren Buffett was third with $50 billion. The top 10 had a combined wealth of $406 billion, up from $342 billion in 2010.[citation needed] According to Forbes editor Kerry Dolan, "media and technology billionaires definitely benefited from a stronger stock market and a growing enthusiasm for all things social" since the 2010 list.[35] However, Nigerian commodity mogul Aliko Dangote was the greatest gainer on a percentage basis as his fortune increased 557 percent to $13.5 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was one of seven Facebook-related billionaires on the list, as he added $9.5 billion to his net worth to move up to 52nd. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz was the youngest person on the list. Aged 26, eight days younger than Zuckerberg, he debuted at number 420 with an estimated fortune of $2.7 billion. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was the largest loser as he saw his fortune plummet from $23 billion to $6 billion, dropping him from 11th to 162nd overall.[citation needed]
A record 1,210 billionaires made the 2011 list, representing a combined wealth of $4.5 trillion, up from $3.6 trillion the previous year.[36] One third of the world's billionaires, 413, came from the United States. China had the second most billionaires with 115, while Russia was third with 101. Asia moved up to 332 billionaires, passing Europe as a region for the first time since the 1990s. The 2011 list included 214 newcomers and the average net worth of those on it increased to $3.7 billion.[35]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Slim | $74.0 billion | 71 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $56.0 billion | 55 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $50.0 billion | 80 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Bernard Arnault | $41.0 billion | 62 | France | LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $39.5 billion | 66 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Lakshmi Mittal | $31.1 billion | 60 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| 7 | Amancio Ortega | $31.0 billion | 74 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| 8 | Eike Batista | $30.0 billion | 53 | Brazil | EBX Group |
| 9 | Mukesh Ambani | $27.0 billion | 54 | India | Reliance Industries |
| 10 | Christy Walton & family | $26.5 billion | 62 | United States | Walmart |
2010
Slim narrowly eclipsed Gates to top the billionaire list for the first time. Slim saw his estimated worth surge $18.5 billion to $53.5 billion as shares of America Movil rose 35 percent. Gates' estimated wealth rose $13 billion to $53 billion, placing him second. Warren Buffett was third with $47 billion.[37] Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman, placing 12th overall, with an inherited fortune of $22.5 billion.[38] At age 25, Mark Zuckerberg continued to be the world's youngest self-made billionaire.[7] American Isaac Perlmutter was among the newcomers with an estimated fortune of $4 billion largely acquired in his sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney.[37]
A total of 1,011 people made the 2010 list. The United States accounted for 403 billionaires, followed by China with 89 and Russia with 62.[38] It was the first time China, while including Hong Kong, placed second.[37] A total of 55 countries were represented on the 2010 list, including Finland and Pakistan which claimed their first billionaires.[38] Eighty-nine women made the list, but only 14 of them were self-made.[38] The combined net worth of the list was $3.6 trillion, up 50 percent from 2009's $2.4 trillion, while the average net worth was $3.5 billion.[7]
The 2010 list featured 164 re-entries and 97 true newcomers.[7] Asia accounted for more than 100 of the new entrants. Overall, just 12 percent of the list lost wealth since 2009, and 30 people fell off the list. 13 others died.[37] Of the 89 women, 12 were newcomers in 2010. Steve Forbes said the growing number of billionaires was a clear sign that the world's economy was recovering from 2009's global financial crisis.[7]
In June 2010, Gates and Buffett announced the Giving Pledge, a promise to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. As of 2017, the pledge had 158 signatories, but some of the signatories have since died. Most of the signers of the pledge are billionaires, and their pledges total over $365 billion.[39]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Slim & family | $53.5 billion | 70 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $53.0 billion | 54 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $47.0 billion | 79 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Mukesh Ambani | $29.0 billion | 53 | India | Reliance Industries |
| 5 | Lakshmi Mittal | $28.7 billion | 60 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| 6 | Larry Ellison | $28.0 billion | 66 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault | $27.5 billion | 61 | France | LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton |
| 8 | Eike Batista | $27.0 billion | 53 | Brazil | EBX Group |
| 9 | Amancio Ortega | $25.0 billion | 74 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| 10 | Karl Albrecht | $23.5 billion | 90 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
2009
In the wake of the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, the world's billionaires lost $2 trillion in net worth and the list became 30% smaller than the previous year's list.[40]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $40.0 billion | 53 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $37.0 billion | 78 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Carlos Slim | $35.0 billion | 69 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 4 | Larry Ellison | $22.5 billion | 64 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 5 | Ingvar Kamprad | $22.0 billion | 83 | Sweden | IKEA |
| 6 | Karl Albrecht | $21.5 billion | 89 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 7 | Mukesh Ambani | $19.5 billion | 52 | India | Reliance Industries |
| 8 | Lakshmi Mittal | $19.3 billion | 58 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| 9 | Theo Albrecht | $18.8 billion | 87 | Germany | Aldi Nord, Trader Joe's |
| 10 | Amancio Ortega | $18.3 billion | 73 | Spain | Inditex Group |
2008
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, four years after starting the company, joined the list at 23 to become the youngest self-made billionaire.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Buffett | $62.0 billion | 77 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 2 | Carlos Slim | $60.0 billion | 68 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 3 | Bill Gates | $58.0 billion | 52 | United States | Microsoft |
| 4 | Lakshmi Mittal | $45.0 billion | 57 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| 5 | Mukesh Ambani | $43.0 billion | 51 | India | Reliance Industries |
| 6 | Anil Ambani | $42.0 billion | 48 | India | Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group |
| 7 | Ingvar Kamprad | $31.0 billion | 81 | Sweden | IKEA |
| 8 | Kushal Pal Singh | $30.0 billion | 76 | India | DLF Group |
| 9 | Oleg Deripaska | $28.0 billion | 40 | Russia | Rusal |
| 10 | Karl Albrecht | $27.0 billion | 88 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
2007
Forbes recorded a then record of 946 billionaires. There were 178 newcomers, as well as the first billionaires from Cyprus, Oman, Romania and Serbia. Over 66% of the previous year's billionaires became richer. The billionaires' net worth increased in 2007 by $900 billion to $3.5 trillion.[41]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $56.0 billion | 51 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $52.0 billion | 76 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Carlos Slim | $49.0 billion | 67 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 4 | Ingvar Kamprad | $33.0 billion | 80 | Sweden | IKEA |
| 5 | Lakshmi Mittal | $32.0 billion | 56 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| 6 | Sheldon Adelson | $26.5 billion | 73 | United States | Las Vegas Sands |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault | $26.0 billion | 58 | France | LVMH |
| 8 | Amancio Ortega | $24.0 billion | 71 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| 9 | Li Ka-shing | $23.0 billion | 78 | Hong Kong | Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa |
| 10 | David Thomson | $22.0 billion | 49 | Canada | Thomson Corporation |
2006
Free cash used by consumers from home equity extraction, known as the real estate bubble created a total of nearly $5 trillion in 2005, contributing to economic growth worldwide.[42]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $52.0 billion | 50 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $42.0 billion | 75 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Carlos Slim | $30.0 billion | 66 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 4 | Ingvar Kamprad | $28.0 billion | 79 | Sweden | IKEA |
| 5 | Lakshmi Mittal | $23.5 billion | 55 | India | Mittal Steel Company |
| 6 | Paul Allen | $22.0 billion | 53 | United States | Microsoft |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault | $21.5 billion | 57 | France | LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton |
| 8 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $20.0 billion | 49 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 9 | Kenneth Thomson | $19.6 billion | 82 | Canada | Thomson Corporation |
| 10 | Li Ka-shing | $18.8 billion | 77 | Hong Kong | Cheung Kong Group, Hutchison Whampoa |
2005
The net worth of 2005's 691 billionaires was $2.2 trillion. More than half of them had self-made fortunes.[43]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $46.5 billion | 49 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $44.0 billion | 74 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Lakshmi Mittal | $25.0 billion | 54 | India | Mittal Steel Company |
| 4 | Carlos Slim | $23.8 billion | 65 | Mexico | América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 5 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $23.7 billion | 49 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 6 | Ingvar Kamprad | $23.0 billion | 79 | Sweden | IKEA |
| 7 | Paul Allen | $21.0 billion | 52 | United States | Microsoft |
| 8 | Karl Albrecht | $18.5 billion | 85 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 9 | Larry Ellison | $18.4 billion | 60 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 10 | S. Robson Walton | $18.3 billion | 61 | United States | Walmart |
2004
The founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, became billionaires at age 30.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $46.6 billion | 48 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $42.9 billion | 73 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Karl Albrecht | $23.0 billion | 84 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 4 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $21.5 billion | 47 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 5 | Paul Allen | $21.0 billion | 51 | United States | Microsoft |
| 6 | Alice Walton* | $20.0 billion | 55 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 6 | Helen Walton* | $20.0 billion | 84 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 6 | Jim Walton* | $20.0 billion | 56 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 6 | John Walton* | $20.0 billion | 58 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 6 | S. Robson Walton* | $20.0 billion | 60 | United States | Wal-Mart |
* Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart.
2003
Oprah Winfrey became the first female African-American billionaire.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $40.7 billion | 47 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $30.5 billion | 72 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $25.6 billion | 83 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 4 | Paul Allen | $20.1 billion | 50 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $17.7 billion | 46 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 6 | Larry Ellison | $16.6 billion | 58 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 7 | Alice Walton* | $16.5 billion | 54 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 7 | Helen Walton* | $16.5 billion | 83 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 7 | Jim Walton* | $16.5 billion | 55 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 7 | John Walton* | $16.5 billion | 57 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 7 | S. Robson Walton* | $16.5 billion | 59 | United States | Wal-Mart |
* Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart.
2002
As a result of the market crash caused by the Dot-com bubble, 83 billionaires dropped off the list from the previous year.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $52.8 billion | 46 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $35.0 billion | 71 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $26.8 billion | 82 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 4 | Paul Allen | $25.2 billion | 49 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $23.5 billion | 57 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 6 | Jim Walton* | $20.8 billion | 54 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 7 | John Walton* | $20.7 billion | 56 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | Alice Walton* | $20.5 billion | 53 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | S. Robson Walton* | $20.5 billion | 58 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | Helen Walton* | $20.5 billion | 82 | United States | Wal-Mart |
* Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart.
2001
In 2001, BET founder Robert L. Johnson became the first ever African-American billionaire.[44]
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $58.7 billion | 45 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $32.3 billion | 70 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Paul Allen | $30.4 billion | 48 | United States | Microsoft |
| 4 | Larry Ellison | $26.0 billion | 56 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 5 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $25.0 billion | 81 | Germany | Aldi |
| 6 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $20.0 billion | 44 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 7 | Jim Walton* | $18.8 billion | 53 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | John Walton* | $18.7 billion | 55 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 9 | S. Robson Walton* | $18.6 billion | 57 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 10 | Alice Walton* | $18.5 billion | 52 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 10 | Helen Walton* | $18.5 billion | 81 | United States | Wal-Mart |
* Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal-Mart. Had he been alive in 2001, Sam Walton would have been the world's wealthiest person.
2000
Gates became the first American to take the top spot of the world's billionaires in 1995 with a net worth of $12.5 billion, and he remained there during the dot-com bubble's height in 1999 when his fortune peaked at $90 billion. After the dot-com bubble started to collapse in 2000, his wealth dropped to $60 billion, although he remained at the top of the list.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $60.0 billion | 44 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Larry Ellison | $47.0 billion | 55 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| 3 | Paul Allen | $28.0 billion | 47 | United States | Microsoft |
| 4 | Warren Buffett | $25.6 billion | 69 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 5 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $20.0 billion | 80 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 6 | Al-Waleed bin Talal | $20.0 billion | 43 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 7 | S. Robson Walton | $20.0 billion | 57 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | Masayoshi Son | $19.4 billion | 43 | Japan | Softbank Capital, SoftBank Mobile |
| 9 | Michael Dell | $19.1 billion | 35 | United States | Dell |
| 10 | Kenneth Thomson | $16.1 billion | 77 | Canada | The Thomson Corporation |
1999
| No.[45] | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $90.0 billion | 43 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Warren Buffett | $36.0 billion | 68 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 3 | Paul Allen | $30.0 billion | 46 | United States | Microsoft |
| 4 | Steven Ballmer | $19.5 billion | 43 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Philip Anschutz | $16.5 billion | 59 | United States | The Anschutz Corporation |
| 6 | Michael Dell | $16.5 billion | 34 | United States | Dell |
| 7 | S. Robson Walton | $15.8 billion | 55 | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 8 | Al-Waleed Bin Talal | $15.0 billion | 42 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 9 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $13.6 billion | 79 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 10 | Li Ka-shing & family | $12.6 billion | 71 | Hong Kong | CK Asset Holdings[46] |
1998
| No.[45] | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $51.0 billion | 43 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Walton family | $48.0 billion | _ | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $33.0 billion | 67 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Paul Allen | $21.0 billion | 45 | United States | Microsoft |
| 5 | Kenneth Thomson | $14.4 billion | 74 | Canada | Woodbridge Co. Ltd.[47] |
| 6 | Jay and Robert Pritzker | $13.5 billion | _ | United States | Hyatt[48] |
| 7 | Forrest Mars Sr. & family | $13.5 billion | 94 | United States | Mars, Inc.[49] |
| 8 | Al-Waleed Bin Talal | $13.3 billion | 41 | Saudi Arabia | Kingdom Holding Company |
| 9 | Lee Shau-kee | $12.7 billion | 70 | Hong Kong | Henderson Land Development[50] |
| 10 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $11.7 billion | 78 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
1997
| No.[45] | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Gates | $36.4 billion | 42 | United States | Microsoft |
| 2 | Walton family | $27.6 billion | _ | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $23.2 billion | 66 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Lee Shau-kee | $14.7 billion | 69 | Hong Kong | Henderson Land Development[50] |
| 5 | Paul Allen | $14.1 billion | 44 | United States | Microsoft |
| 6 | Kwok brothers | $12.3 billion | 48 | Hong Kong | Sun Hung Kai Properties[51] |
| 7 | Haas family | $12.3 billion | _ | United States | Levi Strauss & Co[52] |
| 8 | Forrest Mars Sr. & family | $12.0 billion | 93 | United States | Mars, Inc.[49] |
| 9 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $11.5 billion | 77 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| 10 | Tsai Wan-lin & family | $11.3 billion | 73 | Taiwan | Cathay Life Insurance[53] |
1996
| No.[45] | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walton family | $22.9 billion | _ | United States | Wal-Mart |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $18.0 billion | 41 | United States | Microsoft |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $15.3 billion | 65 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| 4 | Oeri, Hoffman & Sacher families | $13.1 billion | _ | Switzerland | Roche[54] |
| 5 | Lee Shau-kee | $12.7 billion | 68 | Hong Kong | Henderson Land Development[50] |
| 6 | Tsai Wan-lin & family | $12.2 billion | 72 | Taiwan | Cathay Life Insurance[53] |
| 7 | Kwok brothers | $11.2 billion | _ | Hong Kong | Sun Hung Kai Properties[51] |
| 8 | Li Ka-shing & family | $10.6 billion | 68 | Hong Kong | CK Asset Holdings[46] |
| 9 | Yoshiaki Tsutsumi | $9.2 billion | 62 | Japan | Seibu Railway[55] |
| 10 | Karl and Theo Albrecht | $9.0 billion | 76 | Germany | Aldi Süd[56] |
1995
| No.[45] | Name | Net worth (USD) | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walton family | $23.5 billion | United States |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $12.9 billion | United States |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | $10.7 billion | world, billionaires, annual, ranking, worth, forbes, magazine, list, world, billionaires, ranked, order, worththe, worth, world, billionaires, increased, from, less, than, trillion, 2000, over, trillion, 2015, publication, detailspublisherwhale, media, investm. Annual ranking by net worth by Forbes magazine The World s BillionairesList of the world s billionaires ranked in order of net worthThe net worth of the world s billionaires increased from less than US 1 trillion in 2000 to over 7 trillion in 2015 Publication detailsPublisherWhale Media InvestmentsForbes familyPublicationForbesFirst publishedMarch 1987 91 1 93 Latest publicationApril 5 2022Current list details 2022 91 2 93 WealthiestElon MuskNet worth 1st 160 US 219 160 billionNumber of billionaires 160 2 668Total list net worth value 160 US 12 7 160 trillionNew members to the list 160 236Forbes The World s Billionaires website The World s Billionaires is an annual ranking by documented net worth of the wealthiest billionaires in the world compiled and published in March annually by the American business magazine Forbes The list was first published in March 1987 91 1 93 The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated and is cited in United States dollars based on their documented assets and accounting for debt and other factors Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists 91 3 93 This ranking is an index of the wealthiest documented individuals excluding any ranking of those with wealth that is not able to be completely ascertained 91 4 93 In 2018 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was ranked at the top for the first time and became the first centibillionaire included in the ranking 91 5 93 surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates who had topped the list 18 of the previous 24 years In 2022 after topping the list for four years Bezos was surpassed by Elon Musk 91 2 93 Contents 1 Methodology 2 Annual rankings 2 1 Legend 2 2 2022 2 3 2021 2 4 2020 2 5 2019 2 6 2018 2 7 2017 2 8 2016 2 9 2015 2 10 2014 2 11 2013 2 12 2012 2 13 2011 2 14 2010 2 15 2009 2 16 2008 2 17 2007 2 18 2006 2 19 2005 2 20 2004 2 21 2003 2 22 2002 2 23 2001 2 24 2000 2 25 1999 2 26 1998 2 27 1997 2 28 1996 2 29 1995 2 30 1994 2 31 1993 2 32 1992 2 33 1991 2 34 1990 2 35 1989 2 36 1988 2 37 1987 3 Statistics 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Specific 5 2 General 6 External links Methodology Each year Forbes employs a team of over 50 reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world s wealthiest individuals 91 6 93 and sometimes groups or families who share wealth Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list According to Forbes they received three types of responses 160 some people try to inflate their wealth others cooperate but leave out details and some refuse to answer any questions 91 7 93 Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets 160 land homes vehicles artwork etc 160 are made Interviews are conducted to vet the figures and improve the estimate of an individual s holdings Finally positions in a publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing price to sales or price to earnings ratios Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual s estimated worth in United States dollars Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly an individual s true wealth and ranking at the time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled 91 6 93 When a living individual has dispersed his or her wealth to immediate family members it is included under a single listing as a single family fortune provided that individual the grantor is still living However if a deceased Billionaire s fortune has been dispersed it will not appear as a single listing and each recipient will only appear if his or her own total net worth is over a Billion his or her net worth will not be combined with family members 91 6 93 Royal families and dictators that have their wealth contingent on a position are always excluded from these lists 91 8 93 Annual rankings The rankings are published annually in March so the net worths listed are snapshots taken at that time These lists only show the top 10 wealthiest billionaires for each year Legend Icon Description Has not changed from the previous ranking Has increased from the previous ranking Has decreased from the previous ranking 2022 In the 36th annual Forbes list of the world s billionaires the list included 2 668 billionaires with a total net wealth of 12 7 trillion down 97 members from 2021 91 2 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Elon Musk 219 160 billion 160 50 160 United States Tesla SpaceX 2 Jeff Bezos 177 160 billion 160 58 160 United States Amazon 3 Bernard Arnault amp family 158 160 billion 160 73 160 France LVMH 4 Bill Gates 129 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Microsoft 5 Warren Buffett 118 160 billion 160 91 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 6 Larry Page 111 160 billion 160 49 160 United States Alphabet Inc 7 Sergey Brin 107 160 billion 160 48 160 United States Alphabet Inc 8 Larry Ellison 106 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Oracle Corporation 9 Steve Ballmer 91 4 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Microsoft 10 Mukesh Ambani 90 7 160 billion 64 160 India Reliance Industries 2021 In the 35th annual Forbes list of the world s billionaires the list included 2 755 billionaires with a total net wealth of 13 1 trillion up 660 members from 2020 86 of these billionaires had more wealth than they possessed last year 91 9 93 91 10 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Jeff Bezos 177 160 billion 160 57 160 United States Amazon 2 Elon Musk 151 160 billion 160 49 160 United States Tesla SpaceX 3 Bernard Arnault amp family 150 160 billion 160 72 160 France LVMH 4 Bill Gates 124 160 billion 160 65 160 United States Microsoft 5 Mark Zuckerberg 97 160 billion 160 36 160 United States Meta Platforms 6 Warren Buffett 96 160 billion 160 90 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 7 Larry Ellison 93 160 billion 160 76 160 United States Oracle Corporation 8 Larry Page 91 5 160 billion 160 48 160 United States Alphabet Inc 9 Sergey Brin 89 160 billion 160 47 160 United States Alphabet Inc 10 Mukesh Ambani 84 5 160 billion 63 160 India Reliance Industries 2020 In the 34th annual Forbes list of the world s billionaires the list included 2 095 billionaires with a total net wealth of 8 trillion down 58 members and 700 billion from 2019 51 of these billionaires had less wealth than they possessed last year 91 11 93 The list was finalized as of 18 March thus was already partially influenced by the COVID 19 pandemic 91 11 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Jeff Bezos 113 160 billion 160 56 160 United States Amazon 2 Bill Gates 98 160 billion 160 64 160 United States Microsoft 3 Bernard Arnault amp family 76 160 billion 160 71 160 France LVMH 4 Warren Buffett 67 5 160 billion 160 89 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 5 Larry Ellison 59 160 billion 160 75 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Amancio Ortega 55 1 160 billion 160 84 160 Spain Inditex Zara 7 Mark Zuckerberg 54 7 160 billion 160 35 160 United States Facebook Inc 8 Jim Walton 54 6 160 billion 160 71 160 United States Walmart 9 Alice Walton 54 4 160 billion 160 70 160 United States Walmart 10 S Robson Walton 54 1 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Walmart 2019 In the 33rd annual Forbes list of the world s billionaires the list included 2 153 billionaires with a total net wealth of 8 7 trillion down 55 members and 400 billion from 2018 91 12 93 The U S continued to have the most billionaires in the world with a record of 609 while China dropped to 324 when not including Hong Kong Macau and Taiwan 91 12 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Jeff Bezos 131 160 billion 160 55 160 United States Amazon 2 Bill Gates 96 5 160 billion 160 63 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 82 5 160 billion 160 88 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Bernard Arnault 76 160 billion 160 70 160 France LVMH 5 Carlos Slim 64 160 billion 160 79 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 6 Amancio Ortega 62 7 160 billion 160 82 160 Spain Inditex Zara 7 Larry Ellison 62 5 160 billion 160 74 160 United States Oracle Corporation 8 Mark Zuckerberg 62 3 160 billion 160 34 160 United States Facebook Inc 9 Michael Bloomberg 55 5 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Bloomberg L P 10 Larry Page 50 8 160 billion 160 45 160 United States Alphabet Inc 2018 In the 32nd annual Forbes list of the world s billionaires the aggregate wealth of the top 20 richest people on Earth amounted to about 13 percent of all billionaires fortunes combined 91 13 93 A record of 2 208 billionaires were in the ranking and the total wealth was 9 1 trillion up 18 since 2017 For the first time Jeff Bezos was listed as the top billionaire due to Amazon s rising stock price that resulted in one person s biggest one year gain in wealth 35 billion since Forbes started tracking in 1987 91 13 93 The U S had the most billionaires in the world with 585 while China was catching up with 476 when including Hong Kong Macau and Taiwan it had 372 when excluding those three places 91 13 93 Forbes excluded Al Walid bin Talal and all other Saudi billionaires due to the absence of accurate wealth estimations as a result of the 2017 19 Saudi Arabian purge 91 14 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Jeff Bezos 112 160 billion 160 54 160 United States Amazon 2 Bill Gates 90 160 billion 160 62 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 84 160 billion 160 87 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Bernard Arnault 72 160 billion 160 69 160 France LVMH 5 Mark Zuckerberg 71 billion 160 33 160 United States Facebook Inc 6 Amancio Ortega 70 160 billion 160 81 160 Spain Inditex Zara 7 Carlos Slim 67 1 160 billion 160 78 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 8 Charles Koch 60 160 billion 160 82 160 United States Koch Industries 8 David Koch 60 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Koch Industries 10 Larry Ellison 58 5 160 billion 160 73 160 United States Oracle Corporation 2017 On the 30th anniversary of the Forbes list of the world s billionaires for the fourth year in a row Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world 91 5 93 In 2017 there was a record of 2 043 people on the list which is the first time over 2 000 people were listed This included 195 newcomers of whom 76 were from China and 25 from the U S there were 56 people under 40 and it had a record of 227 women 91 15 93 The number of billionaires increased 13 to 2 043 from 1 810 in 2016 this was the biggest change in over 30 years of tracking billionaires globally 91 5 93 Added together the total net worth for 2017 s billionaires was US 7 67 160 trillion up from US 7 1 160 trillion in 2015 91 5 93 91 16 93 This was the first time after 12 years that Carlos Slim was not within the top five The U S had the most billionaires in the world with a record of 565 China had 319 not including Hong Kong Taiwan or Macau Germany had 114 and India had the fourth most with 101 India reached over 100 billionaires for its first time No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 86 0 160 billion 160 61 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 75 6 160 billion 160 86 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Jeff Bezos 72 8 160 billion 160 53 160 United States Amazon 4 Amancio Ortega 71 3 160 billion 160 80 160 Spain Inditex Zara 5 Mark Zuckerberg 56 0 160 billion 160 32 160 United States Facebook Inc 6 Carlos Slim 54 5 160 billion 160 77 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 7 Larry Ellison 52 2 160 billion 160 72 160 United States Oracle Corporation 8 Charles Koch 48 3 160 billion 160 81 160 United States Koch Industries 8 David Koch 48 3 160 billion 160 76 160 United States Koch Industries 10 Michael Bloomberg 47 5 160 billion 160 75 160 United States Bloomberg L P 2016 For the third year in a row Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes 39 2016 list of the world s billionaires 91 17 93 This is the 17th time that the founder of Microsoft had claimed the top spot Amancio Ortega rose from last year s position of number four to second 91 18 93 Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway came in third for the second consecutive time 91 19 93 while Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim slipped from last year s second position to fourth Jeff Bezos of Amazon 91 20 93 Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook 91 21 93 and Michael Bloomberg of Bloomberg L P 91 22 93 appeared for the first time on the Forbes top 10 billionaires list coming at fifth sixth and eighth positions respectively Zuckerberg became the youngest top 10 billionaire this year at the age of 31 Larry Ellison Charles Koch and David Koch also slipped from their previous year s positions with Ellison dropping to seventh from fifth and the Kochs falling to ninth position from sixth No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 75 0 160 billion 160 60 160 United States Microsoft 2 Amancio Ortega 67 0 160 billion 160 79 160 Spain Inditex 3 Warren Buffett 60 8 160 billion 160 85 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Carlos Slim 50 0 160 billion 160 76 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 5 Jeff Bezos 45 2 160 billion 160 52 160 United States Amazon 6 Mark Zuckerberg 44 6 160 billion 160 31 160 United States Facebook Inc 7 Larry Ellison 43 6 160 billion 160 71 160 United States Oracle Corporation 8 Michael Bloomberg 40 0 160 billion 160 74 160 United States Bloomberg L P 9 Charles Koch 39 6 160 billion 160 80 160 United States Koch Industries 9 David Koch 39 6 160 billion 160 75 160 United States Koch Industries 2015 Main article The World s Billionaires 2015 In the 29th annual Forbes list of global billionaires a record 1 826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of 7 1 trillion compared to 6 4 trillion in the previous year 46 of the billionaires in this list were under the age of 40 A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time of whom 25 percent hailed from China which produced a world leading 71 newcomers The United States came in second with 57 followed by India with 28 and Germany with 23 91 23 93 The United States had the largest number of billionaires with 526 Russia went down to 88 from 111 in 2014 Russia was placed behind China Germany and India by the number of billionaires Self made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1 191 positions over 65 percent while just 230 under 13 percent had wealth through inheritance The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but were still working to increase their fortunes is 405 91 24 93 Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes annual list of the world s billionaires This was the 16th time that the founder of Microsoft claimed the top spot Carlos Slim came in second for the second consecutive time Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway placed third while Amancio Ortega of Spain slipped down a position from the previous year to number four Larry Ellison the founder of Oracle rounded off the top five Christy Walton was the highest ranking female at number eight America s Evan Spiegel co founder of photo messaging app Snapchat became the youngest billionaire this year at age 24 At age 99 David Rockefeller maintained his position as the oldest billionaire included in the list 91 25 93 Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook rose to number 16 with 33 4 billion Iceland had a billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson in the list after a gap of five years Guatemala had a billionaire Mario Lopez Estrada for the first time in its history 91 26 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 79 2 160 billion 160 59 160 United States Microsoft 2 Carlos Slim 77 1 160 billion 160 75 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 3 Warren Buffett 72 7 160 billion 160 84 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Amancio Ortega 64 5 160 billion 160 78 160 Spain Inditex 5 Larry Ellison 54 3 160 billion 160 70 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Charles Koch 42 9 160 billion 160 79 160 United States Koch Industries 6 David Koch 42 9 160 billion 160 74 160 United States Koch Industries 8 Christy Walton 41 7 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Walmart 9 Jim Walton 40 6 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Walmart 10 Liliane Bettencourt 40 1 160 billion 160 92 160 France L Oreal 2014 Main article The World s Billionaires 2014 Gates added 9 billion to his fortune since 2013 and topped the Forbes 2014 billionaire list He had topped the list in 15 of the previous 20 years but his previous number one ranking was in 2009 91 27 93 Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim came in second place after being number one the previous four years Zara founder Amancio Ortega placed third for the second consecutive year American investor Warren Buffett was in the top five for the 20th consecutive year placing fourth 91 28 93 America s Christy Walton was the highest ranking woman placing ninth overall 91 1 93 Aliko Dangote of Nigeria became the first African to enter the top 25 with an estimated net worth of 25 billion 91 3 93 A total of 1 645 people made the 2014 billionaire list representing a combined wealth of 6 4 trillion 91 28 93 Of those a record 268 were newcomers surpassing 2008 s 226 newcomers 91 1 93 100 people listed in 2013 failed to make the list 91 28 93 The number of women on the list rose to a record 172 in 2014 91 1 93 Approximately 66 percent of the list were self made 13 percent achieved their wealth through inheritance alone and 21 percent through a mixture of the two 91 3 93 The United States had 492 billionaires on the list the most of any country 91 28 93 It also had the most newcomers with 50 and women with 54 91 1 93 China had the second most billionaires with 152 while Russia was third with 111 91 28 93 Algeria Lithuania Tanzania and Uganda were all represented on the list for the first time Turkey saw the most people drop off the list 19 due to a period of high inflation in the country 91 3 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 76 0 160 billion 160 58 160 United States Microsoft 2 Carlos Slim amp family 72 0 160 billion 160 74 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 3 Amancio Ortega 64 0 160 billion 160 77 160 Spain Inditex 4 Warren Buffett 58 2 160 billion 160 83 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 5 Larry Ellison 48 0 160 billion 160 70 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Charles Koch 40 0 160 billion 160 78 160 United States Koch Industries 6 David Koch 40 0 160 billion 160 73 160 United States Koch Industries 8 Sheldon Adelson 38 0 160 billion 160 80 160 United States Las Vegas Sands 9 Christy Walton amp family 36 7 160 billion 160 65 160 United States Walmart 10 Jim Walton 34 7 160 billion 160 65 160 United States Walmart 2013 Main article The World s Billionaires 2013 Carlos Slim topped the 2013 billionaire list marking his fourth consecutive year at the top Gates remained in second while Amancio Ortega moved up to third Ortega s gain of 19 5 billion was the largest of anyone on the list 91 29 93 Warren Buffett failed to make the top three for the first time since 2000 placing fourth Diesel founder Renzo Rosso was among the top newcomers debuting with an estimate net worth of 3 billion 91 30 93 A global rise in asset prices led Forbes editor Randall Lane to declare It was a very good year to be a billionaire However it was not a good year to be Eike Batista who fell from seventh to 100th suffering the largest net loss of anyone on the list 91 29 93 Overall net gainers outnumbered net losers by 4 1 91 30 93 A record total of 1 426 people made the 2013 list representing 5 4 trillion of assets 91 31 93 Of those 442 billionaires hailed from the United States 91 29 93 The Asian Pacific region had 386 billionaires and Europe 366 The list also featured a record number of newcomers 210 representing 42 countries 60 people from the 2012 list fell below a billion dollars of assets in 2013 and eight others from the 2012 list died The Asia Pacific region had the most drop offs with 29 followed by the United States with 16 The 2013 list featured 138 women of which 50 came from the United States A majority of the list 961 individuals 67 percent were entirely self made 184 13 percent inherited their wealth and 281 20 percent achieved their fortune through a combination of inheritance and business acumen 91 31 93 Vietnam s Phạm Nhật Vượng was the first person from that country to be included in this list No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Carlos Slim amp family 73 0 160 billion 160 73 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 2 Bill Gates 67 0 160 billion 160 57 160 United States Microsoft 3 Amancio Ortega 57 0 160 billion 160 76 160 Spain Inditex Group 4 Warren Buffett 53 5 160 billion 160 82 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 5 Larry Ellison 43 0 160 billion 160 68 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Charles Koch 34 0 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Koch Industries 6 David Koch 34 0 160 billion 160 72 160 United States Koch Industries 8 Li Ka shing 31 0 160 billion 160 84 160 Hong Kong Cheung Kong Holdings 9 Liliane Bettencourt amp family 30 0 160 billion 160 90 160 France L Oreal 10 Bernard Arnault 29 0 160 billion 160 63 160 France LVMH 2012 Main article The World s Billionaires 2012 Carlos Slim topped the 2012 list marking this third consecutive year at the top Gates placed second but narrowed the gap from 2011 as Slim s fortune fell 5 billion while Gates rose 5 billion Warren Buffett remained in third place Bernard Arnault of France was the top ranking European on the list placing fourth 91 32 93 Ricardo Salinas Pliego was the greatest gainer in terms of dollars adding 9 2 billion to his fortune and moving up to number 37 overall 91 32 93 Making her debut on the list at age 27 Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the youngest self made female billionaire ever 91 33 93 Colombia s Alejandro Santo Domingo was the highest ranked newcomer inheriting a 9 5 billion stake in Santo Domingo Group from his father 91 32 93 India s Lakshmi Mittal was the largest loser as his fortune dropped from 31 1 billion to 20 7 billion as the price of steelmaker ArcelorMittal fell sharply 91 32 93 As a result he failed to make the top 10 for the first time since 2004 and lost his title of richest Asian to Hong Kong s Li Ka shing 91 34 93 A record total of 1 226 people made the 2012 list representing 58 countries Of those 126 were newcomers to the list and 104 were women The United States had the greatest number of billionaires with 425 Russia had 96 people on the list while China had 95 91 32 93 Georgia Morocco and Peru were newly represented on the list Falling stock prices in Asia contributed to 117 former billionaires falling from the list worldwide Twelve others listed in 2011 died Overall net gainers 460 barely outnumbered net losers 441 91 34 93 To coincide with the release of the 2012 list Forbes announced a then new Billionaire Real Time Ticker updating the wealth of the world s top 50 billionaires in real time 91 32 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Carlos Slim amp family 69 0 160 billion 160 72 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 2 Bill Gates 61 0 160 billion 160 56 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 44 0 160 billion 160 81 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Bernard Arnault 41 0 160 billion 160 63 160 France LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton 5 Amancio Ortega 37 5 160 billion 160 75 160 Spain Inditex Group 6 Larry Ellison 36 0 160 billion 160 67 160 United States Oracle Corporation 7 Eike Batista 30 0 160 billion 160 55 160 Brazil EBX Group 8 Stefan Persson 26 0 160 billion 160 64 160 Sweden H amp M 9 Li Ka shing 25 5 160 billion 160 83 160 Hong Kong Cheung Kong Holdings 10 Karl Albrecht 25 4 160 billion 160 92 160 Germany Aldi 2011 Main article The World s Billionaires 2011 In the 25th annual Forbes list of global billionaires Slim added 20 5 billion to his fortune the most of anyone and retained his number one ranking with a total fortune of 74 billion Gates remained in second place with 56 billion while Warren Buffett was third with 50 billion The top 10 had a combined wealth of 406 billion up from 342 billion in 2010 91 citation needed 93 According to Forbes editor Kerry Dolan media and technology billionaires definitely benefited from a stronger stock market and a growing enthusiasm for all things social since the 2010 list 91 35 93 However Nigerian commodity mogul Aliko Dangote was the greatest gainer on a percentage basis as his fortune increased 557 percent to 13 5 billion Mark Zuckerberg was one of seven Facebook related billionaires on the list as he added 9 5 billion to his net worth to move up to 52nd Facebook co founder Dustin Moskovitz was the youngest person on the list Aged 26 eight days younger than Zuckerberg he debuted at number 420 with an estimated fortune of 2 7 billion IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was the largest loser as he saw his fortune plummet from 23 billion to 6 billion dropping him from 11th to 162nd overall 91 citation needed 93 A record 1 210 billionaires made the 2011 list representing a combined wealth of 4 5 trillion up from 3 6 trillion the previous year 91 36 93 One third of the world s billionaires 413 came from the United States China had the second most billionaires with 115 while Russia was third with 101 Asia moved up to 332 billionaires passing Europe as a region for the first time since the 1990s The 2011 list included 214 newcomers and the average net worth of those on it increased to 3 7 billion 91 35 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Carlos Slim 74 0 160 billion 160 71 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 2 Bill Gates 56 0 160 billion 160 55 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 50 0 160 billion 160 80 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Bernard Arnault 41 0 160 billion 160 62 160 France LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton 5 Larry Ellison 39 5 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Lakshmi Mittal 31 1 160 billion 160 60 160 India Arcelor Mittal 7 Amancio Ortega 31 0 160 billion 160 74 160 Spain Inditex Group 8 Eike Batista 30 0 160 billion 160 53 160 Brazil EBX Group 9 Mukesh Ambani 27 0 160 billion 54 160 India Reliance Industries 10 Christy Walton amp family 26 5 160 billion 160 62 160 United States Walmart 2010 Main article The World s Billionaires 2010 Slim narrowly eclipsed Gates to top the billionaire list for the first time Slim saw his estimated worth surge 18 5 billion to 53 5 billion as shares of America Movil rose 35 percent Gates estimated wealth rose 13 billion to 53 billion placing him second Warren Buffett was third with 47 billion 91 37 93 Christy Walton was the highest ranking woman placing 12th overall with an inherited fortune of 22 5 billion 91 38 93 At age 25 Mark Zuckerberg continued to be the world s youngest self made billionaire 91 7 93 American Isaac Perlmutter was among the newcomers with an estimated fortune of 4 billion largely acquired in his sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney 91 37 93 A total of 1 011 people made the 2010 list The United States accounted for 403 billionaires followed by China with 89 and Russia with 62 91 38 93 It was the first time China while including Hong Kong placed second 91 37 93 A total of 55 countries were represented on the 2010 list including Finland and Pakistan which claimed their first billionaires 91 38 93 Eighty nine women made the list but only 14 of them were self made 91 38 93 The combined net worth of the list was 3 6 trillion up 50 percent from 2009 s 2 4 trillion while the average net worth was 3 5 billion 91 7 93 The 2010 list featured 164 re entries and 97 true newcomers 91 7 93 Asia accounted for more than 100 of the new entrants Overall just 12 percent of the list lost wealth since 2009 and 30 people fell off the list 13 others died 91 37 93 Of the 89 women 12 were newcomers in 2010 Steve Forbes said the growing number of billionaires was a clear sign that the world s economy was recovering from 2009 s global financial crisis 91 7 93 In June 2010 Gates and Buffett announced the Giving Pledge a promise to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes As of 2017 the pledge had 158 signatories but some of the signatories have since died Most of the signers of the pledge are billionaires and their pledges total over 365 billion 91 39 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Carlos Slim amp family 53 5 160 billion 160 70 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 2 Bill Gates 53 0 160 billion 160 54 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 47 0 160 billion 160 79 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Mukesh Ambani 29 0 160 billion 160 53 160 India Reliance Industries 5 Lakshmi Mittal 28 7 160 billion 160 60 160 India Arcelor Mittal 6 Larry Ellison 28 0 160 billion 160 66 160 United States Oracle Corporation 7 Bernard Arnault 27 5 160 billion 160 61 160 France LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton 8 Eike Batista 27 0 160 billion 160 53 160 Brazil EBX Group 9 Amancio Ortega 25 0 160 billion 160 74 160 Spain Inditex Group 10 Karl Albrecht 23 5 160 billion 160 90 160 Germany Aldi Sud 2009 In the wake of the Financial crisis of 2007 2008 the world s billionaires lost 2 trillion in net worth and the list became 30 smaller than the previous year s list 91 40 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 40 0 160 billion 160 53 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 37 0 160 billion 160 78 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Carlos Slim 35 0 160 billion 160 69 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 4 Larry Ellison 22 5 160 billion 160 64 160 United States Oracle Corporation 5 Ingvar Kamprad 22 0 160 billion 160 83 160 Sweden IKEA 6 Karl Albrecht 21 5 160 billion 160 89 160 Germany Aldi Sud 7 Mukesh Ambani 19 5 160 billion 160 52 160 India Reliance Industries 8 Lakshmi Mittal 19 3 160 billion 160 58 160 India Arcelor Mittal 9 Theo Albrecht 18 8 160 billion 160 87 160 Germany Aldi Nord Trader Joe s 10 Amancio Ortega 18 3 160 billion 160 73 160 Spain Inditex Group 2008 Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg four years after starting the company joined the list at 23 to become the youngest self made billionaire No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Warren Buffett 62 0 160 billion 160 77 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 2 Carlos Slim 60 0 160 billion 160 68 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 3 Bill Gates 58 0 160 billion 160 52 160 United States Microsoft 4 Lakshmi Mittal 45 0 160 billion 160 57 160 India Arcelor Mittal 5 Mukesh Ambani 43 0 160 billion 160 51 160 India Reliance Industries 6 Anil Ambani 42 0 160 billion 160 48 160 India Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group 7 Ingvar Kamprad 31 0 160 billion 160 81 160 Sweden IKEA 8 Kushal Pal Singh 30 0 160 billion 160 76 160 India DLF Group 9 Oleg Deripaska 28 0 160 billion 160 40 160 Russia Rusal 10 Karl Albrecht 27 0 160 billion 160 88 160 Germany Aldi Sud 2007 Forbes recorded a then record of 946 billionaires There were 178 newcomers as well as the first billionaires from Cyprus Oman Romania and Serbia Over 66 of the previous year s billionaires became richer The billionaires net worth increased in 2007 by 900 billion to 3 5 trillion 91 41 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 56 0 160 billion 160 51 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 52 0 160 billion 160 76 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Carlos Slim 49 0 160 billion 160 67 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 4 Ingvar Kamprad 33 0 160 billion 160 80 160 Sweden IKEA 5 Lakshmi Mittal 32 0 160 billion 160 56 160 India Arcelor Mittal 6 Sheldon Adelson 26 5 160 billion 160 73 160 United States Las Vegas Sands 7 Bernard Arnault 26 0 160 billion 160 58 160 France LVMH 8 Amancio Ortega 24 0 160 billion 160 71 160 Spain Inditex Group 9 Li Ka shing 23 0 160 billion 160 78 160 Hong Kong Cheung Kong Holdings Hutchison Whampoa 10 David Thomson 22 0 160 billion 160 49 160 Canada Thomson Corporation 2006 Free cash used by consumers from home equity extraction known as the real estate bubble created a total of nearly 5 160 trillion in 2005 contributing to economic growth worldwide 91 42 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 52 0 160 billion 50 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 42 0 160 billion 75 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Carlos Slim 30 0 160 billion 66 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 4 Ingvar Kamprad 28 0 160 billion 79 160 Sweden IKEA 5 Lakshmi Mittal 23 5 160 billion 55 160 India Mittal Steel Company 6 Paul Allen 22 0 160 billion 53 160 United States Microsoft 7 Bernard Arnault 21 5 160 billion 57 160 France LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton 8 Al Waleed bin Talal 20 0 160 billion 49 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 9 Kenneth Thomson 19 6 160 billion 82 160 Canada Thomson Corporation 10 Li Ka shing 18 8 160 billion 77 160 Hong Kong Cheung Kong Group Hutchison Whampoa 2005 The net worth of 2005 s 691 billionaires was 2 2 trillion More than half of them had self made fortunes 91 43 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 46 5 160 billion 49 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 44 0 160 billion 74 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Lakshmi Mittal 25 0 160 billion 54 160 India Mittal Steel Company 4 Carlos Slim 23 8 160 billion 65 160 Mexico America Movil Grupo Carso 5 Al Waleed bin Talal 23 7 160 billion 49 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 6 Ingvar Kamprad 23 0 160 billion 79 160 Sweden IKEA 7 Paul Allen 21 0 160 billion 52 160 United States Microsoft 8 Karl Albrecht 18 5 160 billion 160 85 160 Germany Aldi Sud 9 Larry Ellison 18 4 160 billion 160 60 160 United States Oracle Corporation 10 S Robson Walton 18 3 160 billion 160 61 160 United States Walmart 2004 The founders of Google Sergey Brin and Larry Page became billionaires at age 30 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 46 6 160 billion 48 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 42 9 160 billion 73 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Karl Albrecht 23 0 160 billion 160 84 160 Germany Aldi Sud 4 Al Waleed bin Talal 21 5 160 billion 47 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 5 Paul Allen 21 0 160 billion 51 160 United States Microsoft 6 Alice Walton 20 0 160 billion 55 160 United States Wal Mart 6 Helen Walton 20 0 160 billion 84 160 United States Wal Mart 6 Jim Walton 20 0 160 billion 56 160 United States Wal Mart 6 John Walton 20 0 160 billion 58 160 United States Wal Mart 6 S Robson Walton 20 0 160 billion 60 160 United States Wal Mart Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart 2003 Oprah Winfrey became the first female African American billionaire No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 40 7 160 billion 47 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 30 5 160 billion 72 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Karl and Theo Albrecht 25 6 160 billion 160 83 160 Germany Aldi Sud 4 Paul Allen 20 1 160 billion 50 160 United States Microsoft 5 Al Waleed bin Talal 17 7 160 billion 46 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 6 Larry Ellison 16 6 160 billion 160 58 160 United States Oracle Corporation 7 Alice Walton 16 5 160 billion 54 160 United States Wal Mart 7 Helen Walton 16 5 160 billion 83 160 United States Wal Mart 7 Jim Walton 16 5 160 billion 55 160 United States Wal Mart 7 John Walton 16 5 160 billion 57 160 United States Wal Mart 7 S Robson Walton 16 5 160 billion 59 160 United States Wal Mart Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart 2002 As a result of the market crash caused by the Dot com bubble 83 billionaires dropped off the list from the previous year No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 52 8 160 billion 46 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 35 0 160 billion 71 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Karl and Theo Albrecht 26 8 160 billion 160 82 160 Germany Aldi Sud 4 Paul Allen 25 2 160 billion 49 160 United States Microsoft 5 Larry Ellison 23 5 160 billion 160 57 160 United States Oracle Corporation 6 Jim Walton 20 8 160 billion 54 160 United States Wal Mart 7 John Walton 20 7 160 billion 56 160 United States Wal Mart 8 Alice Walton 20 5 160 billion 53 160 United States Wal Mart 8 S Robson Walton 20 5 160 billion 58 160 United States Wal Mart 8 Helen Walton 20 5 160 billion 82 160 United States Wal Mart Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart 2001 In 2001 BET founder Robert L Johnson became the first ever African American billionaire 91 44 93 No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 58 7 160 billion 45 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 32 3 160 billion 70 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Paul Allen 30 4 160 billion 48 160 United States Microsoft 4 Larry Ellison 26 0 160 billion 160 56 160 United States Oracle Corporation 5 Karl and Theo Albrecht 25 0 160 billion 160 81 160 Germany Aldi 6 Al Waleed bin Talal 20 0 160 billion 44 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 7 Jim Walton 18 8 160 billion 53 160 United States Wal Mart 8 John Walton 18 7 160 billion 55 160 United States Wal Mart 9 S Robson Walton 18 6 160 billion 57 160 United States Wal Mart 10 Alice Walton 18 5 160 billion 52 160 United States Wal Mart 10 Helen Walton 18 5 160 billion 81 160 United States Wal Mart Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal Mart Had he been alive in 2001 Sam Walton would have been the world s wealthiest person 2000 Gates became the first American to take the top spot of the world s billionaires in 1995 with a net worth of 12 5 billion and he remained there during the dot com bubble s height in 1999 when his fortune peaked at 90 billion After the dot com bubble started to collapse in 2000 his wealth dropped to 60 billion although he remained at the top of the list No Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 60 0 160 billion 44 160 United States Microsoft 2 Larry Ellison 47 0 160 billion 160 55 160 United States Oracle Corporation 3 Paul Allen 28 0 160 billion 47 160 United States Microsoft 4 Warren Buffett 25 6 160 billion 69 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 5 Karl and Theo Albrecht 20 0 160 billion 160 80 160 Germany Aldi Sud 6 Al Waleed bin Talal 20 0 160 billion 43 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 7 S Robson Walton 20 0 160 billion 57 160 United States Wal Mart 8 Masayoshi Son 19 4 160 billion 43 160 Japan Softbank Capital SoftBank Mobile 9 Michael Dell 19 1 160 billion 35 160 United States Dell 10 Kenneth Thomson 16 1 160 billion 77 160 Canada The Thomson Corporation 1999 No 91 45 93 Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 90 0 160 billion 43 160 United States Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 36 0 160 billion 68 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 3 Paul Allen 30 0 160 billion 46 160 United States Microsoft 4 Steven Ballmer 19 5 160 billion 160 43 160 United States Microsoft 5 Philip Anschutz 16 5 160 billion 160 59 160 United States The Anschutz Corporation 6 Michael Dell 16 5 160 billion 34 160 United States Dell 7 S Robson Walton 15 8 160 billion 55 160 United States Wal Mart 8 Al Waleed Bin Talal 15 0 160 billion 42 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 9 Karl and Theo Albrecht 13 6 160 billion 79 160 Germany Aldi Sud 10 Li Ka shing amp family 12 6 160 billion 71 160 Hong Kong CK Asset Holdings 91 46 93 1998 No 91 45 93 Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 51 0 160 billion 43 160 United States Microsoft 2 Walton family 48 0 160 billion 160 United States Wal Mart 3 Warren Buffett 33 0 160 billion 67 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Paul Allen 21 0 160 billion 160 45 160 United States Microsoft 5 Kenneth Thomson 14 4 160 billion 160 74 160 Canada Woodbridge Co Ltd 91 47 93 6 Jay and Robert Pritzker 13 5 160 billion 160 United States Hyatt 91 48 93 7 Forrest Mars Sr amp family 13 5 160 billion 94 160 United States Mars Inc 91 49 93 8 Al Waleed Bin Talal 13 3 160 billion 41 160 Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company 9 Lee Shau kee 12 7 160 billion 70 160 Hong Kong Henderson Land Development 91 50 93 10 Karl and Theo Albrecht 11 7 160 billion 78 160 Germany Aldi Sud 1997 No 91 45 93 Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Bill Gates 36 4 160 billion 42 160 United States Microsoft 2 Walton family 27 6 160 billion 160 United States Wal Mart 3 Warren Buffett 23 2 160 billion 66 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Lee Shau kee 14 7 160 billion 160 69 160 Hong Kong Henderson Land Development 91 50 93 5 Paul Allen 14 1 160 billion 160 44 160 United States Microsoft 6 Kwok brothers 12 3 160 billion 48 160 Hong Kong Sun Hung Kai Properties 91 51 93 7 Haas family 12 3 160 billion 160 United States Levi Strauss amp Co 91 52 93 8 Forrest Mars Sr amp family 12 0 160 billion 93 160 United States Mars Inc 91 49 93 9 Karl and Theo Albrecht 11 5 160 billion 77 160 Germany Aldi Sud 10 Tsai Wan lin amp family 11 3 160 billion 73 160 Taiwan Cathay Life Insurance 91 53 93 1996 No 91 45 93 Name Net worth USD Age Nationality Source s of wealth 1 Walton family 22 9 160 billion 160 United States Wal Mart 2 Bill Gates 18 0 160 billion 41 160 United States Microsoft 3 Warren Buffett 15 3 160 billion 65 160 United States Berkshire Hathaway 4 Oeri Hoffman amp Sacher families 13 1 160 billion 160 160 Switzerland Roche 91 54 93 5 Lee Shau kee 12 7 160 billion 160 68 160 Hong Kong Henderson Land Development 91 50 93 6 Tsai Wan lin amp family 12 2 160 billion 72 160 Taiwan Cathay Life Insurance 91 53 93 7 Kwok brothers 11 2 160 billion 160 Hong Kong Sun Hung Kai Properties 91 51 93 8 Li Ka shing amp family 10 6 160 billion 68 160 Hong Kong CK Asset Holdings 91 46 93 9 Yoshiaki Tsutsumi 9 2 160 billion 62 160 Japan Seibu Railway 91 55 93 10 Karl and Theo Albrecht 9 0 160 billion 76 160 Germany Aldi Sud 91 56 93 1995 No 91 45 93 Name Net worth USD Nationality 1 Walton family 23 5 160 billion 160 United States 2 Bill Gates 12 9 160 billion 160 United States 3 Warren Buffett 10 7 160 billion img data file, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |