Black billionaires facts for kids
Black billionaires are people who have a lot of money, specifically at least one billion US dollars. These individuals are mostly of African heritage. Having a net worth of a billion dollars means they own businesses, investments, and other valuable things that add up to a huge amount of money.
In 2021, a magazine called Forbes listed the world's richest people. Aliko Dangote, a businessman from Nigeria, was the richest Black person in the world. He had about $11.5 billion!
Other Black billionaires on the 2021 Forbes list included:
- Mike Adenuga, a Nigerian businessman
- Robert Smith, an American investor
- David Steward, an American businessman
- Oprah Winfrey, a famous American TV host and media owner
- Patrice Motsepe, a gold mine owner from South Africa
- Rihanna, a music artist and businesswoman from Barbados
- Michael Jordan, a famous American sports star and team owner
- Michael Lee-Chin, a businessman from Jamaica and Canada
- Abdul Samad Rabiu, a Nigerian businessman
- Jay-Z, an American rapper and businessman
- Folorunsho Alakija, a Nigerian businesswoman
- Mo Ibrahim, a businessman from the United Kingdom
- Tyler Perry, an American filmmaker and actor
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People Who Were Billionaires Before
Sometimes, people become billionaires and then their wealth changes. For example, Bob Johnson, an American TV executive, was a billionaire from 2001 to 2003. He lost some money after a divorce but became a billionaire again in 2007. However, his wealth went down again later.
Another example is Femi Otedola, a Nigerian oil executive. He was a billionaire for a short time in 2009. He returned to the list in 2016 with Abdul Samad Rabiu, a sugar businessman, but they both fell off the list the next year.
Billionaires with Mixed Backgrounds
Some billionaires have family roots from different places, including African heritage. Forbes magazine has identified several of these individuals over the years:
- Mohammed Al Amoudi is a billionaire from Saudi Arabia. His family comes from Yemen and Ethiopia. He has been on the Forbes list since 2002.
- Michael Lee-Chin from Canada has Jamaican, Chinese, and Black ancestors. He was on the list for many years.
- Isabel dos Santos has family from Angola and Russia.
- Alex Karp, who started a company called Palantir Technologies, has an African-American mother.
- Rihanna has family from Guyana and Ireland.
More Than Just Money: The Power of Influence
Being a billionaire isn't just about having a lot of money. Some billionaires also have a lot of influence and power. In 2009, Forbes made a list of the 20 most powerful billionaires in the world. This list looked at how much money they had, but also how much they could affect markets and politics.
Only Oprah Winfrey from the list of Black billionaires made it onto this special power list. She was considered very powerful because she could influence what American consumers bought. She also played a big part in Barack Obama's successful campaign to become U.S. President in 2008.
A Look at the Numbers: Black Billionaires Over Time
Here is a table showing how many Black billionaires and billionaires with mixed Black ancestry have been listed by Forbes magazine each year. It also shows the total number of billionaires in the world and the richest person overall for that year.
(Wealth amounts are from Forbes magazine)
| Year | Black Billionaires | Mixed-Race Billionaires with Black Ancestry | All Billionaires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1: Bob Johnson, $1.6 billion  |
1: Michael Lee-Chin, $1 billion  |
538; Richest: Bill Gates, $114 billion |
| 2002 | 1: Bob Johnson, $1 billion |
2:
|
497; Richest: Bill Gates, $52.8 billion |
| 2003 | 2:
|
2:
|
476; Richest: Bill Gates, $40.7 billion |
| 2004 | 1: Oprah Winfrey, $1.1 billion |
2:
|
587; Richest: Bill Gates, $46.6 billion |
| 2005 | 1: Oprah Winfrey, $1.3 billion |
2:
|
691; Richest: Bill Gates, $46.5 billion |
| 2006 | 1: Oprah Winfrey, $1.4 billion |
2:
|
793; Richest: Bill Gates, $50 billion |
| 2007 | 2:
|
2:
|
946; Richest: Bill Gates, $56 billion |
| 2008 | 5:
|
2:
|
1,125; Richest: Warren Buffett, $62 billion |
| 2009 | 5:
|
2:
|
793; Richest: Bill Gates, $40 billion |
| 2010 | 3:
|
2:
|
1,011; Richest: Carlos Slim Helu & family, $53.5 billion  |
| 2011 | 5:
|
1: Mohammad Al Amoudi, $12.3 billion  |
1,210; Richest: Carlos Slim Helu & family, $74 billion |
| 2012 | 5:
|
1: Mohammad Al Amoudi, $12.3 billion |
1,210; Richest: Carlos Slim Helu & family, $74 billion |
| 2013 | 5:
|
2:
|
1,426; Richest: Carlos Slim Helu & family, $73 billion |
| 2014 | 7:
|
2:
|
1,645; Richest: Bill Gates, $76 billion |
| 2016 | 11:
|
2:
|
1,810; Richest: Bill Gates, $75 billion |
| 2019 | 11:
|
4:
|
2,153; Richest: Jeff Bezos, $110 billion |
| 2020 | 13:
|
4:
|
2,095; Richest: Jeff Bezos, $113 billion |
| 2021 | 14:
|
6:
|
2,755; Richest: Elon Musk, $271.9 billion  |
