The World's Billionaires facts for kids
| 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.
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| Publication details | |
|---|---|
| Publisher |
|
| Publication | Forbes |
| First published | March 1987 |
| Latest publication | April 2, 2024 |
| Current list details (2024) | |
| Wealthiest | Bernard Arnault |
| Net worth (1st) |  US$233 billion |
| Number of billionaires | 2,781 (from 2640) |
| Total list net worth value | US$14.2 trillion (from US$12.2 trillion) |
| Number of women | 383 |
| Number of men | 2398 |
| New members to the list | 141 |
| Forbes: The World's Billionaires website | |
The World's Billionaires is a yearly list made by the American business magazine Forbes. It ranks people who are billionaires, meaning they have a net worth (total value of their money and things they own) of US$1 billion or more.
The first list came out in March 1987. Each person's total wealth is guessed based on what they own, like businesses, land, and art, minus any money they owe. This list focuses on people whose wealth can be clearly seen. People like royalty or dictators whose money comes from their position are not included.
In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was number one for the first time. He was also the first person on the list to have over $100 billion. He passed Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who had been at the top for 18 out of the previous 24 years. In 2022, Elon Musk took over from Bezos. Then, in 2023, French businessman Bernard Arnault became the richest, making him the first French person to lead the list.
Contents
- How Forbes Finds the Billionaires
- Yearly Rankings of the Richest People
- Understanding the Icons
- 2024 Billionaires
- 2023 Billionaires
- 2022 Billionaires
- 2021 Billionaires
- 2020 Billionaires
- 2019 Billionaires
- 2018 Billionaires
- 2017 Billionaires
- 2016 Billionaires
- 2015 Billionaires
- 2014 Billionaires
- 2013 Billionaires
- 2012 Billionaires
- 2011 Billionaires
- 2010 Billionaires
- 2009 Billionaires
- 2008 Billionaires
- 2007 Billionaires
- 2006 Billionaires
- 2005 Billionaires
- 2004 Billionaires
- 2003 Billionaires
- 2002 Billionaires
- 2001 Billionaires
- 2000 Billionaires
- Billionaire Statistics
- Images for kids
- See also
How Forbes Finds the Billionaires
Each year, Forbes has a team of more than 50 reporters from different countries. They look into the money and businesses of the world's richest people.
Collecting Information
- They send surveys to people who might be rich enough to be on the list.
- Some people try to make their wealth seem bigger, others help but don't share everything, and some don't answer at all.
- Reporters then carefully check business deals and guess the value of important things like land, homes, cars, and art.
- They also do interviews to check the numbers and get a better idea of a person's wealth.
Calculating Wealth
- The value of shares in public companies is checked about a month before the list is published.
- Private companies are valued based on how similar public companies are doing.
- Any known debts are taken away from their assets to get a final guess of their wealth in US dollars.
- Because stock prices change fast, a person's real wealth and rank might be different when the list actually comes out.
Family Wealth Rules
- If a living person has given their money to close family members, it's often counted as one "family fortune" as long as that person is still alive.
- If a billionaire has passed away and their money has been split up, it won't be listed as one fortune. Each family member will only be on the list if their own share is over $1 billion.
- As mentioned before, royal families and dictators whose wealth depends on their position are not included.
Yearly Rankings of the Richest People
The rankings are released every March. The money amounts listed are what people were worth at that specific time. These lists only show the top 10 richest billionaires for each year.
Understanding the Icons
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 |
Has not changed from the previous ranking. |
|
Has increased from the previous ranking. |
 |
Has decreased from the previous ranking. |
2024 Billionaires
The 38th annual Forbes list found a record 2,781 billionaires. Their total wealth was $14.2 trillion. This is 141 more billionaires and $2 trillion more money than in 2023. Two-thirds of the people on the list became richer than the year before. For example, Mark Zuckerberg's wealth grew by $112.6 billion.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Primary source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernard Arnault & family | $233 billion |
75 |  France |
LVMH |
| 2 |
Elon Musk | $195 billion |
52 |  South Africa Canada United States |
Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter (Currently X) |
| 3 |
Jeff Bezos | $194 billion |
60 | United States |
Amazon |
| 4 |
Mark Zuckerberg | $177 billion |
39 | United States |
Meta Platforms |
| 5 |
Larry Ellison | $141 billion |
79 | United States |
Oracle Corporation |
| 6 |
Warren Buffett | $133 billion |
93 | United States |
Berkshire Hathaway |
| 7 |
Bill Gates | $128 billion |
68 | United States |
Microsoft |
| 8 |
Steve Ballmer | $121 billion |
68 | United States |
Microsoft |
| 9 |
Mukesh Ambani | $116 billion |
65 |  India |
Reliance Industries |
| 10 |
Larry Page | $114 billion |
51 | United States |
2023 Billionaires
In 2023, the Forbes list had 2,640 billionaires with a total wealth of $12.2 trillion. This was a decrease of 28 people and $500 billion from 2022. More than half of the people on the list had less wealth than the year before, including Elon Musk, who dropped from number 1 to number 2. This was the first time a French person was at the top, and the first non-American since 2013. The list also included 15 billionaires under 30 years old.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Primary source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bernard Arnault & family | $211 billion |
74 | France |
LVMH |
| 2 |
Elon Musk | $180 billion |
51 | South Africa Canada United States |
Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter (Currently X) |
| 3 |
Jeff Bezos | $114 billion |
59 | United States |
Amazon |
| 4 |
Larry Ellison | $107 billion |
78 | United States |
Oracle Corporation |
| 5 |
Warren Buffett | $106 billion |
92 | United States |
Berkshire Hathaway |
| 6 |
Bill Gates | $104 billion |
67 | United States |
Microsoft |
| 7 |
Michael Bloomberg | $94.5 billion |
81 | United States |
Bloomberg L.P. |
| 8 |
Carlos Slim & family | $93 billion |
83 |  Mexico |
Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
| 9 |
Mukesh Ambani | $83.4 billion |
66 | India |
Reliance Industries |
| 10 |
Steve Ballmer | $80.7 billion |
67 | United States |
Microsoft |
2022 Billionaires
In 2022, the Forbes list had 2,668 billionaires. Their total wealth was $12.7 trillion. This was 97 fewer billionaires than in 2021.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Primary source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Elon Musk | $219 billion |
50 | South Africa Canada 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 |
|
| 7 |
Sergey Brin | $107 billion |
48 | United States |
|
| 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 Billionaires
In 2021, the Forbes list had 2,755 billionaires. Their total wealth was $13.1 trillion. This was 660 more billionaires than in 2020. A large number, 86%, of these billionaires had more wealth than the year before.
| 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 | South Africa Canada 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 |
|
| 9 |
Sergey Brin | $89 billion |
47 | United States |
|
| 10 |
Mukesh Ambani | $84.5 billion |
63 | India |
Reliance Industries |
2020 Billionaires
In 2020, the Forbes list had 2,095 billionaires. Their total wealth was $8 trillion. This was 58 fewer billionaires and $700 billion less than in 2019. More than half of these billionaires had less wealth than the year before. The list was finished on March 18, so it was already partly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
| 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 Billionaires
In 2019, the Forbes list had 2,153 billionaires. Their total wealth was $8.7 trillion. This was 55 fewer billionaires and $400 billion less than in 2018. The U.S. still had the most billionaires with a record 609. China had 324 (not counting Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).
| 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 |
2018 Billionaires
In 2018, a record 2,208 billionaires were on the Forbes list. Their total wealth was $9.1 trillion, which was 18% more than in 2017. For the first time, Jeff Bezos was the top billionaire. This was because Amazon's stock price went up a lot, giving him the biggest one-year wealth gain ($35 billion) since Forbes started tracking in 1987. The U.S. had the most billionaires with 585. China was close behind with 476 (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).
| 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 Billionaires
In 2017, for the fourth year in a row, Bill Gates was the richest man in the world. There was a record 2,043 people on the list, the first time over 2,000 people were included. This included 195 new billionaires. The total wealth for all billionaires in 2017 was $7.67 trillion. This was the first time in 12 years that Carlos Slim was not in the top five. The U.S. had the most billionaires with a record 565.
| 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 Billionaires
For the third year in a row, Bill Gates was the richest person in the world on the Forbes 2016 list. This was his 17th time at the top. Amancio Ortega moved up to second place. Warren Buffett was third for the second time. Carlos Slim dropped from second to fourth. Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Michael Bloomberg (Bloomberg L.P.) appeared in the top 10 for the first time. Zuckerberg became the youngest top 10 billionaire at 31 years old.
| 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 Billionaires
In 2015, a record 1,826 billionaires were named. Their total wealth was $7.1 trillion. A record 290 people joined the list for the first time. China had the most new billionaires with 71. The United States had the largest number of billionaires overall with 526.
Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world for the 16th time. Carlos Slim was second, and Warren Buffett was third. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman at number eight. America's Evan Spiegel, co-founder of Snapchat, became the youngest billionaire at age 24. David Rockefeller was the oldest at 99.
| 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 Billionaires
Gates added $9 billion to his wealth since 2013 and topped the Forbes 2014 billionaire list. He had been number one in 15 of the previous 20 years. Carlos Slim came in second after being number one for four years. Zara founder Amancio Ortega was third. Warren Buffett was in the top five for the 20th year in a row, placing fourth. America's Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman at ninth. Aliko Dangote of Nigeria became the first African to enter the top 25.
A total of 1,645 people made the 2014 list. A record 268 were new to the list. The number of women on the list grew to a record 172. About 66% of the list made their own wealth. The United States had the most billionaires with 492.
| 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 Billionaires
Carlos Slim was at the top of the 2013 billionaire list for the fourth year in a row. Gates stayed in second place. Amancio Ortega moved up to third, gaining $19.5 billion, which was the biggest gain on the list. Warren Buffett was not in the top three for the first time since 2000.
A record total of 1,426 people made the 2013 list, with $5.4 trillion in total wealth. Of these, 442 billionaires were from the United States. The list also had a record 210 new billionaires. Most of the people on the list (67%) made their own wealth. Vietnam had its first person on the list, Phạm Nhật Vượng.
| 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 Billionaires
Carlos Slim topped the 2012 list for the third year in a row. Gates was second, and Warren Buffett was third. Bernard Arnault of France was the top European on the list. Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire at age 41.
A record total of 1,226 people made the 2012 list, from 58 countries. Of these, 126 were new to the list and 104 were women. The United States had the most billionaires with 425.
| 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 Billionaires
In 2011, Carlos Slim added $20.5 billion to his wealth, the most of anyone, and stayed at number one with $74 billion. Gates was second with $56 billion, and Warren Buffett was third with $50 billion. The top 10 together had $406 billion. Forbes noted that billionaires in media and technology did very well. Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote's wealth grew by 557% to $13.5 billion. Mark Zuckerberg's wealth grew by $9.5 billion, moving him to 52nd place. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz was the youngest person on the list at 26.
A record 1,210 billionaires made the 2011 list, with a total wealth of $4.5 trillion. One-third of the world's billionaires (413) were from the United States. China had the second most with 115, and Russia was third with 101. Asia had more billionaires than Europe for the first time since the 1990s.
| 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 Billionaires
Carlos Slim just barely passed Gates to top the billionaire list for the first time. Slim's wealth grew by $18.5 billion to $53.5 billion. Gates' wealth grew by $13 billion to $53 billion, putting him in second. Warren Buffett was third with $47 billion. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman. At 25, Mark Zuckerberg was still the world's youngest self-made billionaire.
A total of 1,011 people made the 2010 list. The United States had 403 billionaires. China was second with 89, and Russia was third with 62. It was the first time China was second. Eighty-nine women made the list, but only 14 of them made their own wealth. The total wealth of everyone on the list was $3.6 trillion, up 50% from 2009.
| 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 Billionaires
After the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, the world's billionaires lost $2 trillion in wealth. The list became 30% smaller than the year before.
| 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 Billionaires
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg joined the list in 2008 at age 23. He became the youngest self-made billionaire, just four years after starting his company.
| 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 Billionaires
Forbes recorded a record 946 billionaires in 2007. There were 178 new people on the list. Over 66% of the billionaires from the previous year became richer. The total wealth of billionaires grew by $900 billion to $3.5 trillion.
| 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 Billionaires
Money that people had from their home values, known as the real estate bubble, created almost $5 trillion in 2005. This helped the economy grow worldwide.
| 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 Billionaires
In 2005, the 691 billionaires on the list had a total wealth of $2.2 trillion. More than half of them had made their own fortunes.
| 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 Billionaires
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 Billionaires
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 |
| 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 Billionaires
Because of the market crash caused by the Dot-com bubble, 83 billionaires dropped off the list from the year before.
| 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 |
| 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 Billionaires
In 2001, BET founder Robert L. Johnson became the first ever African-American billionaire.
| 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 Billionaires
Gates became the first American to be the richest person in the world in 1995 with $12.5 billion. He stayed there during the peak of the dot-com bubble in 1999, when his wealth reached $90 billion. After the dot-com bubble started to crash in 2000, his wealth dropped to $60 billion, but he was still 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 |
| 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 |
Billionaire Statistics
The dot-com bubble created a lot of "paper wealth" (money that looked good on paper but wasn't always real) for some billionaires. But when the bubble burst, many of these new fortunes disappeared. Billionaires' wealth was hit even harder by the global financial crisis. In 2009, it was the first time in five years that the world had fewer billionaires. However, strong stock markets and a recovering global economy have helped many of the world's richest people see their fortunes grow again in the early 2010s.
| Year | Number of billionaires | Group's combined net worth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,781 | $14.2 trillion |
| 2023 | 2,640 | $12.2 trillion |
| 2022 | 2,668 | $12.7 trillion |
| 2021 | 2,755 | $13.1 trillion |
| 2020 | 2,095 | $8.0 trillion |
| 2019 | 2,153 | $8.7 trillion |
| 2018 | 2,208 | $9.1 trillion |
| 2017 | 2,043 | $7.7 trillion |
| 2016 | 1,810 | $6.5 trillion |
| 2015 | 1,826 | $7.1 trillion |
| 2014 | 1,645 | $6.4 trillion |
| 2013 | 1,426 | $5.4 trillion |
| 2012 | 1,226 | $4.6 trillion |
| 2011 | 1,210 | $4.5 trillion |
| 2010 | 1,011 | $3.6 trillion |
| 2009 | 793 | $2.4 trillion |
| 2008 | 1,125 | $4.4 trillion |
| 2007 | 946 | $3.5 trillion |
| 2006 | 793 | $2.6 trillion |
| 2005 | 691 | $2.2 trillion |
| 2004 | 587 | $1.9 trillion |
| 2003 | 476 | $1.4 trillion |
| 2002 | 497 | $1.5 trillion |
| 2001 | 538 | $1.8 trillion |
| 2000 | 470 | $898 billion |
| Sources: Forbes. | ||
Images for kids
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The net worth of the world's billionaires increased from less than US$1 trillion in 2000 to over $7 trillion in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Milmillonarios según Forbes para niños
