The 14 Richest People in the World

In last year’s Forbes list, there were only six magnates who had broken the record of having a fortune exceeding US$100 billion. The news is that in this year’s list, published this Tuesday, there are 14 members of the exclusive club that only includes those with a net worth of at least 12 digits.

To get an idea of the magnitude of a US$100 billion fortune, just look at the size of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country, that is, the sum of all goods and services produced by a nation in one year.

Thus, the individual wealth of each of these 14 magnates is greater than the GDP of countries such as Panama, Uruguay, Costa Rica, or Bolivia.

Chase Peterson-Withorn, senior wealth editor at Forbes, said it had been an “astonishing” year for the world’s richest people.

“Even in times of financial uncertainty for many, the super-rich continue to thrive,” he noted.

Forbes said that in 2024 there was a record number of 2,781 billionaires, 141 more than the previous year and 26 more than the previous record in 2021.

The elite is richer than ever and accumulates wealth of US$14.2 trillion.

Here is the “Club of 14” list, the most exclusive group of magnates on the planet, according to Forbes.

1. Bernard Arnault (France)

Net worth: US$233 billion
For the second consecutive year, Arnault is the richest person in the world. Arnault’s wealth grew by 10% in 2023 thanks to another record year for his luxury conglomerate, LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Sephora.

2. Elon Musk (USA)

Net worth: US$195 billion
As the ranking constantly changes, Musk has gained and lost the title of “world’s richest” several times, as the valuation of SpaceX, Tesla, and the social network X (formerly Twitter) evolves.

3. Jeff Bezos (USA)

Net worth: US$194 billion

Bezos is much richer this year thanks to Amazon’s strong stock performance.

4. Mark Zuckerberg (USA)

Net worth: US$177 billion

For the CEO of Meta, the waters have been rough. After the social media giant’s shares plummeted 75% from their highest level in 2021, they nearly tripled in value over the last year.

5. Larry Ellison (USA)

Net worth: US$141 billion

Over the last year, shares of the tech company Oracle rose more than 30%, boosting his fortune. Although he stepped down as CEO of the company, Ellison remains chairman, chief technology officer, and its largest shareholder.

6. Warren Buffett (USA)

Net worth: US$133 billion.

Considered one of the most successful investors of all time, Buffett runs Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate that owns dozens of companies, including insurer Geico, battery manufacturer Duracell, and restaurant chain Dairy Queen.

Berkshire’s shares are at record levels, 30% higher than last year.

7. Bill Gates (USA)

Net worth: US$128 billion.

The co-founder of Microsoft was the world’s richest person for 18 of the 23 years from 1995 to 2017.

Despite his gigantic fortune, Gates has fallen in the rankings due to tough competition in the tech sector, a costly divorce in 2021, and his donations to charitable organizations, according to Forbes.

8. Steve Ballmer (USA)

Net worth: US$121 billion.

The former CEO of Microsoft led the company from 2000 to 2014, after the dot-com crisis. After retiring from Microsoft, Ballmer bought the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, whose value has grown in recent years. Today it is the fifth most valuable team in the NBA.

9. Mukesh Ambani (India)

Net worth: US$116 billion.

Ambani’s wealth has grown substantially thanks to the boom in shares of his conglomerate, Reliance Industries. The company has interests in the petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecommunications, retail, and financial services sectors.

10. Larry Page (USA)

Net worth: US$114 billion.

Co-founder and board member of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Along with Sergey Brin, they remain the largest individual shareholders of the tech giant.

11. Sergey Brin (Russia/USA)

Net worth: US$110 billion.

Co-founder and board member of Alphabet. Brin stepped down as company president in December 2019 but remains a major shareholder of the company alongside Larry Page.

12. Michael Bloomberg (USA)

Net worth: US$106 billion.

Co-founder of the financial information and media company Bloomberg LP. He currently owns 88% of the business. He was mayor of New York City for 12 years.

13. Amancio Ortega (Spain)

Net worth: US$103 billion.

His fortune increased last year thanks to a 43% rise in the shares of his clothing company, Inditex, which manages the Zara chain. His real estate portfolio includes logistics, residential, and office properties mainly in Europe and the United States.

14. Carlos Slim (Mexico)

Net worth: US$102 billion.

The businessman was the world’s richest person and is still the richest in Latin America. His fortune grew last year thanks to an increase in the Mexican peso and a 60% jump in the share price of his industrial conglomerate, Grupo Carso.

Slim and his family control América Móvil, the largest mobile telecommunications company in Latin America.