Forbes’ annual world’s billionaires list includes a record-breaking 2,755 billionaires, with Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos topping it for the fourth consecutive year, the media company said on Tuesday.
The ranks of the ultra-wealthy are expanding after a year in which the coronavirus pandemic upended world economies and threatened the livelihoods of people across the globe.
Bezos had a staggering $177B, cementing his spot as the wealthiest billionaire on the list.
Jeff Bezos had a staggering $177B, cementing his spot as the wealthiest billionaire on the list.
This year’s billionaires are worth a combined $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion last year, Forbes said.
‘The very, very rich got very, very richer,’ said Forbes’ Chief Content Officer Randall Lane, in an interview with Reuters Video News.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk jumped into second spot on the list with $155B, up from 31st last year.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk jumped into second spot on the list with $155B, up from 31st last year.
This year’s list has 493 newcomers, including Kim Kardashian – who came in at 2674th on the list
Bernard Arnault, chief executive of luxury goods firm LVMH, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg round out the top five of the world’s richest billionaires.
Investor and business tycoon Warren Buffett fell out of the top five for the first time in over two decades, as tech executives dominate the Forbes rankings.
Former President Donald Trump notably dropped almost 300 spots as he had an estimated worth of $2.4billion, putting him at spot 1,299.
Last year, Trump came in at 1,001 on the list.
But while he has fallen lower on the list, the former president is still richer than he was when the pandemic started last year.
The rate at which his wealth grew was slower than that of others on the list.
This year’s list has 493 newcomers, including Whitney Wolfe Herd, chief executive of dating app Bumble, which went public this year.
Kim Kardashian is 2674th on the list of Forbes Billionaires. Since October, her net worth has increased from $780million to $1billion, according to the magazine.
Kanye West is also on the list – he is ahead of Kim, in 1750th place with a net worth of $1.8billion.
Kylie Jenner is no longer on the list, after selling a 51 percent stake of her company in 2020.
Last April, Kanye West was named a billionaire by Forbes – largely the most trustworthy media authority on who gets the name – after pleading with them for months to look at his financials.
He said they’d snubbed him repeatedly for years, leaving him off of the annual April list, because of his race.
He showed them financial records from his enormously successful sneaker and clothes line, Yeezy, which backed up his status.
It’s unclear how their respective fortunes will be divided in their divorce, but it is more than likely the pair signed a pre-nuptial agreement when they got married in 2014.
Kim is the third person in her family to earn billionaire status.
Kylie Jenner, her 23-year-old sister, was the first in 2018 when, aged 21, she was named the youngest self-made billionaire in history.
Kanye West is also on the list – he is ahead of Kim, in 1750th place with a net worth of $1.8billion. Kylie Jenner is no longer on the list, after selling a 51 percent stake of her company in 2020