Forbes: There’re more billionaires than ever in 2024, they’re richer than ever

 

Maureen Aguta

 

Forbes has released its annual list of the world’s billionaires and in 2024, there are more people on the list than ever – and they’re richer than ever.

There are 141 more billionaires in the world than last year, with 2,781 in total. Their combined worth equals $14.2 trillion – up by $2 trillion in 2023.

The 2024 list also broke records set in 2021, with 26 more billionaires on the list and their combined net worth up by $1.1 trillion.

Billionaires themselves are also wealthier, with two-thirds adding to their worth. The top 20 on the list gained the most, adding $700 billion to their combined worth since 2023. And the U.S. has a record 813 billionaires – the most of any country.

China has 473 billionaires and India has 200, which set a record for that country.

To tally their wealth, Forbes used stock prices and exchange rates from March 8, 2024.

Bernard Arnault and his family are at number one, with a net worth of $233 billion. Arnault is head of LVMH, a luxury fashion and cosmetics conglomerate in France. The family is usually in the top three of Forbes’ wealthiest people in the world lists.

Elon Musk, once the richest person in the world, is No. 2 on the list, with a net worth of $195 billion. Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, also bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, renaming it X.

Musk owns an estimated 74% of the social media company, which is now worth nearly 70% less than he paid, Forbes estimates. This and other factors like low Tesla earnings have lead to his net worth dipping below $200 billion several times over the last two years.

Coming in at No. 3 is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who has a net worth of $195 billion. Then comes Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is worth $177 billion.

Other famous names on the list include: Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch and his family, worth $19.5 billion137. Dallas Cowboys General Manager and President Jerry Jones, worth $13.9 billion1,330. Jay-Z, worth $2.5 billion 1,851. Kim Kardashian, worth $1.7 billion 2,545. Taylor Swift, worth $1.1 billion.

The wealthiest woman on the billionaires list comes in at No. 15: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oreal. As the richest woman in the world, she is worth $99.5 billion.

The top four wealthiest women after Bettencourt: Alice Walton, Walmart founder Sam Walton’s daughter, who is worth $72.3 billion23. Julia Koch and her three children, who inherited a stake in Koch Industries from her husband when he died and is worth $64.3 billion35. Jacqueline Mars, who owns one-third of candy and food company Mars, who is worth $38.5 billion43. MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, who is worth $35.6 billion.