Bill Gates
has, once again, been named the richest man in the world by Forbes
Magazine's Annual list of the world's Billionaires. This is the 16th
time that the founder of Microsoft has claimed the top spot. Carlos Slim, a Mexican Businessman, came in second for the second consecutive time. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway was placed third while the founder of Zara, Amancio Ortega of Spain, slipped down a position from last year to number four. Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle rounded off the top five. Christy Walton was the highest ranking female at number eight. America's Evan Spiegel, co-founder of photo messaging app Snapchat became the youngest billionaire this year at the age of 24. At age 99, David Rockefeller maintained his position as the oldest billionaire to make the list.[7]
In the 29th annual List of global billionaires, a record 1,826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of $7.05 trillion compared to $6.4 trillion last year. 46 of the billionaires on the list are under the age of 40. A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time, of whom 25% hail from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57, followed by India, with 28, and Germany, with 23.[8] Mark Zuckerburg, the social media magnate and founder of Facebook, was placed at number 16 with $33.4 billion. Self-made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1,191 positions (over 65%) while just 230 (under 13%) have wealth through inheritance. The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes is 405.[9]
The United States has the largest number of billionaires with 526. Russia was the biggest loser in this year's list being down to 88 from 111 in 2014. Russia is now placed behind China, Germany and India by the number dollar billionaires. Iceland has a billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson in the list after a gap of five years. Guatemala has a billionaire, Mario Lopez Estrada, for the first time in its history.
In the 29th annual List of global billionaires, a record 1,826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of $7.05 trillion compared to $6.4 trillion last year. 46 of the billionaires on the list are under the age of 40. A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time, of whom 25% hail from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57, followed by India, with 28, and Germany, with 23.[8] Mark Zuckerburg, the social media magnate and founder of Facebook, was placed at number 16 with $33.4 billion. Self-made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1,191 positions (over 65%) while just 230 (under 13%) have wealth through inheritance. The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes is 405.[9]
The United States has the largest number of billionaires with 526. Russia was the biggest loser in this year's list being down to 88 from 111 in 2014. Russia is now placed behind China, Germany and India by the number dollar billionaires. Iceland has a billionaire Thor Bjorgolfsson in the list after a gap of five years. Guatemala has a billionaire, Mario Lopez Estrada, for the first time in its history.
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Citizenship | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1  |
Bill Gates | $79.2 billion  |
59 |  United States |
Microsoft |
| 2 |
Carlos Slim | $77.1 billion |
75 |  Mexico |
Telmex, Grupo Carso |
| 3 |
Warren Buffett | $72.7 billion |
84 | United States |
Berkshire Hathaway |
4  |
Amancio Ortega | $64.5 billion |
78 |  Spain |
Inditex Group |
| 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 |
60 | United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 9 |
Jim Walton | $40.6 billion |
66 | United States |
Wal-Mart |
| 10 |
Liliane Bettencourt | $40.1 billion |
92 |  France |
L'Oreal |
