Yo, Billionaires Took a New Record: 2,755 Rich Folks in 2024
Forbes just dropped its annual World’s Billionaires list, and it’s a thunderclap of wealth—2,755 names on the leaderboard, a combined worth of $13.1 trillion.
Top 5 – The Richest of the Rich
- Jeff Bezos (Amazon) – $177 billion, holding the crown for the fourth straight year.
- Elon Musk (Tesla) – $151 billion, leaping from 31st last year straight into second place.
- Bernard Arnault (LVMH) – luxury goods king.
- Bill Gates (Microsoft)
- Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) – social media mogul.
Who Doesn’t Make the Top 5 Anymore?
Warren Buffett clattered out of the top five for the first time in more than 20 years, settling at No. 6 with $96 billion. The tech titans have stepped on the throne.
Newcomers & Fan Favorites
- Whitney Wolfe Herd – Bumble’s CEO, fresh off her IPO.
- Other fresh faces are drifting in from all corners of the globe.
Global Spread of Billionaires
- Asia‑Pacific 1,149 names.
- United States 724.
- Europe 628.
Top 20 Asia‑Pacific Highlights
- Mukesh Ambani (No. 10) – $84.5 billion.
- Zhong Shanshan (No. 13) – $68.9 billion.
- Ma Huateng (No. 15) – $65.8 billion.
Singapore Spotlight
- Zhang Yong (Haidilao) – No. 75, $23 billion.
- Goh Cheng Liang (Paint) – No. 80, $21.7 billion.
- Eduardo Saverin – No. 140, $14.6 billion.
- Robert & Philip Ng (Real estate) – No. 158, $13.3 billion.
- Forrest Li (Sea) – No. 177, $12.4 billion.
In a world still bumping from the pandemic’s chaos, the ultra‑wealthy are getting even richer. Whether it’s Bezos staying at the top or Musk jumping from 31st to 2nd, the finance circus just keeps getting wilder.
