Never before have there been so many billionaires in the world as in 2024. This is evident from the annual ranking of billionaires by business magazine Forbes. The list includes a total of 2,781 billionaires from around the world. That is 26 people more than the previous record from 2021. Two-thirds of the people on the list have more money than a year ago and only a quarter have become ‘poorer’. Together, these billionaires have a fortune of $14.2 trillion. Half a percent of billionaires own 14 percent of all the wealth of all billionaires on earth: 2 trillion dollars.
The subtop – the so-called $100 billion club – has also grown from the list. At the top are fourteen people with a capital of twelve figures, in the previous record year this was only one person. The list consists of 66 percent self-made billionaires, 3 percent less than last year. Self-made billionaires are by the definition of Forbes people who have not inherited or received money, but have earned it, for example, from a company that they founded themselves.
According to Forbes The Netherlands has 14 billionaires. The richest Dutch person is 69-year-old Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, major shareholder and director of beer giant Heineken. She is number 132 on the list and her fortune is estimated at 14.1 billion euros. By the way, most billionaires come from the United States, China and India.
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The richest person in the world is 75-year-old French businessman Bernard Arnault and his family. He is the founder and chairman of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, an empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. Arnault’s ability is through Forbes estimated at about $233 billion. The subtop only contains men, most of whom work in the technology sector and live in the United States. The richest woman in the world is once again 70-year-old Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of the French cosmetics company L’Oréal. She is number 15 on the list and just not in the sub-top. Her net worth is estimated at around $99.5 billion. A total of 369 female billionaires are on the list.
Well-known newcomers have also joined the ranks, such as the 34-year-old American pop star Taylor Swift, who became a billionaire this year thanks to her world tour, music catalog and real estate portfolio. She is number 2,545 on the list and her fortune is estimated at around 1.1 billion euros. The ranking of Forbes is a snapshot based on the share price and exchange rate as of March 8, 2024. This means that the list is subject to change.
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