Most billionaires ever in 2024, Taylor Swift new arrival

NOS News•yesterday, 9:45 PM•Amended yesterday, 11:18 PM

There have never been so many and they have never been so rich: it has been a banner year for the mega-rich, according to the list of billionaires from business magazine Forbes.

Forbes found 2,781 billionaires around the world. That is 141 more than last year and 26 more than the previous record from 2021. Together they represent a capital of 14.2 trillion dollars (1 trillion is 1000 billion). That’s $2 trillion more than a year ago and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also from 2021.

As with all lists, there are people at the bottom and others leading the pack. And there is a subtop, which has also become larger than before. The so-called $100 billion club, of people with 12-figure capital, now numbers 14 people, Forbes reports. Four years ago, only one person was so fabulously rich.

Telling addition from Forbes: “This one lucky few are worth a total of $2 trillion, which means that just 0.5 percent of the world’s 2,781 billionaires control 14 percent of the wealth of all billionaires on earth.”

The list of the ten richest:

Richest people in the world according to Forbes

This year’s assets on which Forbes bases its ranking are measured based on the share prices and exchange rates of March 8, 2024. It is therefore a snapshot, so the list may now be different. By the way, Forbes also maintains a ranking in “real time”, which does mean that the size of listed assets on that list is easier to follow than that of private assets.

Forbes also looked specifically at Russian billionaires. The super-rich also prospered there, the makers of the list report. The wealthiest Russians added $72 billion to their fortunes in the past year, bringing their combined wealth to $577 billion. At the top is oligarch Vagit Alekperov, former CEO of oil giant Lukoil.

Many Russian billionaires ended up on Western sanctions lists to punish Putin and those close to him for the war in Ukraine. Their total assets fell to $353 billion in 2022.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Forbes had estimated the total wealth of Russian billionaires at $606 billion. Thanks to high commodity prices over the past two years and Russia’s war economy, the impact of Western sanctions has weakened, allowing for a recovery, says Forbes.

Like every year, there are also people who appear on the list for the first time. According to Forbes, there are a total of 265 and the most famous is pop star Taylor Swift. Her Eras Tour, which visits five continents, exceeds $1 billion in sales. Forbes reports that the 34-year-old singer has an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion, based on income from her world tour, the value of her music catalog and her real estate portfolio.

According to Forbes, Swift is the first musician to become a billionaire based solely on her songs and performances. Other notable newcomers include basketball legend and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

He amassed his fortune through investments in professional sports teams, movie theaters, Starbucks franchises, real estate and healthcare. Another well-known newcomer is the French fashion designer Christian Louboutin, of the famous pumps with red soles. He has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion.

Where do most billionaires come from? America continues to deliver by far the most: 813 (compared to 735 last year), with China at an appropriate distance in 2nd place with 406. This is followed by India (200), Germany, Russia, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong (which Forbes sees separately of China), and the United Kingdom.

The Netherlands has 14 billionaires, says Forbes. The richest Dutch person is Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken. She is ranked 132 in the Forbes list with a net worth of $14.1 billion. That amount is based on its almost 24 percent stake in beer giant Heineken.

Carvalho-Heineken is also one of the richest women on the Forbes list. Women are still very underrepresented with ‘only’ 369 billionaires. The richest woman is once again Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, heiress to the L’Oréal group. Her net worth is estimated by Forbes at $99.5 billion.

The richest “self-made” woman, who owes her wealth to a company she founded herself, is the Swiss shipping magnate Rafaela Aponte-Diamant ($33.1 billion). By the way, 66 percent of the billionaires list consists of self-made billionaires. Last year that was 69 percent.