With data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, we navigate how the wealth of various uber-affluent groups have changed since the beginning of the pandemic.
The 10 Richest People in the World
With a net worth of $304 billion, Elon Musk is the wealthiest in the world. Boosting his wealth is a $100 billion valuation of SpaceX. Since February, its valuation has jumped roughly $25 billion, placing it among the most valuable private companies worldwide. The majority of Musk’s wealth, however, derives from Tesla, which recently moved its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas. Based on data as of November 8, 2021 here are the ten wealthiest individuals worldwide:
Top 10 Wealth Growth
Since the onset of the pandemic, Musk has seen his wealth grow the fastest out of the top 10. Over the third quarter of 2021, Tesla net income topped $1.6 billion—a company record. This surge helped the entrepreneur become the first person to cross the $300 billion net worth threshold. Yet once again, Musk surpassed Jeff Bezos as the richest person in the world. This is impressive, since Jeff Bezos’s wealth ballooned over 79% in the same time frame. Similarly, Zuckerberg, Gates, and Buffett have all seen double or triple-digit growth.
Following Musk and Bezos is Bernard Arnault, known as “The Wolf in Cashmere”. The French magnate has made over $121 billion spurred by a 43% jump in LVMH revenues over 2021. Earlier this year, LVMH closed a $15.8 billion acquisition of jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. On average, the top 10 richest have seen gains of 204% over the course of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the majority were in tech.
Who’s In and Who’s Out?
As of early August, Rihanna joins the billionaire’s club with an estimated $1.7 billion net worth. Thanks to the rapid ascent of Fenty Beauty (of which she owns a 50% stake), Rihanna is the second-wealthiest female entertainer in the world, following Oprah at $2.7 billion. The company is focused on inclusivity, offering a broad set of products for every skin type. Launched in 2017 with LVMH (who owns the other 50% stake), Fenty Beauty currently sits at a $2.8 billion valuation. By contrast, last year’s youngest billionaire, Kylie Jenner, fell off the list after allegedly inflating her net worth. Interestingly, the Kardashian’s took great lengths to show Forbes the extent of her wealth, including showing them their tax returns along with invitations to their mansions. Still, Jenner’s net worth stands at roughly $700 million.
A New Gilded Age?
Given the staggering growth of the ultra-wealthy in recent years, today’s wealth concentration is now comparable to America’s Gilded Age. At the time, John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in the world—worth roughly $285 billion in today’s terms. His businesses produced 1.6% of total U.S. economic output. By comparison, Elon Musk, at over $304 billion, still has a little ways to go just yet. The data and graphics were last updated on November 8th, 2021. on A lagging stock market dented these fortunes against high interest rates, energy shocks, and economic uncertainty. But some of the world’s billionaires have flourished in this environment, posting sky-high revenues in spite of inflationary pressures. With data from Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, we feature a snapshot of the richest people in the world in 2023.
Luxury Mogul Takes Top Spot
The world’s richest person is France’s Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH.
With 75 brands, the luxury conglomerate owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany. LVMH traces back to 1985, when Arnault cut his first major deal with the company by acquiring Christian Dior, a firm that was struggling with bankruptcy.
Fast-forward to today, and the company is seeing record profits despite challenging market conditions. Louis Vuitton, for instance, has doubled its sales in four years.
In the table below, we show the world’s 10 richest people with data as of February 27, 2023:
Elon Musk, the second-wealthiest person in the world has a net worth of $191 billion. In October, Musk took over Twitter in a $44 billion dollar deal, which has drawn criticism from investors. Many say it’s a distraction from Musk’s work with Tesla.
While Tesla shares have rebounded—after falling roughly 70% in 2022—Musk’s wealth still sits about 13% lower than in March of last year.
Third on the list is Jeff Bezos, followed by Larry Ellison. The latter of the two, who founded Oracle, owns 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai which he bought in 2012 for $300 million.
Fifth on the list is Warren Buffett. In his annual letter to shareholders, he discussed how Berkshire Hathaway reported record operating profits despite economic headwinds. The company outperformed the S&P 500 Index by about 22% in 2022.
How Fortunes Have Changed
Given multiple economic crosscurrents, billionaire wealth has diverged over the last year. Since March 2022, just four of the top 10 richest in the world have seen their wealth increase. Two of these are European magnates, while Carlos Slim Helu runs the largest telecom firm in Latin America. In fact, a decade ago Slim was the richest person on the planet. Overall, as the tech sector saw dismal returns over the year, the top 10 tech billionaires lost almost $500 billion in combined wealth.
Recent Shakeups in Asia
Perhaps the most striking news for the world’s richest centers around Gautam Adani, formerly the richest person in Asia. In January, Hindenburg Research, a short-selling firm, released a report claiming that the Adani Group engaged in stock manipulation and fraud. Specifically, the alleged the firm used offshore accounts to launder money, artificially boost share prices, and hide losses. The Adani Group, which owns India’s largest ports—along with ports in Australia, Sri Lanka, and Israel—lost $100 billion in value in the span of a few weeks. Interestingly, very few Indian mutual funds hold significant shares in Adani Group, signaling a lack of confidence across India’s market, which was also cited in Hindenburg’s report. As a result, Mukesh Ambani has climbed to Asia’s top spot, controlling a $84 billion empire that spans from oil and gas and renewable energy to telecom. His conglomerate, Reliance Industries is the largest company by market cap in India.
