American gambling tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who added $11.5 billion to his pile, makes it back into the top ten for the first time since 2007. Our global wealth team found 1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.4 trillion, up from $5.4 trillion a year ago. The company’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, joins the ranks for the first time, as does Facebook’s longtime vice president Jeff Rothschild. 4. Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) retains the No. Tech, and more specifically Facebook, helped propel numerous fortunes lately.
10. Turkey lost 19 billionaires due to soaring inflation, a sagging stock market and a declining value in its currency. We found billionaires for the first time in Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania and Uganda. They are 4 of 26 newcomers whose fortunes come from technology, 10 of whom are American, including Dropbox CEO Drew Houston and Workday cofounder Aneel Bhusri.
Forbes: The ranks of the world’s billionaires continue to scale new heights-and stretch to new corners of the world. Also, thanks to a $19 billion deal (including restricted stock) with Facebook, WhatsApp founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton join the ranks of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest for the first time. Altogether 100 people dropped out of the ranks, while another 16 passed away.
Net Worth: $34.7 B
Age: 66
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart
Thanks to the tech boom, and strong stock market, the U.S. In total, there are 172 women on the list, more than ever before and up from 138 last year.
Roughly two-thirds of the billionaires built their own fortunes, 13% inherited them and 21% have been adding on to fortunes they received. Also for the first time, an African, Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, breaks into the top 25. Worth $25 billion, he moves up 20 spots.
The year’s biggest dollar gainer was Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped $15.2 billion, to $28.5 billion, as shares of his social network soared. 1 for the past four years. Jim Walton
Still not all countries-or tycoons-had good years. Gates, whose fortune rose by $9 billion in the past year, has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years. We unearthed a record 268 new ten-figure fortunes, including 42 new women billionaires, another record. Other notable newcomers include World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon, fashion king Michael Kors and Denise Coates of UK online betting firm Bet365.
Bill Gates is back on top after a four-year hiatus, reclaiming the title of world’s richest person from telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico, who ranked No. Another first: A record net worth of $31 billion was needed to make the top 20, up from $23 billion last year.. once again leads the world with 492 billionaires, followed by China with 152 and Russia with 111. But wealth is spreading to new places. 3 spot for the second year in a row, extending his lead over Warren Buffett, who is again No. Indonesia, whose currency tumbled 20% against the dollar, now has 8 fewer ten-figure fortunes