French businessman Bernard Arnault has been named as richest person in the world, according to Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024.
Bernard Arnault oversees the LVMH empire of 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. The net worth of the business tycoon stands at $233 Billion as of March 8, 2024.
The 75-year-old is followed by Teslan owner Elon Musk with net worth standing at $195 Billion. Musk cofounded six companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and tunneling startup Boring Company.
Amazon owner Jeff Bezos ranked third richest person in the world with $194 billion net worth while Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg has secured fourth place with $177 billion net worth.
Bill Gates is seventh richest person while India’s Mukesh Ambani stands at ninth place with $116 billion net worth.
There are now more billionaires than ever: 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021. They’re richer than ever, worth $14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by $2 trillion from 2023 and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021, reads Forbes blog.
Two-thirds of the list’s members are worth more than a year ago; only one fourth are poorer. Much of the gains come from the top 20, who added a combined $700 billion in wealth since 2023, and from the U.S., which now boasts a record 813 billionaires worth a combined $5.7 trillion.
China remains second, with 473 (including Hong Kong) worth $1.7 trillion, despite weak consumer spending and a real estate bust that helped wipe out some $300 billion in wealth. India, which has 200 billionaires (also a record), ranks third
