The World's Billionaires Netted A Record $14.2 Trillion. Here's How They Made Their Money

It’s been a banner year for the mega-wealthy. Forbes found an unprecedented 2,781 billionaires around the globe for this year’s World’s Billionaires list—141 more than in 2023 and 26 more than the previous record, set in 2021. The super-rich are also richer than ever, with their combined wealth hitting $14.2 trillion—$2 trillion more than just a year ago and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021.

As with the economy in general, the money is concentrated at the very top. There are now a record 14 people who are members of the $100 Billion Club, the elite group of people whose fortunes stretch into 12 digits. That’s up from just one four years ago. These lucky few are worth $2 trillion in all, meaning just 0.5% of the world’s 2,781 billionaires hold 14% of all billionaire wealth.

The richest of all is Bernard Arnault, who holds the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row. The French luxury goods kingpin is worth an estimated $233 billion, $22 billion more than in 2023 thanks to another record year for his conglomerate LVMH, the company behind brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Sephora. He’s $38 billion richer than the world’s No. 2, Elon Musk, who is worth an estimated $195 billion. Just behind him, at No. 3, is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who is worth an estimated $194 billion. Forbes used stock prices and exchange rates from March 8, 2024 for this year’s ranking.

0:00 Introduction
0:30 How Many Billionaires Made The Cut?
1:10 Who Is The Richest Billionaire In The World?
2:16 How Did Elon Musk Fare?
3:21 AI And Other Billionaire Trends
6:02 What Industries Minted Billionaires?
7:02 Donald Trump's Net Worth
8:55 Who Are Newcomers To The List
11:30 Is The Economy Really Doing Well?

Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/billionaires

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