Billionaire

{{Short description|Person who has at least one billion units of a currency}} {{Other uses}} {{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} {{Pp-move}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}} [[File:Rockefeller, John D. 1910-k - DPLA - 1c077d0981e501ac06c6cee6378efc15.jpg|thumb|Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller became the first billionaire in 1916.]] A '''billionaire''' is a person whose net worth is at least one billion units of a given currency, typically USD. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultra high-net-worth individual. The American business magazine ''Forbes'' produces a global list of known U.S. dollar billionaires<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forbes 2025 Billionaires List - The Richest People In The World Ranked |url=https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=Forbes |language=English}}</ref> every year and updates an internet version of this list in real time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forbes Real Time Billionaires List - The World's Richest People |url=https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/ |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Miller|first1=Matthew|last2=Kroll|first2=Luisa|title=Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro.html|work=Forbes|date=10 March 2010|access-date=7 June 2010|archive-date=26 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926014457/http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller became the world's first confirmed billionaire in 1916.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=O'Donnell|first1=Carl|date=11 July 2014|access-date=7 January 2014|title=The Rockefellers: The Legacy Of History's Richest Man|journal=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlodonnell/2014/07/11/the-rockefellers-the-legacy-of-historys-richest-man/|archive-date=20 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120052423/http://www.forbes.com/sites/carlodonnell/2014/07/11/the-rockefellers-the-legacy-of-historys-richest-man/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nineteen individuals had attained the status of centibillionaires, each with a net worth of at least $100 billion, as of January 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mohamed |first=Theron |date=2024-10-22 |title=Meet the 17 people in the $100 billion club — who are jointly worth more than Amazon or Google |url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/news/meet-the-17-people-in-the-dollar100-billion-club-who-are-jointly-worth-more-than/3hsq49d |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Business Insider Africa |language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2025|March|post=,}} there are 3028 billionaires worldwide, with a combined wealth of over $16.1 trillion, up nearly $2 trillion over 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forbes 2025 Billionaires List - The Richest People In The World Ranked |url=https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/ |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=Forbes |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson-Withorn |first=Chase |title=Forbes' 38th Annual World's Billionaires List: Facts And Figures 2024 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2024/04/02/forbes-38th-annual-worlds-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures-2024/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson-Withorn |first=Chase |title=Forbes' 37th Annual World's Billionaires List: Facts And Figures 2023 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2023/04/04/forbes-37th-annual-worlds-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures-2023/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

== Current U.S. dollar billionaires == {{See also|The World's Billionaires}} [[File:Global-share-of-wealth-by-wealth-group-768x409.png|thumb|250px|Global share of wealth by wealth group, Credit Suisse, 2017]] According to the ''UBS/PwC Billionaires Report 2019'' report released in November 2019, there are currently 2,101 U.S. dollar billionaires worldwide, from 66 countries, with a combined net worth of $8.5 trillion.<ref name="UBS 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ubs.com/global/en/media/display-page-ndp/en-20191108-ubs-pwc-billionaires-report-2019.html|title=UBS/PwC Billionaires Report 2019|website=UBS.com|language=en|access-date=2019-12-20|archive-date=7 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207161630/https://www.ubs.com/global/en/media/display-page-ndp/en-20191108-ubs-pwc-billionaires-report-2019.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth-management/uhnw/billionaires-report.html|title=Billionaires insights 2018|website=Billionaires insights|language=en|access-date=2019-12-20|archive-date=20 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220235153/https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth-management/uhnw/billionaires-report.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also according to the report, billionaires have a substantial positive contribution to the sustainability and success of companies controlled by them. Billionaire-controlled companies listed on the equity market returned 17.8 percent, compared with the 9.1 percent of the MSCI AC World Index. According to the authors of the report, this Billionaire Effect is connected with smart risk-taking and willingness to plan and invest for the long term.

The majority of billionaires are male, as fewer than 11% (197 of 1,826) on the 2015 list were female billionaires.<ref name=BehindNumbers/> The United States has the largest number of billionaires of any country, with 536 {{As of|2015|lc=y}},<ref name=BehindNumbers>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/03/02/behind-the-numbers-in-forbes-billionaires-list |title=Behind the Numbers in Forbes' Billionaires List |work=U.S. News & World Report |date=2 March 2015 |access-date=12 March 2018 |archive-date=26 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726235455/https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/03/02/behind-the-numbers-in-forbes-billionaires-list |url-status=live }}</ref> while China, India and Russia are home to 213, 90 and 88 billionaires, respectively.<ref name=Forbes2015/><ref name="IndiaBillionaires2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2015/03/03/a-record-90-indians-on-forbes-billionaires-list-2015/|title=A Record 90 Indians On Forbes Billionaires List 2015|date=3 March 2015|work=Forbes|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-date=2 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802075653/http://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2015/03/03/a-record-90-indians-on-forbes-billionaires-list-2015/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, only 46 billionaires were under the age of 40,<ref name=BehindNumbers/> while the list of American-only billionaires, as of 2010, had an average age of 66.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rappeport|first=Alan|title=Brics becoming billionaire factory|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/bc9b6d80-4a8d-11e0-82ab-00144feab49a.html#axzz1MvizGKiW|access-date=20 May 2011|newspaper=Financial Times|date=9 March 2011|archive-date=9 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609103013/https://www.ft.com/content/bc9b6d80-4a8d-11e0-82ab-00144feab49a#axzz1MvizGKiW|url-status=live}}</ref>

Different authorities use different methodologies to determine net worth and to rank them, and not all information about personal finances is publicly available. In 2019, Forbes counted a record 607 billionaires in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Real Time Billionaires|url=https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=Forbes|language=en|archive-date=25 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425042103/https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the course of the 2020s, depending on the source and the year, the world's richest person has been reckoned to be Jeff Bezos, Bernard Arnault and family, or Elon Musk.

From 2014 to 2019, the number of female billionaires grew by 46%. That is more than the number of male billionaires in the same period (39%). As of 2019 there were 233 female billionaires in the world, compared to 160 in 2013.<ref name="UBS 2019" />

== Education and work experience ==

Billionaires come from a very wide variety of backgrounds. College education is not universal among billionaires, as almost 30% of billionaires around the world in 2015 did not have a college degree of any kind.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|last=Shen|first=Lucinda|date=8 August 2016|url=https://fortune.com/2016/08/08/billionaires-no-degree/|title=You'd be Surprised How Many Billionaires Don't Have a College Degree|website=fortune.com|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516003645/https://fortune.com/2016/08/08/billionaires-no-degree/|url-status=live}}</ref> But this shows substantial correlation between education and success. More than 70% of these billionaires have some kind of college degree, while in the general US population only 38% have a college degree,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Melanie |title=Education Attainment Statistics |url=https://educationdata.org/education-attainment-statistics |website=Education Data Initiative |access-date=15 September 2025}}</ref> and in the general world population less than 10% of people have a college degree. There is also a substantial correlation between top university education and billionaire status. The top 10 universities in the United States produced 99 of the top 400 billionaires in 2018, which makes these schools overrepresented among billionaires compared with the general population. For example, 10 billionaires (or 4%) had graduated from Harvard University, while Harvard graduates only make up 0.2% of the general population of adults in the United States; in other words, a billionaire from the ''Forbes 400'' list that year was 20 times more likely to have gone to Harvard than a non-billionaire.<ref name="TechRepublic" />

Billionaires come from a wide range of fields of study and initial employment. The most common field of university education for billionaires was finance and economics, which contributed to a combined 15.5% of billionaire educations,<ref name="auto"/><ref name="TechRepublic">{{Cite web|last=Forrest|first=Conner|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/these-10-college-majors-have-created-more-billionaires-than-any-other-fields-of-study/|title=These 10 college majors have created more billionaires than any other fields of study|work=TechRepublic|date=23 October 2018|access-date=12 May 2021|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516003646/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/these-10-college-majors-have-created-more-billionaires-than-any-other-fields-of-study/|url-status=live}}</ref> a similar proportion to the general US population.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Have the Top 25 Most Popular College Majors Changed Over Time? |url=https://www.studentchoice.org/news/how-have-the-top-25-most-popular-college-majors-changed-over-time/ |website=Student Choice |access-date=15 September 2025}}</ref> Very few college-educated billionaires pursued business interests in their field of study, with the exception of computer science majors. All twelve of the computer science major billionaires worked in computer science, while only half of engineers worked in engineering, and less than a quarter of finance and economics majors ever worked in finance or economics. The most common field for billionaires to enter for their first job was sales and military service.<ref name="TechRepublic" /> Military service produced 21 billionaires.<ref name="TechRepublic" />

== Inequality == {{See also|List of sovereign states by wealth inequality}} Between 2010 and 2015 the wealth of the richest 62 people among the World's Billionaires increased by $500 bn (£350 bn) to $1.76 tn.<ref name="Oxfam">{{cite web|title=62 people own same as half world|url=http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum|publisher=Oxfam|access-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029083422/https://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/62-people-own-same-as-half-world-says-oxfam-inequality-report-davos-world-economic-forum|archive-date=29 October 2018|url-status=dead|date=18 January 2016}}</ref> More recently, in 2017, an Oxfam report noted that just eight billionaires have as much net worth as "half the human race".<ref name="OXF-20170116">{{cite press release |title=Just 8 men own same wealth as half the world |date=16 January 2017 |publisher=Oxfam |url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world |last=Ratcliff |first=Anna |access-date=16 January 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116191825/https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world |archive-date=16 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20170116">{{cite news |last=Mullany |first=Gerry |date=16 January 2017 |title=World's 8 Richest Have as Much Wealth as Bottom Half of Global Population |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/eight-richest-wealth-oxfam.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116211255/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/world/eight-richest-wealth-oxfam.html |archive-date=16 January 2017 |access-date=17 January 2017 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> However, the Oxfam report has been criticized for considering debt as negative wealth, which leads to wealthy people with large amounts of debt being considered poor or not wealthy.<ref name="Vox">{{cite web|title=Are 26 billionaires worth more than half the planet? The debate, explained.|url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/22/18192774/oxfam-inequality-report-2019-davos-wealth|date=22 January 2019|work=vox.com|access-date=8 November 2019|archive-date=8 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108093033/https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/22/18192774/oxfam-inequality-report-2019-davos-wealth|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Public perception == Attitudes toward billionaires vary by country. A comparative study of 13 countries found attitudes were most positive in Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan, and most negative in France and Germany.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Zitelmann |first=Rainer |title=Popular perceptions of the rich in 13 countries |journal=Economic Affairs |volume=44 |issue=2 |year=2024 |doi=10.1111/ecaf.12633|doi-access=free }}</ref> A 2024 study of over 4,300 people in 20 countries found that people in wealthier and more income-equal countries were more likely to view extreme wealth as immoral, and that cultural and religious background shaped attitudes: in countries with strong Protestant traditions, wealth was more often seen as acceptable if earned through hard work.<ref>{{cite web |title=What people really think about ultra-wealthy billionaires |url=https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/what-drives-judgment-of-ultra-wealthy-billionaires/ |publisher=USC Dornsife |date=August 14, 2025 |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

In the United States, a 2021 Pew Research Center survey of over 10,000 adults found that 29% considered the existence of billionaires bad for the country (up from 23% in 2020), while 15% said it was good and a majority said it was neither; half of adults under 30 held a negative view.<ref>{{cite web |last=Daniller |first=Andrew |title=Americans' views about billionaires have grown somewhat more negative since 2020 |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/28/americans-views-about-billionaires-have-grown-somewhat-more-negative-since-2020/ |work=Pew Research Center |date=July 28, 2021 |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> In France, an IFOP poll found that 85% wanted fiscal austerity to fall more heavily on large fortunes and corporations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Les ultra-riches disposent aujourd'hui d'un accès privilégié aux sphères du pouvoir |url=https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/les-ultra-riches-disposent-aujourdhui-dun-acces-privilegie-aux-spheres-du-pouvoir-oxfam-alerte-sur-lexplosion-des-grandes-fortunes |work=Public Sénat |date=January 19, 2026 |access-date=February 27, 2026 |language=fr}}</ref> A 2024 Survation poll of millionaires across G20 countries found that over half believed extreme wealth threatens democracy, and seven in ten supported raising taxes on the richest.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nearly Two-thirds of Millionaires think Influence of the Super Rich on Trump Presidency is Threat to Global Stability |url=https://patrioticmillionaires.uk/latest-news/davos-2025 |work=Patriotic Millionaires UK |date=January 22, 2025 |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

Oxfam's 2026 inequality report, released at the World Economic Forum in Davos, cited a World Values Survey of 66 countries in which nearly half of respondents said the rich often buy elections in their country; the report also counted 142 anti-government protests across 68 countries in 2025, many driven in part by economic inequality.<ref>{{cite report |title=Resisting the Rule of the Rich: Protecting Freedom from Billionaire Power |url=https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/resisting-the-rule-of-the-rich-621776/ |publisher=Oxfam International |date=January 19, 2026 |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref>

Billionaires have been the subject of street protests. The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began in 2011, popularized the framing of "the 1%" versus "the 99%."<ref>{{cite web |title=Occupy Wall Street |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Occupy-Wall-Street |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> In September 2025, thousands marched in New York City and other U.S. cities in "Make Billionaires Pay" protests organized by a coalition including 350.org and the Women's March.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marchers gather in worldwide protest of financial institutions 'profiting off the climate crisis' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/marchers-gather-worldwide-protest-financial-institutions-rcna232647 |work=NBC News |date=September 20, 2025 |access-date=February 27, 2026|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> A rarer example of mobilization in the opposite direction was a small March for Billionaires in San Francisco in February 2026, organized in support of billionaires and against a proposed California wealth tax,<ref>{{cite web |last=Wallach |first=Ezra |title=SF hosts a March for Billionaires. Many laugh at them |url=https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/07/march-for-billionaires-san-francisco/ |work=The San Francisco Standard |date=February 7, 2026 |access-date=February 27, 2026}}</ref> yet there was substantial confusion regarding whether this protest was satire.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-08 |title=SF’s March for Billionaires was not what onlookers expected |url=https://sfstandard.com/2026/02/07/march-for-billionaires-san-francisco/ |access-date=2026-05-09 |website=sfstandard.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Statistics == These aggregated statistics for billionaires include the total number of known billionaires and the net worth of the world's wealthiest individual for each year since 2008. Data for each year is from the annual ''Forbes'' list of billionaires, with currency figures given in U.S. dollars. Data since 2018 also includes the Wealth-X billionaire census which typically finds higher numbers than ''Forbes''. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !rowspan=2|Year !! rowspan=2|Total number of<br>billionaires !! rowspan=2|Combined wealth of<br>known billionaires !! colspan=5|Number of billionaires ! colspan="2" |World's wealthiest<br>individual |- ! U.S. !! Chinese !! Indian !German!! Russian ! Name!!Net worth |- |2024<ref name="v688">{{cite web | last=Peterson-Withorn | first=Chase | title=Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024: The Top 200 | website=Forbes | date=2024-04-02 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2024/04/02/forbes-worlds-billionaires-list-2024-the-top-200/?ctpv=searchpage | access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> |2,781 |$14.2 trillion |813 |473 |200 | | |Bernard Arnault and family | $233 billion |- |2022<ref name="q853">{{cite web | last=Chang | first=Richard J. | title=The Countries With The Most Billionaires 2022 | website=Forbes | date=2022-04-05 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardjchang/2022/04/05/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2022/?ctpv=searchpage | access-date=2025-09-18}}</ref> |2,668 |$9.562 trillion |735 |539 |166 |134 |83 |Elon Musk |$219 billion |- |2021<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Countries with the Most Billionaires 2021 |url=https://www.forbes.com/stories/billionaires/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2021/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=www.forbes.com}}</ref> |2,755 |$10.016 trillion |724 |626 |140 |136 |117 |Elon Musk |$320 billion<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Forbes Wealth |title=The Top 10 Richest People In The World (February 2024) |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswealthteam/article/the-top-ten-richest-people-in-the-world/ |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> |- |2020<ref>{{Cite web|last=Moskowitz|first=Dan|date=13 July 2021|title=A Look at the 10 Richest People in the World|url=https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012715/5-richest-people-world.asp|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-20|website=Investopedia|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130172139/http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012715/5-richest-people-world.asp|archive-date=30 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Countries with the Most Billionaires 2020|url=https://www.forbes.com/stories/billionaires/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2020/|access-date=2021-07-20|website=www.forbes.com|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720110059/https://www.forbes.com/stories/billionaires/the-countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2020/|url-status=live}}</ref> |2,095 |$10.2 trillion |614 |389 |102 | |99 |Jeff Bezos |$188 billion |- |2019<ref name="Forbes2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/#698401a8251c|title=Billionaires 2019|work=Forbes|access-date=13 March 2019|date=5 March 2019|archive-date=4 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104180124/https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/3/#698401a8251c|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2019-5|title=Top 15 countries with the most billionaires, ranked|first=Amarendra|last=Dhiraj|publisher=Business Insider|date=2019-05-16|access-date=2019-11-25|archive-date=2 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602221426/https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-with-the-most-billionaires-2019-5|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 2,153–2,604 || $8.6–8.7 trillion || 609–705 || 285–324 || 82–106 | || 98–102 || Jeff Bezos |$131 billion |- |2018<ref name="Forbes2018">{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Luisa |date=March 6, 2018 |title=Forbes Billionaires 2018: Meet The Richest People On The Planet |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2018/03/06/forbes-billionaires-2018-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308165924/https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2018/03/06/forbes-billionaires-2018-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/ |archive-date=8 March 2018 |access-date=March 6, 2018 |work=Forbes}}</ref><ref name="guardian">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/15/number-of-billionaires-worldwide-wealth-x-census|title=Number of billionaires worldwide surged to 2,754 in 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 May 2018|language=en|archive-date=18 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518011705/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/15/number-of-billionaires-worldwide-wealth-x-census|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 2,208–2,754 || $9.1–9.2 trillion || 585–680 || 338–372 || 117–119 | || 96–111 || Jeff Bezos || $133 billion |- |2017<ref name="Forbes-2017">{{cite news |last1=Kroll |first1=Luisa |last2=Dolan |first2=Kerry A. |title=Forbes 2017 billionaires list: Meet the richest people on the planet |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2017/03/20/forbes-2017-billionaires-list-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313094520/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2017/03/20/forbes-2017-billionaires-list-meet-the-richest-people-on-the-planet/ |archive-date=13 March 2018 |access-date=12 March 2018 |work=Forbes}}</ref>|| 2,043 || $7.71 trillion || 565 || 319 || 101 | || 106 ||Jeff Bezos |$99.6 billion |- |2016 || 1,810 || $6.48 trillion || 540 || 251 ||90 | || 75 |Bill Gates |$75 billion |- |2015<ref name="Forbes2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2015/03/02/inside-the-2015-forbes-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/|title=Inside The 2015 Forbes Billionaires List: Facts And Figures|work=Forbes|date=2 March 2015|access-date=3 March 2015|archive-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628205305/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2015/03/02/inside-the-2015-forbes-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,826 || $7.05 trillion ||536 || 213 || 88 | || 88 || Bill Gates || $79.2 billion |- |2014<ref name="Forbes2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/03/03/forbes-releases-28th-annual-worlds-billionaires-issue/|title=Billionaires|work=Forbes|date=3 March 2014|access-date=17 March 2014|archive-date=14 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314095852/http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/03/03/forbes-releases-28th-annual-worlds-billionaires-issue/|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,645 || $6.4 trillion || 492 || 152 || 56<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2014/03/03/indian-billionaires-2014big-winners-big-losers/|title=Indian Billionaires 2014: Big Winners, Big Losers|work=Forbes|date=3 March 2014|access-date=9 August 2015|archive-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912182247/http://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2014/03/03/indian-billionaires-2014big-winners-big-losers/|url-status=live}}</ref> | || 111 || Bill Gates || $78 billion |- |2013<ref name="Forbes2013">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2013/03/04/inside-the-2013-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/|title=Inside The 2013 Billionaires List|work=Forbes|date=25 March 2013|access-date=20 October 2014|archive-date=13 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713175059/https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2013/03/04/inside-the-2013-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,426 || $5.4 trillion || 442 || 122 || – | || 110 || Carlos Slim || $73 billion |- |2012<ref name="Forbes2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/03/07/forbes-worlds-billionaires-2012/|title=Forbes World's Billionaires 2012|work=Forbes|date=7 March 2012|access-date=20 October 2014|archive-date=8 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308052054/http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/03/07/forbes-worlds-billionaires-2012/|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,226 || $4.6 trillion || 425 || 95 || – | || 96 || Carlos Slim|| $73 billion |- |2011<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2011/03/08/world-billionaires-2011-intro.html|title=World's Billionaires 2011: A Record Year In Numbers, Money And Impact|work=Forbes|date=9 March 2011|access-date=1 April 2012|archive-date=15 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415053549/http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/08/world-billionaires-2011-intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,210 || $4.5 trillion || 413 || 115 || – | || 101 || Carlos Slim|| $74 billion |- |2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro.html|title=Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man|work=Forbes|date=10 March 2010|access-date=1 April 2012|archive-date=26 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926014457/http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 1,011 || $3.6 trillion || 404 || 89 || – | || 62 || Carlos Slim|| $53.5 billion |- |2009<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/worlds-richest-people-billionaires-2009-billionaires-intro.html|title=The World's Billionaires|work=Forbes|date=11 March 2009|access-date=1 April 2012|archive-date=27 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427122524/http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/worlds-richest-people-billionaires-2009-billionaires-intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|| 793 || $2.4 trillion || 359 || 28 || – | || 32 || Bill Gates|| $40 billion |- |2008<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/03/05/richest-billionaires-people-billionaires08-cx_lk_0305intro.html|title=World's Billionaires|work=Forbes|date=5 March 2008|access-date=1 April 2012|archive-date=6 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606201349/http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/05/richest-billionaires-people-billionaires08-cx_lk_0305intro.html|url-status=live}}</ref> || 1,125 || $4.4 trillion || 470 || – || – | || 87 || Warren Buffett || $62 billion |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == * Ritholtz, Barry (26 December 2016). "[http://ritholtz.com/2016/12/map-world-billionaires-country-origin/ Map of World Billionaires by Country and by Origin of Wealth]". The Big Picture.

== External links == * {{Wikiquote-inline}}

Category:Billionaires Category:Distribution of wealth Category:Forbes lists