World Most Richest Person 2024
Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, is the richest person and the richest man in the world with a net worth of $215 billion.
After Arnault is Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
Other billionaires with some of the largest net worths include Tesla's Musk, Microsoft's Bill Gates, and Oracle's Larry Ellison.
Billionaires play an outsized role in shaping the global economy, politics, and philanthropy. Forbes puts the number of billionaires in the world at 2,781 in 2024. The wealthiest among them is Bernard Arnault; chairman of LVMH.
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BUSINESS LEADERS
RICH & POWERFUL
The 10 Richest People in the World
DAN MOSKOWITZ
Updated May 02, 2024
Reviewed by MARGARET JAMES
Fact checked by KIRSTEN ROHRS SCHMITT
Tesla CEO Elon Musk.Alain Jocard / AFP / Getty Images
Billionaires play an outsized role in shaping the global economy, politics, and philanthropy. Forbes puts the number of billionaires in the world at 2,781 in 2024. The wealthiest among them is Bernard Arnault; chairman of LVMH.12
The individuals on this list belong to an even more exclusive club and wield still more power. Many are founders of technology giants, with much of their wealth still invested in the companies they started.
These billionaires can, however, still borrow against that wealth to avoid selling stock, deferring (or eliminating for heirs) taxes on unrealized capital gains in the process. Multi-billionaires can also take advantage of a panoply of tax deductions to offset reported income, leaving some on this list paying no income tax in recent years.34
With so much of their wealth in publicly traded stocks, the net worth of the richest fluctuates along with the market valuations of the companies they own. Below are the 10 wealthiest people on the planet, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. All figures are current as of May 2, 2024.
Debts: Loans, mortgages, and other forms of debt.
Obligations: Any other financial obligations that reduce the total value of assets.
Calculation:
Net Worth
Total Assets
Total LiabilitiesNet Worth
Total Assets
Total Liabilities
Sources of Wealth:
The wealth of the richest individuals often comes from a combination of factors, including:
Entrepreneurship: Founding or owning significant shares in highly successful companies (e.g., technology firms, retail giants).
Investment: Wise and strategic investments in various sectors, including technology, real estate, and financial markets.
Inheritance: Some individuals inherit substantial wealth, which they may further grow through investments and business ventures.
Tracking and Reporting:
Financial publications like Forbes and Bloomberg regularly track the net worth of the world's wealthiest individuals. These reports are often updated frequently, reflecting changes in stock prices, business valuations, and other financial factors that affect an individual's net worth.
Notable Examples:
As of recent years, individuals like Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX), Bernard Arnault (LVMH), and Jeff Bezos (Amazon) have frequently topped the list of the world's richest people. Their fortunes are largely tied to the value of their companies' stock and their holdings in various industries.
These rankings are dynamic and can change rapidly due to fluctuations in stock markets, changes in business valuations, and other economic factors.
As of 2024, the richest person in the world is Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), with an estimated net worth of approximately $239.9 billion. Arnault has maintained his position at the top due to the strong performance of LVMH, which owns luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and others (Statista) (CEOWORLD magazine).
Following Arnault, the second richest person is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, with a net worth of around $196.8 billion. Bezos has fluctuated in his ranking due to changes in Amazon's stock prices but remains one of the wealthiest individuals globally (Statista) (CEOWORLD magazine) (Forbes Australia).
Elon Musk, known for his roles at Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures, is the third richest, with a net worth of about $187.9 billion. Like Bezos, Musk's ranking is influenced by the volatility of stock prices, particularly Tesla's (Statista) (CEOWORLD magazine).
