Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates
is seen on a screen during the awards ceremony of the newly established
Axel Springer Award in Berlin, Germany, February 25, 2016. Facebook
founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the first to receive the award at a
ceremony on Thursday. REUTERS/Kay Nietfeld/Pool
Behind these figures is a story of huge upheaval, as 221 people fell off the list, while 198 newcomers joined the ranks; another 29 people from 2015 died while 29 who’d previously fallen off climbed back on. Of those who were billionaires both years, 892 are poorer while 501 added to their fortunes.
The reshuffling starts at the top. Only 2 people in the top 20 managed to hold onto their ranks. Bill Gates remains the richest person in the world with a net worth of $75 billion, despite being $4.2 billion poorer than a year ago. He has been No. 1 one for 3 years in a row and topped the list 17 out of 22 years. (In the 30 years FORBES has tracked global wealth, only 5 people have held the title of richest person on planet; 3 of those 5 still rank among the 4 richest in the world including Warren Buffett and Carlos Slim.) Also holding steady is Buffett at No. 3. Zara ’s Amancio Ortega moves up to No. 2 for the first time, displacing Mexico’s Carlos Slim, who slips to No. 4. Slim’s fortune fell $27.1 billion to $50 billion in the past year, as shares of his telecom business América Móvil tumbled.
Facebook FB -0.92%’s Mark Zuckerberg had the best year of all billionaires. The 31-year-old added $11.2 billion to his fortune and moved up to No. 6 from 16. He and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos both make their first appearance in the top ten of FORBES’ annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest. Another first: A billionaire from China’s mainland, Wang Jianlin, whose company owns AMC Theaters and soon will own Legendary Pictures, has climbed into the top 20.
[More from Forbes: The Big Drop: The Most Ex-Billionaires Since 2009]
Among the most notable newcomers are Cameron Mackintosh, the first theater producer to make the billionaire ranks; WeWork’s Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey and Pinterest’s Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp. Neumann, Silbermann and Sharp are 3 of a record 66 billionaires under the age of 40. The youngest billionaire in the world is a 19-year-old Norwegain heiress, Alexandra Andresen, who has a 42% stake in her family’s business. Her sister Katharina is second youngest, just 20.
Another new entrant worth mentioning is Zhou Qunfei, whose $5.9 billion fortune from smartphone screens is enough to make her the richest self-made woman in the world. She is one of 190 women in the list, down from 197 last year. Among the notable drop-offs are fashion designer Tory Burch, Sam Adams chief Jim Koch and Dick’s Sporting Goods head Edward Stack.
The U.S. has 540 billionaires, more than any other country in the world. It’s followed by mainland China with 251 (Hong Kong has another 69) and Germany with 120. Russia has 77, ten-figure fortunes, 11 fewer than last year, while Brazil is down 23 to 31.
Rank 1: Bill Gates
Net worth: $75 billion, down $4.2 billion (vs. 2015 list)
Origin of wealth: Microsoft
Age: 60
Country: United States
- Fortune down $4.2 billion in past year
- Drop mainly due to declines in Canadian Pacific Railway, Grupo Televisa stocks
- Microsoft stock up 15% since Feb 2015
- He owns just under 3% of Microsoft
- Richest person in world for third year in a row
- Richest person in world 17 times in the past 22 years
- He has given $31.5 billion to his charitable foundation
Rank 2: Amancio Ortega
Net worth: $67 billion, up $2.5 billion
Origin of wealth: Zara
Age: 79
Country: Spain
- Shares of Inditex were up 2% in past 12 months but value of those shares flat over past year due to stronger dollar. Vast bulk of fortune held in Inditex
- Has more than $8 billion in real estate investments all over the world, including Madrid, Barcelona, London, Chicago, Miami and New York
- His fortune rose $45 billion between 2009 and 2014
- Co-founded Zara with ex-wife Rosalia Mera (d. 2013) in 1975
Rank 3: Warren Buffett
Net worth: $60.8 billion, down $11.9 billion
Origin of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 85
Country: United States
- Holds onto his spot at No. 3. Among the top 20, only he and Bill Gates have same rank as year ago.
- His Berkshire Hathaway is the fifth-most valuable corporation in the U.S.; it owns companies like Geico, Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom, and has significant investments in Wells Fargo, IBM and Coca-Cola.
- His fortune is down $11.9 billion as Berkshire Hathaway shares fell 13% since Feb 2015.
- Some of Berkshire Hathaway’s biggest holdings saw share prices drop: American Express fell 33%, IBM fell 25% and Wells Fargo fell 15%.
- Buffett is one of Hillary Clinton's biggest proponents. He has long supported the former First Lady's bid to return to the White House -- donating to her campaign and, in December 2015, speaking at a Clinton rally in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
- He pulled off his biggest-ever deal in August 2015, when his Berkshire Hathaway agreed to pay $37 billion for Precision Castparts, a maker of aerospace and industrial parts.
- Lately he has also been buying up hundreds of millions worth of stock in energy firm Phillips 66
Rank 4: Carlos Slim Helu
Net worth: $50 billion, down $27.1 billion
Origin of wealth: telecom
Age: 76
Country: Mexico
- Slim was the biggest loser on the planet, dropping $27.1 billion in one year
- He fell to world’s 4th richest person from world’s 2nd richest in 2015
- Shares of his mobile phone operator America Movil dropped 42% (in dollar terms) since 2015
- 21% decline in value of Mexican peso against U.S. dollar also lowered the value of his other assets, including banking and financial firm Grupo Financiero Inbursa
- He is the largest shareholder of The New York Times, with a nearly 17% stake
Rank 5: Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $45.2 billion, up $10.4 billion
Origin of wealth: Amazon.com
Age: 52
Country: United States
- Amazon finished a record 2015 with $107 billion in revenue.
- Its stock is up 33% in the past year; it had been higher but fell back to earth in early 2016 after the company missed earnings estimates.
- Bezos manages 3 companies: aerospace company Blue Origin, which successfully launched a rocket into sub-orbit; Washington Post, as well as Amazon
- He moves up from No. 15 to No. 5, enters top 10 richest for first time
Rank 6: Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $44.6 billion, up $11.2 billion
Origin of wealth: Facebook
Age: 31
Country: United States
- No one on the planet has had a better 12 months than Zuck.
- Facebook’s soaring stock price, up 35% in past year, makes him the world’s biggest gainer
- Became a father for the first time and celebrated the milestone by announcing that he plans to give away 99% of his Facebook stock, nearly all his wealth, to charitable causes during lifetime
- Messaging app Whatsapp, purchased in 2014, surpassed 1 billion users in February
- Nearly two years after buying virtual reality startup Oculus, Facebook will start shipping the Rift VR headset in March 2016
Rank 7: Larry Ellison
Net worth: $43.6 billion, down $10.7 billion
Origin of wealth: Oracle
Age: 71
Country: United States
- Oracle stock fell 19% since Feb. 2015
- His ranking dropped to 7th richest, down from 5th richest in 2015
- Oracle working to expand its cloud-computing, putting it in competition with Amazon
- Ellison is reportedly building homes and adding heliports to the two Four Seasons resorts he owns on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. He bought the island in 2012 for a reported $300 million
Rank 8: Michael Bloomberg
Net worth: $40 billion, up $4.5 billion
Origin of wealth: Bloomberg LP
Age: 74
Country: United States
- Moves up 6 spots; was ranked 14th richest in 2015
- Displaces David Koch as New York City’s richest resident for first time in 6 years
- Since returning as Bloomberg LP's CEO in early 2015, he's shaken up the media part of the business with staff changes and reported layoffs as it has refocused on its core coverage area: business and financial news.
- Financial data and media firm Bloomberg LP’s estimated revenues rose 3% in 2015 to $9.3 billion.
- Indicated he might run for U.S. president but so far has not declared himself a candidate
Rank 9: Charles Koch
Net worth: $39.6 billion, down $3.3 billion
Origin of wealth: diversified
Age: 80
Country: United States
- Fortune down $3.3 billion due mostly to lower oil prices; its key business groups include oil pipelines, refineries, building materials, paper towels and Dixie cups
- One of the most politically influential billionaires in the U.S., Charles Koch compares his crusade for smaller government and economic liberty to the civil rights campaign. He has indicated that he may spend some of his money trying to defeat Donald Trump
- Funding for the Koch influence machine comes from $115 billion (sales) Koch Industries, which Charles continues to steer as chairman. He has held that job since 1967 when the company was worth $50 million. Now the second-largest private company in America, it's valued at $100 billion.
- Charles has been chairman of Koch Industries since 1967, when the company had earnings of $4 million.
Rank 9: David Koch
Net worth: $39.6 billion, down $3.3 billion
Origin of wealth: diversified
Age: 75
Country: United States
- David Koch shares control of $115 billion (sales) Koch Industries with his older brother Charles.
- Koch Industries has interests in oil pipelines, refineries, building materials, paper towels and Dixie cups, and is growing with acquisitions fueled by the company's prodigious cash flow.
- Joined his brother's campaign to raise and spend almost $900 million on political activity, education and issues like criminal-justice reform in the run-up to this year's presidential election.
- David has pumped more than $130,000 into Republican causes and PACs, although he and brother Charles have yet to endorse a presidential candidate.
- Active philanthropist. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has the David H. Koch Plaza, part of a $65 million renovation he funded, and the David Koch Charitable Foundation has made more than $1.2 billion in contributions over his lifetime.
Culled from Forbes:
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