Top 10 richest people in the world in 2024

 

In today's ambition-driven society, characterized by a fervor for entrepreneurship, a select group of individuals has attained extraordinary wealth. These visionary and innovative leaders have reached the pinnacle of success, securing their places among the world's wealthiest people.

Ultimately, the net worth of the top 10 richest individuals surpasses the GDP of numerous countries. Today, their wealth is primarily concentrated in the technology, finance, and retail sectors. The growing wealth disparity between them and the less fortunate is a significant global concern.

This article reveals the identities of the top 10 richest people in the world, highlighting their remarkable achievements, entrepreneurial skills, and significant impact on the global economy. This ranked list is sourced from World Scope News.

Disclaimer: Currency values mentioned in this article are accurate as of 08.13.2024 and are subject to fluctuation.

Top 10 Richest People in the World

Name & Rank	Net Worth (in $ Billions)	Source of Wealth	Country
#1 Bernard Arnault & family	$212.4	LVMH	France
#2 Elon Musk	$206.2	Tesla, SpaceX	United States
#3 Jeff Bezos	$200.4	Amazon	United States
#4 Mark Zuckerberg	$163.4	Facebook	United States
#5 Larry Ellison	$147.8	Oracle	United States
#6 Larry Page	$139.5	Google	United States
#7 Sergey Brin	$133.3	Google	United States
#8 Warren Buffett	$133.0	Berkshire Hathaway	United States
#9 Bill Gates	$129.5	Microsoft	United States
#10 Steve Ballmer	$122.2	Microsoft	United States

Discover the Top 10 Wealthiest Individuals Worldwide

Bernard Arnault & Family

• Age: 74

• Residence: Paris

• Citizenship: France

Bernard Arnault, the richest person in the world, serves as the CEO and chairman of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world's largest luxury goods company. LVMH oversees around 70 prestigious fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Sephora. In January 2021, LVMH completed the acquisition of jeweler Tiffany & Co. for an impressive $15.8 billion.

Arnault's five children are actively involved in different sectors of the vast LVMH empire. In January 2023, he appointed his daughter Delphine as the head of Dior, the group's second-largest brand.

Elon Musk

• Age: 52

• Residence:  Boca Chica, Texas

• Citizenship: US

Elon Musk is currently the second richest person in the world. He serves as the CEO of several notable companies, including Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, and SpaceX, the space exploration company. Musk holds a 23 percent stake in Tesla, with about two-thirds of his wealth tied to the company's success. In October 2022, he made headlines by purchasing Twitter for $44 billion.

Musk led Tesla to its initial public offering in 2010. The company experienced significant growth in market capitalisation during 2020 and 2021, propelling Musk to the position of the world's top 10 richest people in September 2021. At its peak in November 2021, Musk's fortune reached an astounding $320 billion.

Jeff Bezos

• Age: 60

• Residence: Medina, Washington

• Citizenship: US

In July 2021, Jeff Bezos made the decision to step down from his role as CEO of the ecommerce giant Amazon, though he retained his position as chairman. During that same month, he embarked on a space voyage aboard a rocket developed by Blue Origin, a private space exploration company he founded and generously funded with billions of dollars.

Mark Zuckerberg

• Age: 39

• Residence: Palo Alto, California

• Citizenship: US

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, launched its flagship social media platform Facebook in 2004 at the age of 19. At the time, he was a student of computer science and psychology at Harvard University. Facebook originally began as a platform to match names of students on campus with their photos. In 2006, Facebook expanded its user base, opening the platform to anyone at least 13 years old with a valid email address.

In May 2012, Zuckerberg led the company through its initial public offering, marking a significant milestone for Facebook. By December 2016, he had risen to the 10th position on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People, reflecting his substantial influence and impact on global affairs. Presently, Zuckerberg holds approximately 13 percent of the company's stock, underscoring his significant stake in its success.

The 39-year-old tech entrepreneur is married to Priscilla Chan and is the proud father of three daughters. Together with his wife, he has committed to investing $3 billion in an ambitious endeavor aimed at ending, curing, or managing all diseases by the year 2100.

Larry Ellison

• Age: 79

• Residence: Manalapan, Florida

• Citizenship: US

Larry Ellison co-founded the software firm Oracle in 1977 and served as its CEO until 2014. Currently, he holds the positions of executive chairman and Chief Technology Officer at the company. In 2012, Ellison made headlines with his acquisition of the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a sum of $300 million. Additionally, Ellison has ventured into investments in companies such as Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Quark Biotechnology Inc., and Astex Pharmaceuticals.

Larry Page

• Age: 51

• Residence: Palo Alto, California

• Citizenship: US

Larry Page, along with his fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin, co-founded Google in 1998. Initially, Page served as CEO until 2001, and then resumed the role from 2011 to 2015

He retains his position as a board member of Alphabet, Google's parent company, and wields substantial influence over the company as a major shareholder. Furthermore, Page played a pivotal role as a founding investor in Planetary Resources, a company dedicated to extracting resources from asteroids and other celestial bodies.

Sergey Brin

• Age: 50

• Residence: Los Altos, California

• Citizenship: US

Together with his Stanford PhD colleague Larry Page, Sergey Brin played a crucial role in the establishment of the Google search engine in 1998. Hailing originally from Russia, Brin initially served as the technology president at Google. Later, he shifted his focus to overseeing special projects, notably the development of Google Glass, a wearable device featuring voice-activated "smart glasses." Presently, Brin serves as a board member of Alphabet, Google's parent company, while also maintaining a significant controlling stake in the company.

Warren Buffett

• Age: 93

• Residence: Omaha, Nebraska

• Citizenship: US

Warren Buffett, often referred to as the "Oracle of Omaha," is renowned as one of history's most successful investors. He serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, an investment conglomerate known for its diverse portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway owns a range of companies, including insurance provider Geico, battery manufacturer Duracell, technology giant Apple, Brazilian fintech company Nu Holdings, and the restaurant chain Dairy Queen.

In 2010, Warren Buffett, along with Bill and Melinda French Gates, founded the Giving Pledge initiative, advocating for billionaires to pledge at least half of their wealth to charitable organizations. Demonstrating his steadfast commitment to philanthropy, Buffett has announced his intention to donate 99 percent of his fortune.

Bill Gates

• Age: 68

• Residence: Medina, Washington

• Citizenship: US

In 1987, Forbes first recognized Bill Gates as a billionaire. From 1995 to 2017, he held the title of the world's richest person, with brief exceptions in 2008 and from 2010 to 2013. In 2021, Gates and Melinda French Gates finalized their divorce, with Melinda receiving at least $6 billion in stocks as part of the settlement. After leading Microsoft for 25 years, Gates shifted his focus to philanthropic efforts. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began its work in India in 2003, launching the Avahan initiative for HIV prevention, which is estimated to have prevented 600,000 new infections.

Steve Ballmer

• Age: 67

• Residence: Hunts Point, Washington

• Citizenship: US

Steve Ballmer, a Harvard University classmate of Bill Gates, served as the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. His journey with Microsoft began in 1980 when he joined the company as its 30th employee after dropping out of the MBA program at Stanford University.

In the same year that Ballmer retired from Microsoft, he made headlines by acquiring the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for a staggering $2 billion, setting a new benchmark for the highest price paid for an NBA team at that time.