What does it take to get into the league of the richest people in the world? – is a question some of us might ponder sometimes and promptly forget about because it is so wild. The world of the rich is so distant and different from the lives of ordinary people that we can only see and hear about it in the news. Regardless, it is true that billionaires steer the direction of our society. They’re the ones with the biggest responsibilities. Though most of them don’t care about anything maximizing their own profits, some (Elon Musk, Bill Gates) do think far ahead into the future and are trying to help humanity to their capacity.
So, let’s take a look at the top world billionaires, and maybe it will inspire you to save up your own money, invest, improve your personal finances, and join their ranks!
Fun Fact: USA has the highest number of High-Net-Worth Individuals with 735 Billionaires. China is at second with 539 Billionaires and India at third, with 166 Billionaires.
Four Countries got their first Billionaire in 2022, which are Uruguay, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Barbados.
The Unsurprising List of World’s Wealthiest People in 2022 – Ready to be Shocked by the Latest Fact Though!
It is hardly a surprise to see some names on this list since we all know them from the news. But there is one fact you might be least expecting it. Read below to find out!
10. Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg is a businessman, philanthropist, and author. He also served as the Mayor of New York for almost 12 years and also owns the Bloomberg L.P.
| Source | Bloomberg LP |
| Net Worth | $76.8 billion |
| Age | 80 years old |
| Country | United States of America |
9. Carlos Slim Helu and Family
He is a Mexican Business magnate and investor. Together with his family, he owns Latin America’s biggest telecom company, along with other ventures.
| Source | América Móvil, Telemex |
| Net Worth | $85.9 billion |
| Age | 82 years old |
| Country | Mexico |
8. Mukesh Ambani
Originating from Mumbai, Ambani is the largest stakeholder in Reliance Industries, one of the world’s largest oil refining companies.
| Source | Reliance Industries, Real Estate |
| Net Worth | $91.0 billion |
| Age | 65 years old |
| Country | India |
7. Warren Buffett
At age 92, Buffet is probably the oldest and richest person in the world. He is also the most famous living value investor and makes billions by buying and holding companies.
| Source | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Net Worth | $99.9 billion |
| Age | 92 years old |
| Country | USA |
6. Bill Gates
The famous Bill Gates was the first person to become a billionaire due to his Microsoft Inc. – the biggest and the arguably the best software company in the whole world.
| Source | Microsoft, Cascade Investment LLC |
| Net Worth | $99.9 billion |
| Age | 67 years old |
| Country | USA |
5. Larry Ellison
Real Estate Property Investment is one of the most profitable investment methods out there. And Ellison holds more than $17.2 billion in real estate. He also owns Oracle, the second-largest software company in the world.
| Source | Oracle, Tesla equity, Real Estate |
| Net Worth | $100.1 billion |
| Age | 58 years old |
| Country | USA |
4. Jeff Bezos
Bezos is probably the most notorious billionaire who founded Amazon.com – the world’s first and biggest online shopping site in 1994.
| Source | Amazon, The Washington Post |
| Net Worth | $114.5 billion |
| Age | 58 |
| Country | United States of America |
3. Gautam Adani
Hailing from India, Adani ousted Ambani as the richest person in Asia in 2022. He owns outstanding shares in six important Indian companies.
| Source | Adani Enterprise, Power and Transmissions, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Adani Green Energy, and Adani Total Gas |
| Net Worth | $139.4 billion |
| Age | 60 years old |
| Country | India |
2. Bernard Arnault and Family
Arnault made billions as the biggest luxury goods producer in the world. Brands under his name include Sephora, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, etc.
| Source | LVMH, Moelis & Company Equity, Christian Dior Ownership Stake, Hermès equity |
| Net Worth | $157.5 billion |
| Age | 73 years old |
| Country | France |
1. Elon Musk
And finally, who isn’t aware of Elon Musk? Probably the sexiest billionaire in the world. He’s also known for steering humanity’s exploration of space as the CEO and Chief Engineer of SpaceX.
| Source | Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, and Twitter |
| Net Worth | $208.3 billion |
| Age | 51 years old |
| Country | United States of America |
- In a surprising twist of fate, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, and CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook) lost his position in the Top 10 Richest People in the World! – a position he has held since 2015.
- Till 2022, Zuckerberg has lost more than half of his wealth – an astonishing $76.5 billion. Currently, he’s ranked 29th on Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaire’s list, with a total net worth of $33.5 billion.
Top 10 Richest Women in the World
Although the world of billionaires is dominated by men, there are plenty of women here too. According to Forbes’ estimate, 327 out of 2,668 billionaires in the whole world are women. More than half of them inherited their wealth while hardly a hundred are self-made. Following is a quick list of the top 10 wealthiest women in the world in 2022.
Fun Fact: Rihanna, the iconic pop star, is now Barbados’s first billionaire and America’s youngest self-made billionaire thanks to her make-up brand, Fenty Beauty with a net worth of $1.4 billion.
10. Iris Fontbona
The Chilean conglomerate owns copper mines and makes a fortune in banking, beer, and manufacturing businesses.
| Net Worth | $18 billion |
| Source | Mining |
| Age | 79 years |
| Country | Chile |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 83 |
9. Abigail Johnson
She is the CEO of a leading investment firm that handles an estimated $4.2 trillion dollars worth of assets.
| Net Worth | $20 billion |
| Source | Fidelity Investments |
| Age | 60 years |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 72 |
8. Susanne Klatten
Klatten owns 19% of the renowned German Car company BMW.
| Net Worth | $22 billion |
| Source | BMW, Pharmaceuticals |
| Age | 60 years old |
| Country | Germany |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 63 |
7. Gina Rinehart
Rinehart inherited her position from her father at the Hancook Prospecting Group – a prominent mining and agriculture company in Australia.
| Net Worth | $26.0 billion |
| Source | Mining |
| Age | 68 years old |
| Country | Australia |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 49 |
6. MacKenzie Scott
Most know her as the person who got rich from her divorce from Jeff Bezos. However, she was also the first employee at amazon.com and played a significant role in its early days. She’s also a dedicated philanthropist, having donated about $12.5 billion to over a thousand charities in just two years.
| Net Worth | $27.0 billion |
| Source | Amazon |
| Age | 52 years old |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 46 |
5. Miriam Adelson
Miriam came into a fortune after the death of her husband, Sheldon Adelson – a casino magnate in Las Vegas.
| Net Worth | $28.1 billion |
| Source | Casinos |
| Age | 77 years old |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 42 |
4. Jaqueline Mars
The famous candymaker brand owner holds 1/3rd of the company’s shares.
| Net Worth | $37.4 billion |
| Source | Candy and Pet food |
| Age | 83 years |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 27 |
3. Julia Koch
Julia Koch and her family became billionaires after inheriting 42% shares in her late husband’s company Koch Industries – the second biggest private company in America.
| Net Worth | $57.2 billion |
| Source | Koch Industries |
| Age | 60 Years old |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 19 |
2. Alice Walton
Another heiress, Alice Walton made her fortune by inheriting the famous superstore chain Walmart from her father.
| Net Worth | $58.4 billion |
| Source | Walmart |
| Age | 73 years old |
| Country | USA |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 18 |
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Meyers is the world’s richest woman right now as the owner of the giant beauty company L’Oreal. Interestingly, before her, her mother Liliane Bettencourt was the wealthiest woman in the world until her death in 2018.
| Net Worth | $63.5 billion |
| Source | L’Oreal |
| Age | 69 years old |
| Country | France |
| Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List Rank | 15 |
The Bottom Line
The world of the rich is fascinating as it is distant. It is always interesting to know who is at the top and who bit the dust. The rise and fall of these companies is a great lesson in finance for us all.
READ MORE: How to Save Money as a Broke College Student
Images from: Wikimedia Commons
