There are more billionaires on the planet now than ever before, according to Forbes’ annual list.
There are 2,781 billionaires around the world, breaking the record set in 2021. Together, they’re worth $14.2 trillion, up $2 trillion from last year and also breaking a 2021 record.
What You Need To Know
- There are 2,781 billionaires around the world, breaking the record set in 2021, according to Forbes’ annual list
- The list has 265 additions to the three-comma club compared to last year, up from 150 newcomers in 2023
- That rookie class includes pop superstar Taylor Swift — worth $1.1 billion — and basketball legend-turned-business mogul Magic Johnson — worth $1.2 billion
- Topping the magazine’s list of wealthiest people are Bernard Arnault and his family, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison
The list has 265 additions to the three-comma club compared to last year, up from 150 newcomers in 2023. That rookie class includes pop superstar Taylor Swift — worth $1.1 billion — and basketball legend-turned-business mogul Magic Johnson — worth $1.2 billion.
But the wealthiest of the 67 Americans joining the list is Todd Graves, founder of the fast-food chicken-finger chain Raising Cane’s, who Forbes says is worth $9.1 billion.
Forbes credits many financial markets being up for the surge in new billionaires.
Topping the magazine’s list of wealthiest people are Bernard Arnault and his family. Arnault, who is worth $233 billion, is the chairman of the LVMH conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy, Tiffany & Co. and several other luxury goods brands.
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who also owns the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is ranked second at $195 billion. Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos is just behind Musk at $194 billion. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is fourth with $177 billion. And Oracle chairman and co-founder Larry Ellison, worth $141 billion, rounds out the top five.
Also of interest, former U.S. President Donald Trump is worth $6 billion, 505th on the list.
The United States has a record 813 billionaires, more than any other country. China, including Hong Kong, is second with 473. And India is third with 200, also a record.
Forbes used stock prices and exchange rates from March 8 to calculate net worths. It also estimated the worth of assets such as private companies, real estate, art and more.
Swift entered the billionaires’ club on the strength of her Eras Tour — the first concert tour ever to surpass $1 billion in revenue — as well as the value of her music catalog and real estate portfolio, Forbes said. The “Cruel Summer” singer is the first to achieve billionaire status solely based on her songs and performances, according to the magazine.
Johnson, a three-time MVP and five-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, has elevated his wealth by investing in professional sports teams, including Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the NFL’s Washington Commanders; movie theaters; Starbucks franchises; and health care, Forbes said.
Other celebrities on the list are movie directors George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Tyler Perry; athletes Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and LeBron James; daytime talk show host-turned-business titan Oprah Winfrey; musicians Jay-Z and Rihanna; reality TV star/businesswoman Kim Kardashian; and “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf.
