Richest Man in the World By 17th January 2024, Top Billionaire List

As of December 2023, the richest person in the world is Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla and aerospace manufacturer SpaceX. He is currently worth an estimated $232.5 billion, according to Forbes. Musk surpassed Bernard Arnault of France, who is the CEO and chairman of luxury goods giant LVMH, to take the top spot in June 2023. Arnault’s current net worth is estimated to be $178.5 billion.

As reported by Forbes, there are almost 2,640 billionaires with combined net worth of a whopping $12.2 trillion.

Top 10 Richest Men in the World

Forbes Magazine releases World’s Billionaires list, called Real Time Billionaire List. Forbes publishes this list every year in March. Richest men of the world are evaluated on their expected net worth and the report is then published.

Net worth of these billionaires are calculated by the value of their assets, debt accountability and other factors. Their net worth is mentioned in US Dollars for uniformity. This list does not contain any royalties or political figures.

Did you Know?
First World’s Billionaires list was published in 1987, featuring Sam Walton – Founder of Walmart as richest Man in 1987

Top 10 Richest Men in the World by December 2023 (Net Worth in USD Billion):

1. Elon Musk: $253.2 (Tesla, SpaceX)
2. Bernard Arnault & family: $173.0 (LVMH)
3. Jeff Bezos: $152.6 (Amazon)
4. Larry Ellison: $137.6 (Oracle)
5. Bill Gates: $115.4 (Microsoft)
6. Warren Buffett: $115.1 (Berkshire Hathaway)
7. Mark Zuckerberg: $111.6 (Meta Platforms)
8. Larry Page: $110.7 (Google)
9. Sergey Brin: $109.3 (Google)
10. Michael Bloomberg: $94.5 (Bloomberg LP)

Check Live Ranking: Forbes World's Billionaires list

Note: It’s essential to note that these rankings can change due to fluctuations in the stock market, business investments, and other financial factors.

1. Elon Musk – Wealthiest Person in the World

• Net worth- $232.5 billion
• Companies- Tesla, SpaceX, X Corp., and X (Formerly Twitter)
• Age- 52 years
• Nationality- American(United States of America)
• Residence- Boca Chica, Texas
• Education- University of Pennsylvania (BS Physics, BS Economics)
• Known for- Co-founding PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company.
• Notable Achievements- First privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit (Falcon 1), first privately funded company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station (SpaceX), and mass manufactured electric vehicle (Tesla)
• Philanthropy: Musk Foundation focuses on renewable energy, human space exploration, science and engineering education, and pediatric research

Elon Musk stands in the first position as per the Real-Time Billionaires list by Forbes.

During the years 2020-2021, Tesla experienced peak success and Elon Musk’s net worth touched a mark of $320 billion.

Elon Musk’s current stake in Tesla is 13% ($85.3 billion) while his stake in Twitter is almost 79% ($8.8 billion). Musk is known for Co-founding PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, & The Boring Company.

2. Bernard Arnault & Family – Second Richest Person in the World

• Net worth– $178.5 billion
• Company- LVMH
• Age- 74 years
• Nationality- French (France)
• Residence- Paris
• Education- Engineering degree from École Polytechnique and Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from École Polytechnique.
• Known for- He has been essential to the growth and achievement of LVMH, He is skilled in acquisitions and brand management.
• Notable Achievements- LVMH has grown significantly and acquired many prestigious brands under Bernard Arnault’s leadership. Additionally, he has influenced the fashion and luxury fields, resulting LVMH to achieve unmatched success.
• Philanthropy- Arnault is engaged in a number of charitable activities, such as promoting French health and education programs, as well as the arts and culture.

He is the second richest person in the world, with a net worth of $178.5 billion. He is the CEO and chairman of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company.

He owns seventy other fashion and beauty businesses, including Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, Hennessey, Marc Jacobs, Sephora, and Tiffany & Co.

The major source of Bernard’s net worth heads from the major stake in Christian Dior SE which is also the holding company of LVMH with a stake of 41.4%.

He acquired the leading American jeweler company Tiffany & Co. in 2021 for $15.8 billion, earning the label of the biggest brand acquisition ever.

3. Jeff Bezos

• Net worth– $155.9 billion
• Company- Amazon
• Age-59 years
• Nationality- American (United States of America)
• Residence- Medina, Washington
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University (1986)
• Known for- Bezos is known for creating Amazon and leading the company’s growth into a number of industries, such as digital streaming, cloud computing, and e-commerce.
• Notable Achievements- Created Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Amazon Kindle e-reader.
• Philanthropy– He declared the establishment of the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, with an emphasis on environmental projects.

Jeff is the chairman and former CEO of the top e-commerce platform Amazon.com which was founded by him back in the year 1994.

After stepping down as the CEO of Amazon in July 2021, he went on a space journey via the rocket developed by his company Blue Origin, resulting in his net worth reaching the $211 billion mark.

During the pandemic, Amazon’s share price jumped to 76% and Bezos ranked first in the list of Forbes 400 real-time billionaires list (2021).

He have invested in wide variety of companies Blue Origin, Airbnb, Sana Biotechnology, etc.

4. Larry Ellison

• Net worth– $130.9 billion
• Company- Oracle
• Age-79 years
• Nationality- American (United States)
• Residence- Woodside, California
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1966)
• Known for– co-founding Oracle and pioneering the development of relational database management systems(DBMS).
• Notable Achievements- Oracle has been a significant player in database technology, cloud computing, and enterprise software solutions under Ellison’s direction.
• Philanthropy– He founded the Ellison Medical Foundation to support research on aging and age-related diseases.

Larry Ellison is the owner of Oracle, the second-largest computer software company in the world, founded on 16 June 1977.

Ellison served as the CEO of Oracle until the year 2014 and currently serves as the executive chairman and chief technology officer of the company.

He also was making headlines back in the year 2012 when he reportedly acquired the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a huge deal of $300 million.

The US-based billionaire is also an angel investor who also invested in Elon Musk’s Tesla with 3 million shares and became a part of its board from the year 2018-2022.

5. Warren Buffett

• Net worth– $114 billion
• Company- Berkshire Hathaway
• Age– 93 years
• Nationality- American (United States)
• Residence- Omaha, Nebraska
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (1949) and Master of Science in Economics from Columbia University (1951).
• Known for– He is called “Oracle of Omaha” for his investment acumen and his annual shareholder letters.
• Notable Achievements– Consistently maintains his position in list of richest man in the world because of his successful company Berkshire Hathaway.
• Philanthropy– He has contributed significantly to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as other nonprofits.

His first investment was in the company Berkshire Hathaway of which he became a major shareholder within 3 years.

He have invested in companies like Apple (AAPL), Coca-Cola (KO), Bank of America (BAC), etc.

Warren Buffett is a philanthropist who has been constantly donating his wealth for the welfare of others. He even expressed his desire to donate almost 99% of his fortune.

Buffett, along with Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates even formed an organization called Giving Pledge that urged billionaires and investors to donate at least 50% of their wealth to charity. 

6. Bill Gates

• Net worth– $109.8 billion
• Company- Microsoft
• Age-68 years
• Nationality– American (USA)
• Residence– Medina, Washington
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Applied Sciences from Harvard University (1975)
• Known for– co-founding Microsoft and for his philanthropic efforts.
• Notable Achievements– The Windows operating system and other software products that Microsoft developed under Gates’ direction had a significant influence on the tech sector.
• Philanthropy– He founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations which focuses on global health, education, and poverty alleviation

The biggest tech giant, Microsoft’s Bill Gates has been on this list for decades, from first being recognized as a billionaire back in the year 1987 until the year 2023.

Bill Gates maintained the title of the richest person in the world consistently since the year 1995 till 2006 and again from 2014-2017.

Bill gates major investments lie in Cascade Investment LLC which includes private investments in energy and real estate along with stocks like Canadian National Railway, and Republic Services (RSG).

7. Mark Zuckerberg

• Net worth- $106.9 billion
• Company- Facebook
• Age-39 years
• Nationality- American (United States)
• Residence- Palo Alto, California
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Harvard University (2006)
• Known for– co-founding Facebook and for his contributions to the growth of Meta Platforms, Inc.
• Notable Achievements– Under Zuckerberg’s leadership, Facebook grew into a global social networking giant and expanded its reach by acquiring other major platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp.

When Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004 at Harvard, he was just 19 years old. The platform allowed students to link peers’ photographs with names. Acquiring around 13% of the company’s shares, he brought Facebook public in May 2012.

With an eye toward refocusing on the metaverse, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta in November 2021.

Mark Zuckerberg have invested in companies like Meta Platforms, Coursera, Spotify Technology S.A., etc.

Facebook might have been forced to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp if a judge had dismissed antitrust proceedings brought by the federal government and states in June 2021.

8. Larry Page

• Net worth– $104 billion
• Company- Google
• Age- 50 years
• Nationality- American(United States)
• Residence- Palo Alto, California
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with honors from the University of Michigan (1995) and Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford University (1998).
• Known for– co-founding Google, contributing to development of the company’s search engine and various other Google products and services and had important role in development of autonomous vehicles.
• Notable Achievements– He made Google the world’s leading search engine and a major player in the technology and internet industry, Additionally, he was involved in the reorganization of Google into Alphabet Inc., where he was in charge of several subsidiaries.
• Philanthropy– Larry Page have been involved in philanthropic endeavors, including donations to various causes, but their philanthropic activities have been relatively private .

Larry Page, who is currently serving on the board of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. He started his journey as a co-founder of Google. Larry Page and his friend Sergey Brin started Google in the year 1998.

Page served as the CEO of Google until the year 2001 and reprised the role from 2011-2015. 

Page’s current net worth is $105.4 billion which is majorly sourced through Google and also ventures into a space exploration and asteroid-mining company named Planetary Resources.

Since Google’s shares shot up 50% during the pandemic, Larry and Brin’s net worth rose higher from $53 billion in March 2020 to the current value.

9. Steve Ballmer

• Net worth– $102.2 billion
• Company- Microsoft
• Age- 67 years
• Nationality- American (United States)
• Residence- Hunts Point, Washington
• Education– Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard University (1977)
• Known for– leadership as the Microsoft company’s CEO
• Notable Achievements– Important products like Windows 7, Windows 8, and the Office suite were launched under his direction.
• Philanthropy– He made significant donations for causes related to education and have founded organizations like USAFacts, which provides data and insights on government spending and performance.

The American billionaire businessman, Steve Ballmer served as the CEO of Microsoft from year 2000-2014.

He retired in the year 2014 and his current net worth stands at $102.2 billion leading him to the list of richest men in the world.

The 67-year-old, Washington-based businessman also acquired Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for an amount of $2 billion.

Ballmer’s net worth majorly comes from his stint as the CEO of Microsoft and his other investments.

10. Sergey Brin

• Net worth– $101 billion
• Company- Google
• Age- 50 years
• Nationality- American(United States)
• Residence- Los Altos, California
• Education– Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park (1993), Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford University (1995).
• Known for– co-founding Google and for his contributions to the development of the company’s search engine.
• Notable Achievements– Under his leadership, google expanded its product offerings beyond search to include products like Gmail, Google Maps, and Android.
• Philanthropy– He is one of the co-founders of the Brin Wojcicki Foundation.

The co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin has played a significant role in the establishment and success of the leading search engine along with Larry Page.

Brin formerly served as the technology president at Google and later served in the same position at Alphabet Inc. Brin also went on to oversee special projects like Google Glass at Google.

Even after donating millions of dollars to Parkinson’s disease research, Brin’s net worth is $100.1 billion.

Brin major investments include Alphabet, Tesla, SpaceX, etc.

Conclusion

Some businessmen continued to strive and built a net worth for themselves which made them a constant on the honorary list of the top 10 richest man in the world, while others thrived harder and became multi-billionaires much earlier in their careers than others on the list.

These billionaires continue to inspire and encourage millions of aspiring entrepreneurs around the world serving either as their role models or mentors.

World’s Richest Man 2023 – FAQs

Q. Who is the world’s richest person as of November 2023?

Elon Musk is the richest person in the world as of November 2023, with a net worth of $232 billion. He is the CEO of electric car company Tesla and aerospace manufacturer SpaceX.

Q. How are the Wealthiest Millionaires Determined by Forbes?

A team of 50 reporters is selected by Forbes to track the activities of richest people in the world. They make a report and then finalize the list of richest man in the world. They check for billionaire’s stocks, properties, business etc., to estimate their worth.

Q. How many billionaires are in the US?

As of November, 2023, there are 756 billionaires residing in the US. This figure is based on the Forbes Billionaires 2023 list, which tracks the wealthiest individuals in the world. The United States has the most billionaires in the world, followed by China and India.

Q. How many billionaires are in the India?

The current number of billionaires in India is 169. This number has been growing steadily over the years, reflecting the country’s rapidly growing economy. In 2010, there were only 49 billionaires in India.

Q. How many billionaires are there in the world?

As per the reports by Forbes, there are almost 2,640 billionaires in the entire world in the year 2023.

Q. Who is the richest female in the world?

According to the reports, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, a French businesswoman, pianist, and writer is the richest female in the world with a net worth of 8,580 crores USD.

Q. Who is the richest person in India?

Based on the latest available data from Forbes, Mukesh Ambani is the richest person in India with a net worth of approximately $96.8 billion as of November 2023