The world’s richest 1% saw their wealth grow by $42 TRILLION in the last decade, report finds

1. Elon Musk – $241 billion

The South African businessman’s wealth is closely linked to the success of Tesla, his electric car company.

Musk also owns 74% of X, formerly Twitter – the social media platform he bought for $44 billion in late 2022.

In December, Forbes estimated that Musk’s stake in X is now worth nearly 70% less than he paid for it, based on investor Fidelity’s valuation of the company.

Musk also owns about 42% of Space X and has stakes in brain implant company Neuralink and The Boring Company.

2. Jeff Bezos – $204 billion

Bezos owns retail giant Amazon, as well as The Washington Post and Blue Origin

The American businessman is the chairman and founder of Amazon, which he founded in 1994 from his garage in Seattle.

The retail giant is now considered a technology company, as much of its profits are generated through its cloud computing service AWS.

Bezos also owns The Washington Post and Blue Origin, a space company that develops rockets.

The tycoon said in a 2022 interview with CNN that he plans to give away most of his fortune during his lifetime, but did not provide specific details.

3. Bernard Arnault – $187 billion

Bernard Arnault, 75, is the CEO of French luxury conglomerate LVMH

Arnault is CEO and chairman of French luxury conglomerate LVMH, which owns well-known brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and Dom Pérignon.

But the bulk of his fortune comes from his 97.5 percent stake in Christian Dior, according to Bloomberg.

In 2022, the 75-year-old entrepreneur raised the mandatory retirement age at LMVH to 80. This gives him another five years at the helm.

His five children all work at LVHM and its brands.

4. Mark Zuckerberg – $165 billion

Mark Zuckerberg, 40, is one of the youngest billionaire tech moguls

The founder of Facebook started the social media platform in 2004 as a 19-year-old Harvard student.

The 40-year-old is one of the youngest tech magnates and took his company public in 2012.

The company acquired Instagram and Zuckerberg changed the name to Meta in 2021 to focus on the metaverse.

Zuckerberg owns 13 percent of Meta, and shares in the company nearly tripled in value last year.

5. Bill Gates – $157 billion

Microsoft boss Bill Gates enjoyed a $24 billion fortune increase in 2023, taking his net worth to a whopping $128 billion

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates saw his fortune increase by $24 billion in 2023, making him richer than ever.

But he also fell to his lowest spot on the billionaire list since 1992, showing how tough the competition has become at the top of the pyramid.

An expensive divorce put the 68-year-old man at a disadvantage, as did a $59 billion donation to charity.

According to Forbes, Gates was the richest man in the world for 18 of the 23 years between 1995 and 2017.

Source: Bloomberg Billionaires Index

Please note: The list of billionaires may change daily, as the ranking is based on stock valuation.