Every year Forbes publishes a growing list of billionaires that make up the richest people in the world. According to the outlet, the number of billionaires on the 35th annual list grew to an “unprecedented” 2,755, 660 more than a year ago. The statistic is shocking considering the COVID-19 pandemic that left millions around the world jobless and struggling economically. Nevertheless, there was one very famous celebrity that made the 2021 list for the first time- Kim Kardashian West. Forbes estimates that she is now worth $1 billion, up from $780 million in October. The list credits the source KKW Beauty and Skims, reality television, endorsement deals, and several smaller investments. Kardashian is far from the top of the list though, listed as 2674. Altogether these billionaires are worth $13.1 trillion but who are the top 10 wealthiest people in the world according to Forbes? Read below to find out.
- JEFF BEZOS / AMAZON / TECHNOLOGY Amazon’s daddy, Jeff Bezos (57), is the world’s richest for the fourth year running, worth $177 billion. He founded the e-commerce giant in 1994 out of his garage and will step down as CEO and become executive chairman in late 2021.
- ELON MUSK / TESLA, SPACEX / AUTOMATIVE Transportation revolutionist, Elon Musk (49) rode a very quiet rocket to the second spot after a surge in Tesla shares. With his aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company SpaceX he is worth $151 billion.
- BERNARD ARNAULT & FAMILY / LVMH / FASHION & RETAIL Bernard Arnault (72) is a French businessman and art collector that oversees an empire of 70 brands including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. Making the Arnault family worth $150 billion.
- BILL GATES / MICROSOFT / TECHNOLOGY Bill Gates became a billionaire in 1987 at 31 and was the youngest person to ever join “the three comma club” at the time, per Business Insider. That is until the person next took his title. Now, the 65-year-old is worth $124 billion.
- MARK ZUCKERBERG / FACEBOOK / TECHNOLOGY Creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg (36) took the title of the youngest person to ever become a billionaire away from Gates in 2008 when he was 23. Not without drama, (like a 2020 congressional testimony), Mark “not a cyborg” Zuckerberg is worth $97 billion.
- WARREN BUFFET / BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY / FINANCE & INVESTMENTS Warren Edward Buffett (90) is an American investor, business tycoon, philanthropist, and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway with $96 billion. Buffet is worth more in 2021 than he was in 2020 but moved down two spots from his 4th position.
- LARRY ELLISON/ SOFTWARE / TECHNOLOGY Larry Ellison (76) is a chairman and chief technology officer that cofounder the software giant Oracle worth $93 billion.
- LARRY PAGE / GOOGLE/ TECHNOLOGY Larry Page (48) was the CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and stepped down in 2019, but remains a board member and controlling shareholder and is worth $91.5 billion.
- SERGEY BRIN / GOOGLE/ TECHNOLOGY Sergey Brin (47) stepped down in 2019 as president of Alphabet but remains a controller shareholder and a board member, making his worth $89 billion.
- MUKESH AMBANI / DIVERSIFIED/ DIVERSIFIED And last but certainly not poor on the top 10 list is Mukesh Ambani from India. The 63-year-old chairs and runs $88 billion Reliance Industries, which has interests in petrochemicals, oil and gas, telecom, and retail. He was named Forbes India’s #1 Richest in 2019 and 2020.
