The 10 richest people in the world in 2024

1. Bernard Arnault

Assets: 233 billion USD

Source of wealth: LVMH

Nationality: French

Bernard Arnault tops Forbes' list of the world's richest people for the second year in a row. He is the CEO and chairman of LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate. The company owns 75 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Sephora, Tiffany & Co, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Dom Perignon and Moët Hennessy.

2. Elon Musk

Assets: 195 billion USD

Source of wealth: Tesla, SpaceX

Nationality: American

Musk’s fortune is up $15 billion since last year, largely thanks to Tesla’s stock doubling in 2023. But the stock has lost more than 30% since the start of the year. Tesla has been reeling from safety issues and recalls in recent months, slowing growth and cutting prices.

3. Jeff Bezos

Assets: 194 billion USD

Source of wealth: Amazon

Nationality: American

Bezos co-founded Amazon in a Seattle garage in 1994 and grew the company into an e-commerce giant. He stepped down as CEO of Amazon at the end of 2021 and became executive chairman, similar to Bill Gates at Microsoft. Amazon shares are up 76% over the past year.

4. Mark Zuckerberg

Assets: 177 billion USD

Source of wealth: Facebook

Nationality: American

The fortune of the Meta Platforms boss has more than doubled since last year, helping Zuckerberg enter the top 10 richest people on the planet. Meta's business has also improved last year. Its profits increased nearly 70% to $39 billion. Its shares have also increased more than 130% in the past year.

5. Larry Ellison

Assets: 141 billion USD

Source of wealth: Oracle

Nationality: American

Ellison is the Chairman, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Oracle. He owns about 35.4% of the shares of this software giant. Compared to last year, the American billionaire's assets increased by 34 billion USD.

6. Warren Buffett

Assets: 133 billion USD

Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway

Nationality: American

The American investment legend is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. In recent years, he has been preparing to step down from his position as Berkshire's leader to retire. He has also pledged to donate more than 99% of his wealth to charity. To date, Buffett has donated more than $40 billion to the Bill Gates Foundation and children's charities.

7. Bill Gates

Assets: 128 billion USD

Source of wealth: Microsoft

Nationality: American

Bill Gates' fortune comes mainly from Microsoft stock. This year, he owns $128 billion, up $24 billion from last year. After leaving Microsoft, Gates focused on charity through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also invested in dozens of other companies.

8. Steve Ballmer

Assets: 121 billion USD

Source of wealth: Microsoft

Nationality: American

Steve Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft, leading the company from 2000-2004, Microsoft through the dotcom bubble. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the company's 30th employee.

9. Mukesh Ambani

Assets: 116 billion USD

Source of assets: Diversified

Nationality: Indian

Ambani is the chairman of the diversified conglomerate Reliance Industries, which has businesses ranging from oil and gas to telecommunications to retail in India. In recent years, the billionaire has steadily risen in the list of the world's richest people.

10. Larry Page

Assets: 114 billion USD

Source of assets: Google

Nationality: American

Larry Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin. In 2019, he stepped down as CEO of Alphabet, Google's parent company, but remains a controlling shareholder and member of the company's Board of Directors.