There are currently 1,826 billionaires in the world with an aggregate net worth of US$ 7.05 trillion, according to the recently released 2015 Forbes Billionaires List.
A total of 290 of the people listed are newcomers, 71 of whom come from China. The number of young billionaires is also on the rise as the rankings show that 46 billionaires are under the age of 40. The youngest billionaire is Evan Spiegel, 24, co-founder of the photo-messaging app Snapchat. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ranks within the top 20 for the first time.
Bill Gates is still the richest person in the world with a fortune that grew by US$3.2 billion last year to US$ 79.2 billion. Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico ranks second and Warren Buffett ranks third, with his wealth growing by US$ 14.5 billion to US$ 72.7 billion.
Counting down, here are the 2015 Forbes top 10 richest people in the world:
Liliane Bettencourt [File Photo] |
Personal wealth: US$ 40.1 billion