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The richest people in the world have an astounding amount of wealth with a joint value that amasses 7 trillion. Some of them have accumulated their wealth by turning an idea into a billion-dollar empire, while others have inherited a business which led to overwhelming fortune. According to Forbes, there are over 2,000 billionaires ranging from tech CEOs and expert investors to fortunate heirs. Read on and find out who is the richest person in the world.

20. Jack Ma, Co-founder of Alibaba

Richest People In The World

With a net worth of $40.4 billion, the co-founder and chairman of Alibaba Group opens our list of the top 20 richest people in the world. Evolving into one of the world’s largest e-commerce businesses, Alibaba has a revenue of $23 billion. The business tycoon has invested in China’s entertainment industry companies, Huayi Brothers and Beijing Enlight Media. Ma has become a global business icon and an innovation visionary, now considered to be one of the world’s most powerful people.

19. Hui Ka Yan, Chairman of China Evergrande Group

Richest People In The World

The chairman of China Evergrande Group of Shenzhen has earned his net worth of $40.5 billion with his experience of over 26 years in real estate investment, corporate management, and property development. His current role at the company is to formulate development strategies, and his projects include Evergreen Oasis Wuhai in arid Inner Mongolia and Evergreen Spring City Enping in Guangdong. Evergrande also owns the majority of China’s best soccer teams.

18. Mukesh Ambani, Founder and Chairman of Reliance Industries

Richest People In The World

Mukesh Ambani runs the gas giant company, Reliance Industries Limited, worth $51 billion and one of India’s most valuable companies. He holds 44.7% stake in the company which deals in refining, petrochemicals, and oil and gas sectors. The company’s subsidiary, Reliance Retail is the largest retail company in India. Reliance entered the telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service, Jio, which offered free domestic calls and cheap services. The businessman also owns the Indian Premier League franchise, Mumbai Indians, which made him one of the world’s richest sports owners. The richest person in India has a net worth of $42.3 billion.

17. Alice Walton, Chairman of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Richest People In The World

In a world full of billionaire gentlemen, you’ve surely asked yourself who is the richest woman in the world. The answer is – the only daughter of the Walmart founder, Sam Walton. Although an heiress of her father’s fortune, Alice Walton focused on curating art. She is the founder of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum features some of the most prestigious works by Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, and Norman Rockwell. Walton’s net worth has been estimated at $46.1 billion.

16. Rob Walton, Retired Chairman of Walmart stores

Richest People In The World

The eldest son of Sam Walton has started his career working at ‘Conner & Winters’, the law firm which represented Walmart. Several years after, Walton joined his father’s company as a Senior Vice President before being appointed Vice Chairman in 1982. After his father died, Rob Walton was named Chairman of the Board of Directors, a position which he held up until 2015. Rob and the other heirs of Sam Walton collectively hold more than a half of Walmart’s stock. Today, Rob Walton enjoys a wealth which is estimated at $46.2 billion.

15. Jim Walton, CEO and Chairman of Arvest Bank Group, Inc.

Richest People In The World

The youngest son of Sam Walton replaced his deceased brother, John, on the Walmart Board of Directors. Currently, he’s on the Strategic Planning and Finance committees, and together with the rest of his family is an owner of over half of Walmart’s stock. A part of Jim’s net worth of $45.5 billion, also comes from his family-owned Arvest Bank where he serves as CEO. Walton is also the chairman and co-owner of the newspaper firm ‘Community Publishers Inc.’.

14. Ma Huateng, Chairman and CEO of Tencent Holdings

Richest People In The World

The chairman and CEO of Tencent Holding, China’s Internet giant, ranks among the richest people in the world with a fortune of $47.7 billion. His company is amongst the largest businesses according to market capitalization in China. Known for his smart investments and low-profile life, Ma is widely regarded as one of the leaders in AI, the Internet, and technology. Its popular messaging app, WeChat has over 960 million users. In 2017, Tencent Holding acquired 12% stake in Snap, the Snapchat parent.

13. Sergey Brin, president of Alphabet

Richest People In The World

The computer scientist, Internet entrepreneur and co-founder of Google has helped in taking the company to the top, putting himself on the list of the richest people in the world. At one point, he run Google X, a secretive division which made the doomed Google glasses. Today, he’s the president of Google’s parent firm, Alphabet, enjoying a fortune of $49.9 billion. He’s also an investor in Airship Ventures and the private space travel company, Space Adventures.

12. David Koch, Executive VP of Koch Industries

Richest People In The World

The co-owner and Executive Vice President of the second largest private company in the US has a net worth of $51.3 billion. David Koch and his brothers, Charles, Frederick, and William, inherited the company from their father, who invented the method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. Back in 1983, David and Charles bought out Frederick and William for $1.1 billion and now they have 42% stakes each. The Koch chemical technology group, which has revenues of $100 billion, produces fertilizers, operates pipelines, and makes Dixie cups and Quilted Northern toilet paper. 

11. Charles Koch, CEO of Koch Industries

Richest People In The World

The chairman and CEO of Koch Industries and his brother have managed to build a vast fortune of their inheritance. The company, which the brothers co-own, has investments in refineries, fertilizer, pipelines, and chemical technology, growing into the second largest one in America. Koch is on the list of richest people in the world with a fortune of $51.3 billion.

10. Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet

Richest People In The World

Larry Page is a computer scientist who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin. The internet entrepreneur is also the inventor of PageRank, Google’s most famous ranking algorithm.
Page is the CEO of the healthcare division Calico and the smart home appliance division, Nest. Additionally, he’s an investor in Tesla Motors and has also helped to set up Singularity University, a transhumanist think-thank. Larry Page is the tenth richest man in the world today with a net worth of  $51.4 billion.

9. Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bloomberg

Richest People In The World

CEO, philanthropist and politician, Michael Bloomberg started his career as a partner at Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street investment bank. In 1981, he launched his own information technology and media company, Bloomberg L.P, which has a revenue of over $9 billion. The majority of his net worth, put at $51.4 billion, comes from his 88% stakes in the business. As a politician, he has served three terms as a New York City mayor, and has contributed to causes like gun control and climate changes.

8.  Larry Ellison, chairman, and co-founder of Oracle Corporation

Richest People In The World

While working at the electronics company Ampex, Ellison got the idea for customer relationship management databases which resulted in Oracle. The company became a successful and popular database vendor to mid and low range systems which made Ellison the eighth richest person in the world. Before stepping down from the CEO position in 2014, he was the highest-paid executive in the US. Today he has a fortune of $59.5 billion and remains the chairman of the Board, as well as the Chief Technology Officer of Oracle. As a great philanthropist, Ellison has already given 1% of his wealth and has signed The Giving Pledge.

7. Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH

Richest People In The World

The French business magnate is one of the world’s greatest taste-makers who is responsible for many of the most fashionable brands in the world. The seventh richest person in the world overseas an empire of over 70 brands, including Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Dom Perignon, and Sephora. He’s the CEO of LVMH, the biggest company for luxury goods in the world. His wealth, currently estimated at $64.5 billion, has grown by $5 billion in April 2017 when he took full control of Dior. Apart from LVMH, Arnault has stocks in the supermarket chain Carrefour as well as Hermes. The billionaire is also an avid art collector and the creator of the Louis Vuitton Foundation.

6. Carlos Slim Helu, Honorary Chairman of America Movil

Richest People In The World

The richest person in Mexico is also the sixth richest man in the world today. After inheriting his father’s business, Slim founded his own insurance company, Investor Bursatil. Today, the business tycoon owns more than 200 companies in a variety of industries. He owns America Movil, the biggest mobile phone company in Latin America, as well as the Grupo Carso conglomerate, a company that includes retailers, restaurants, and more. Moreover, Slim owns 17% of the New York Times and has stakes in Mexican real estate, mining, and construction companies. The business magnate has a net worth of $65.9 billion which is equivalent to approximately 6% of Mexico’s GDP.

5. Amancio Ortega, Founder of Inditex Fashion

Richest People In The World

The self-made billionaire, Amancio Ortega, has founded Inditex Fashion, most known for its Zara clothing chain. The richest person in Europe is also the richest retailer in the world, owning 59% of the company which operates more than 7,000 stores. Ortega pioneered in ‘fast fashion’, refreshing the store stocks twice a week and following bloggers and customers instead of fashion shows. The new concept proved refreshing and extremely successful, building up a great part of Ortega’s $74.9 billion fortune. The Spanish businessman is an eager investor whose portfolio includes buildings in Madrid, London, Miami, and New York.

4. Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder Chairman, and CEO of Facebook

Richest People In The World

The Harvard sophomore, who created the first version of Facebook in 2004, is now the youngest of the world’s top billionaires. The $400 billion worth social media powerhouse has 2 billion active users. Zuckerberg, who now owns 17% of the stock, has seen his net worth skyrocket, reaching $75.7 billion, as Facebook’s stock price escalated. A great philanthropist, the Internet mogul and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook stake to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative over their lifetimes.

3. Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

Richest People In The World

Warren Buffett is arguably the most successful investor of all times with a current net worth of $88.2 billion. Nicknamed the Oracle of Omaha, the investment genius bought his first stock when he was 11 years old and now owns over 60 companies, including Geico Insurance, the battery maker Duracell, and the restaurant chain Dairy Queen. Buffett is also known for his cheap spending habits and great charity actions. Together with Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, he founded The Giving Pledge, asking billionaires to donate at least half of their fortune to charitable causes through their lifetime.

2. Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Richest People In The World

When you think about who is the richest man in the whole world, you probably think of Bill Gates. However, the man who topped the Forbes Richest Americans list 24 years in a row, is now the second richest person in the world with a fortune of $91.4 billion. From a kid passionate about computers, Bill Gates turned into a co-founder of one of the world’s largest PC software companies, Microsoft. He served as CEO of the company until 2000, and remained Chairman and largest shareholder until 2014. Today, he’s still a member of the Board and a Technology Adviser. As great philanthropists, Gates and his wife have founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private charitable organization. The business magnate and one of the most influential people today are also one of the founders of The Giving Pledge.

1. Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO

Richest People In The World

The technology and retail entrepreneur brought about the growth of online shopping and e-commerce by founding Amazon.com. The CEO of the largest online retailer launched the $430 billion company in 1994 as an online book retailer which expanded to include a wide range of products and services. The majority of his fortune, estimated at $105.1 billion comes from the 78.9 million shares of Amazon which climbed an extra 1.4% at the beginning of 2018. In addition, Bezos owns a private space company, Blue Origin, and The Washington Post. In June 2017, Amazon purchased the prosperous grocery chain, Whole Foods. Jeff Bezos is considered the richest man in the world ever!


Our list of the richest people in the world comes to a close here. From tech moguls to retail giants, these billionaires are also great philanthropists and leading visionaries and influencers who have the power (and money) to change the world. Don’t forget to check CelebJury for more celebrity net worth news!