The Rise of the 24 Super Billionaires in the World
10
World
February 27, 2025 05:30
- The emergence of a new category of ultra-rich individuals with $50 billion or more in wealth is reshaping the billionaire landscape.
The Emergence of Super Billionaires
In recent years, the number of billionaires globally has significantly increased, giving rise to a new category of ultra-rich individuals known as super billionaires. Defined as individuals with $50 billion or more in wealth, there are only 24 people worldwide who fall into this category. The American Wall Street Journal recently highlighted the rise of super billionaires, noting that the majority of them have amassed their fortunes in the technology sector or have elevated the sector to new heights with technological advancements.
Out of the total 24 super billionaires, only three are women, and only seven are from outside the U.S.
Changing Source of Wealth
Experts point out that the rise of super billionaires signifies a transformation in the world of ultra-rich individuals. In the early 19th and 20th centuries, the wealthiest individuals were industrialists, but now, most of the names on the list are founders of technology companies. The fortunes of these individuals are largely tied to the stock prices of the companies they founded. When the economic magazine Forbes published its first 'billionaires list' in 1987, featuring 140 individuals with a combined wealth of $295 billion, the richest person in the world was real estate magnate Yoshiaki Tsutsumi with a $20 billion fortune. Today, the world's richest person, Musk, has a wealth of $419 billion, approximately 21 times that of Tsutsumi.
Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg
Leading the list is Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, followed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, META CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and technology giant Dell's owner Michael Dell. The total wealth of super billionaires exceeds $3.3 trillion, making up over 16% of all billionaire wealth.