The World's Billionaires
No Name Net worth ( USD ) Age Nationality Source ( s ) of wealth
1 Bill Gates $ 86.0 billion 61 United States Microsoft
2 Warren Buffett $ 75.6 billion 86 United States Berkshire Hathaway
3 Jeff Bezos $ 72.8 billion 53 United States Amazon
4 Amancio Ortega $ 71.3 billion 80 Spain Inditex , Zara
5 Mark Zuckerberg $ 56.0 billion 32 United States Facebook
6 Carlos Slim $ 54.5 billion 77 Mexico América Móvil , Grupo Carso
7 Larry Ellison $ 52.2 billion 72 United States Oracle Corporation
8 Charles Koch $ 48.3 billion 81 United States Koch Industries
8 David Koch $ 48.3 billion 76 United States Koch Industries
10 Michael Bloomberg $ 47.5 billion 75 United States Bloomberg L.P
Annual rankings -- 2017
On the 30th anniversary of the Forbes list of the world 's billionaires , for the fourth year in a row , Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world . [ 6 ] In 2017 , there was a record of 2,043 people on the list , which is the first time over 2,000 people were listed . This included 195 newcomers of whom 76 were from China and 25 from the U.S. ; there were 56 people under 40 and it had a record of 227 women . [ 17 ] The number of billionaires increased 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 in 2016 ; this was the biggest change in over 30 years of tracking billionaires globally . [ 6 ] Added together , the total net worth for 2017 's billionaires was US $ 7.67 trillion , up from US $ 7.1 trillion in 2015 . [ 6 ] [ 7 ] This was the first time after 12 years that Carlos Slim was not within the top five . The U.S. had the most billionaires in the world , with a record of 565 . China had 319 ( not including Hong Kong , Taiwan or Macau ) , Germany had 114 , and India had the fourth most with 101 ; India reached over 100 billionaires for its first time .
The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking by documented net worth of the wealthiest billionaires in the world, compiled and published in March annually by the American business magazine Forbes. The list was first published in March 1987. The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated and is cited in United States dollars, based on their documented assets and accounting for debt. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists. This ranking is an index of the wealthiest documented individuals, excluding and ranking against those with wealth that is not able to be completely ascertained. In 2018, there was a record of 2,208 people on the list, that included 259 newcomers mostly from China and the U.S.; there were 63 people under 40 and it had a record number of 256 women. The average net worth of the list came in at US$4.1 billion, up US$350 million from 2017. Added together, the total net worth for 2018's billionaires was US$9.1 trillion, up from US$7.67 trillion in 2017. As of 2018[update], Microsoft founder Bill Gates had topped the list 18 of the past 24 years, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is ranked at the top for the first time and he became the first centibillionaire included in the ranking. In 2017, Mark Zuckerberg was the only person in the top 10 billionaires list who is under the age of 50, and the only one in the top 20 billionaires list who is under the age of 40. In 2017, 500 of the richest people in the world became richer by $1 trillion, according to a report by Bloomberg News. According to a 2017 Oxfam report, the top eight billionaires own as much combined wealth as the poorest half of the human race.