The top richest people in the world in 2024

The astounding fortunes of the top richest people in the world come from a variety of sources. Uncover the secrets behind their remarkable fortune and impressive list of achievements. A group of remarkable people has amassed riches beyond anyone’s wildest dreams in this age of boundless ambition and entrepreneurial spirit. Extraordinary leaders with vision and invention have risen to the pinnacle of success and joined the elite club of the world’s richest people.

After all, the richest people in the world have more money than the GDPs of several countries. Their fortune is now focused in the retail, technological, and financial sectors. Worldwide, people are very concerned about the widening wealth gap between the rich and the less fortunate.

In this article, we examine the world’s ten wealthiest individuals, exploring their remarkable achievements, entrepreneurial spirit, and global economic impact. Facts and figures provided the data used to compile this ranking.

Elon Musk

A new wealthiest man has emerged: Elon Musk. Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer, and SpaceX, an aerospace firm, are both headed by him as CEO. Currently, he owns 23% of Tesla. The prosperity of Tesla is directly proportional to a large chunk of his fortune, about two-thirds. In October 2022, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion, creating significant news.

During 2010, Musk oversaw Tesla’s first public offering. From 2020 to 2021, the firm’s market capitalization grew substantially, propelling Musk to the position of one of the world’s top ten wealthiest individuals by September 2021. A staggering $320 billion was Musk’s fortune in November 2021.

Bernard Arnault & Family

At Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world’s largest luxury goods firm, which encompasses over 70 renowned fashion and cosmetics brands, Bernard Arnault serves as both CEO and Chairman. Arnault is the second-wealthiest person in the world. Its portfolio features illustrious brands such as Sephora, Moet & Chandon, Christian Dior, and Louis Vuitton. LVMH acquired the jeweler Tiffany & Co. for an unprecedented $15.8 billion in January 2021.

All five of Arnault’s children have made significant contributions to the vast LVMH enterprise. He named his daughter Delphine as head of the group’s second-largest brand, Dior, in January 2023.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos stepped down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and continued to serve as Chairman of the Board of the e-commerce giant Amazon in July 2021. A private space exploration firm he founded and lavishly endowed with billions of dollars, Blue Origin, launched its rocket the same month, and he set out on a space mission atop it.

Mark Zuckerberg

Meta Platforms’ co-founder and current CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, launched Facebook in 2004 at the tender age of 19. He attended Harvard University, where he studied computer science and psychology. One of the original purposes of Facebook was to enable users to easily find student images and names on campus. Anyone with a working email account and a minimum age of thirteen was allowed access to Facebook in 2006.

With the public offering of Facebook in May 2012, Zuckerberg rose to the position of the tenth most powerful person in the world according to Facts and Figures’ 2016 ranking. Zuckerberg currently has around 13% of the company’s shares in his own. The 39-year-old IT whiz has three children from his marriage to Priscilla Chan. He and his wife have pledged to spend $3 billion by 2100 in an effort to eradicate, cure, or control all illnesses.

Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison was a co-founder of Oracle and its chief executive officer (CEO) from 1977 to 2014. Currently, he serves as both the chief technologist and executive chairman of the board. When Ellison paid $300 million for the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 2012, he became a media darling. Ellison has dabbled in investing at Astex Pharmaceuticals, Quark Biotechnology Inc., NetSuite, Salesforce.com, and NetSuite.

Larry Page

In 1998, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both PhD students at Stanford, co-founded Google. Page was chief executive officer (CEO) from 1999 to 2001 and again from 2011 until 2015.

As a significant stakeholder, he has considerable influence over Google and remains a board member of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Additionally, Page was a crucial component in the Planetary Resources enterprise, which aimed to extract resources from asteroids and other celestial bodies.

Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin, who had a doctorate from Stanford University and worked closely with Larry Page, was instrumental in 1998 when they launched the Google search engine. Brin, a Russian native, was Google’s technology chief before moving on to manage special projects and, most notably, the creation of Google Glass, a wearable gadget with voice-activated “smart glasses.” Alphabet is Google’s parent company, and Brin is on the board of directors while also holding a large controlling interest in the business.

Warren Buffett

Many consider Warren Buffett, dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha,” to be one of the most successful investors in history. He oversees the investing behemoth Berkshire Hathaway, which includes the insurance company Geico, as well as investments in Duracell, Apple, Nu Holdings, and Dairy Queen, among many other firms.

The Giving Pledge was launched in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett. It encourages billionaires to give half of their wealth to charity. Buffett has revealed his desire to give away all 99 percent of his wealth, proving his steadfast dedication to philanthropy.

William “Bill” Gates

He was the wealthiest man in the world from 1995 to 2017, with the exception of two short stints in 2008 and 2010–2013. Melinda French Gates received a minimum of $6 billion in shares as a component of the settlement when her divorce from Bill Gates was finalized in 2021. Gates shifted his focus to charitable endeavors after 25 years at the helm of Microsoft. The Avahan project for HIV prevention, launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2003, is believed to have averted 600,000 new infections since its inception.

Ballmer Steve

From 2000 to 2014, Steve Ballmer served as Microsoft’s chief executive officer. He and Bill Gates were both classmates at Harvard University. After leaving Stanford University’s MBA program, he joined Microsoft as its 30th employee in 1980, marking the beginning of his career with the corporation.

Ballmer made news in the same year he retired from Microsoft, when he bought the Los Angeles Clippers basketball club for a record-breaking $2 billion, the most money ever spent on an NBA franchise at that time.

Conclusion

The top 10 richest people in 2024 aren’t just wealthy—they’re powerhouses shaping industries and inspiring millions. These individuals come from diverse backgrounds, but they all share one thing: bold innovation. You’ll find giants leading the digital revolution, finance moguls building global empires, and industrialists driving progress with visionary ideas. Together, they influence economies, set new records, and redefine what success looks like in today’s fast-changing world.