World’s wealthiest 15 have combined net worth of $2.2 trillion

The wealthiest 15 individuals in the world have a combined net worth of $2.2 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, each with a net worth of more than $100 billion. Together, the club of 15 control almost 25 per cent wealth of the 500 wealthiest individuals in the world. The figure marks a record high this year, and an increase of 13 per cent.

Among Indian billionaires, after Mukesh Ambani, the 61-year-old Gautam Adani rejoined the super-rich club post recuperating from the big losses his enterprises sustained a while back.

Leading the Bloomberg list is 75-year-old Bernard Arnault, founder, chairman and CEO of the luxury brand Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, commonly known as LVMH, with a net worth of $222 billion.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 60, ranks second with a net worth of $208 billion, and his position reaffirms his brand’s stature as the biggest online retailer in the world.

Elon Musk, 52, comes third with $187 billion. CEO of Tesla Motors, founder-CEO of SpaceX and CTO of X Corp among other high-profile brands, Musk saw a more than $40 billion-decline in wealth this year.

Facebook founder and Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg is at number four with a net worth of $168 billion while Google and Alphabet co-founder Larry Page is the fifth richest person with $155 billion. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is at number six with $154 billion. Alphabet co-founder Sergey Brin with a net worth of $146 billion is at seventh followed by Steve Balmer, owner of the NBA team Los Angeles Clippers, who has assets worth $146 billion. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Berkshire Hathaway co-founder Warren Buffett, with net worth of $137 billion, complete the top 10.

Many among the group have scaled the $100-billion mark individually in the past, but this is the first time all 15 have managed to do so.

Among other prominent names, Mexican Carlos Slim is the richest Latin American. Slim, 84, is at 13th with a net worth of $106 billion, aided by a boom in the Mexican peso. Slim has a huge empire that spans from retail to construction.

L’Oreal’s Francoise Bettencourt Meyers was the first woman to scale a 12-figure fortune last December. The 70-year-old Meyers is currently the 14th richest individual in the world with a net worth of $101 billion.

The list makes it obvious that the wealth quotient of the richest 15 is defined by the rise of technology, artificial intelligence, shifting trends of the international markets and the demand for luxury products. The 13 per cent rise in the wealth of the richest 15 is irrespective of global inflation, economic unrest owing to geopolitical unrest or climate change and fluctuating stock market trends.