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The Richest People in the World in 2021

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richest people in the world November 2021

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Visualizing the Richest People in the World

Over $890 billion has been amassed by the ten wealthiest people since March 2020.

To put that into perspective, that’s more than the entire economic output of Sweden, Turkey, or Saudi Arabia. As just one example, Elon Musk witnessed his wealth increase at least 1,116% in the last year and a half. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has earned an additional $89 billion.

With data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, we navigate how the wealth of various uber-affluent groups have changed since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 10 Richest People in the World

With a net worth of $304 billion, Elon Musk is the wealthiest in the world.

Boosting his wealth is a $100 billion valuation of SpaceX. Since February, its valuation has jumped roughly $25 billion, placing it among the most valuable private companies worldwide. The majority of Musk’s wealth, however, derives from Tesla, which recently moved its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas.

Based on data as of November 8, 2021 here are the ten wealthiest individuals worldwide:

RankNameSourceNet Worth Nov 2021Net Worth Mar 2020Change 2020-2021
1Elon MuskTesla, SpaceX$301B$25B$276B
2Jeff BezosAmazon$202B$113B$89B
3Bernard Arnault & familyLVMH$197B$76B$121B
4Bill GatesMicrosoft$139B$98B$41B
5Larry EllisonOracle$130B$59B$71B
6Larry PageGoogle$127B$51B$76B
7Sergey BrinGoogle$122B$49B$73B
8Mark ZuckerbergMeta (Facebook)$121B$55B$66B
9Steve BallmerMicrosoft$106B$69B$37B
10Warren BuffettBerkshire Hathaway$105B$68B$37B

Top 10 Wealth Growth

Since the onset of the pandemic, Musk has seen his wealth grow the fastest out of the top 10. Over the third quarter of 2021, Tesla net income topped $1.6 billion—a company record. This surge helped the entrepreneur become the first person to cross the $300 billion net worth threshold.

Yet once again, Musk surpassed Jeff Bezos as the richest person in the world. This is impressive, since Jeff Bezos’s wealth ballooned over 79% in the same time frame. Similarly, Zuckerberg, Gates, and Buffett have all seen double or triple-digit growth.

Billionaires Wealth Growth Nov 2021

Following Musk and Bezos is Bernard Arnault, known as “The Wolf in Cashmere”. The French magnate has made over $121 billion spurred by a 43% jump in LVMH revenues over 2021. Earlier this year, LVMH closed a $15.8 billion acquisition of jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co.

On average, the top 10 richest have seen gains of 204% over the course of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the majority were in tech.

Who’s In and Who’s Out?

As of early August, Rihanna joins the billionaire’s club with an estimated $1.7 billion net worth.

Thanks to the rapid ascent of Fenty Beauty (of which she owns a 50% stake), Rihanna is the second-wealthiest female entertainer in the world, following Oprah at $2.7 billion. The company is focused on inclusivity, offering a broad set of products for every skin type. Launched in 2017 with LVMH (who owns the other 50% stake), Fenty Beauty currently sits at a $2.8 billion valuation.

By contrast, last year’s youngest billionaire, Kylie Jenner, fell off the list after allegedly inflating her net worth. Interestingly, the Kardashian’s took great lengths to show Forbes the extent of her wealth, including showing them their tax returns along with invitations to their mansions.

Still, Jenner’s net worth stands at roughly $700 million.

A New Gilded Age?

Given the staggering growth of the ultra-wealthy in recent years, today’s wealth concentration is now comparable to America’s Gilded Age.

At the time, John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in the world—worth roughly $285 billion in today’s terms. His businesses produced 1.6% of total U.S. economic output.

By comparison, Elon Musk, at over $304 billion, still has a little ways to go just yet.

The data and graphics were last updated on November 8th, 2021.

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United States

Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve

Public trust in the Federal Reserve chair has hit its lowest point in 20 years. Get the details in this infographic.

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The Briefing

  • Gallup conducts an annual poll to gauge the U.S. public’s trust in the Federal Reserve
  • After rising during the COVID-19 pandemic, public trust has fallen to a 20-year low

 

Charted: Public Trust in the Federal Reserve

Each year, Gallup conducts a survey of American adults on various economic topics, including the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve.

More specifically, respondents are asked how much confidence they have in the current Fed chairman to do or recommend the right thing for the U.S. economy. We’ve visualized these results from 2001 to 2023 to see how confidence levels have changed over time.

Methodology and Results

The data used in this infographic is also listed in the table below. Percentages reflect the share of respondents that have either a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence.

YearFed chair% Great deal or Fair amount
2023Jerome Powell36%
2022Jerome Powell43%
2021Jerome Powell55%
2020Jerome Powell58%
2019Jerome Powell50%
2018Jerome Powell45%
2017Janet Yellen45%
2016Janet Yellen38%
2015Janet Yellen42%
2014Janet Yellen37%
2013Ben Bernanke42%
2012Ben Bernanke39%
2011Ben Bernanke41%
2010Ben Bernanke44%
2009Ben Bernanke49%
2008Ben Bernanke47%
2007Ben Bernanke50%
2006Ben Bernanke41%
2005Alan Greenspan56%
2004Alan Greenspan61%
2003Alan Greenspan65%
2002Alan Greenspan69%
2001Alan Greenspan74%

Data for 2023 collected April 3-25, with this statement put to respondents: “Please tell me how much confidence you have [in the Fed chair] to recommend the right thing for the economy.”

We can see that trust in the Federal Reserve has fluctuated significantly in recent years.

For example, under Alan Greenspan, trust was initially high due to the relative stability of the economy. The burst of the dotcom bubble—which some attribute to Greenspan’s easy credit policies—resulted in a sharp decline.

On the flip side, public confidence spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely due to Jerome Powell’s decisive actions to provide support to the U.S. economy throughout the crisis.

Measures implemented by the Fed include bringing interest rates to near zero, quantitative easing (buying government bonds with newly-printed money), and emergency lending programs to businesses.

Confidence Now on the Decline

After peaking at 58%, those with a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the Fed chair have tumbled to 36%, the lowest number in 20 years.

This is likely due to Powell’s hard stance on fighting post-pandemic inflation, which has involved raising interest rates at an incredible speed. While these rate hikes may be necessary, they also have many adverse effects:

  • Negative impact on the stock market
  • Increases the burden for those with variable-rate debts
  • Makes mortgages and home buying less affordable

Higher rates have also prompted many U.S. tech companies to shrink their workforces, and have been a factor in the regional banking crisis, including the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Gallup (2023)

Data Notes: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted April 3-25, 2023, with a random sample of –1,013—adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. See source for details.

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