Wealth
The Richest People in the World in 2022
The Richest People in the World in 2022
Today, the 10 richest people in the world control $1.3 trillion in wealth.
This scale of wealth is equal to approximately 1.3% of the world economy, Amazon’s entire market cap, or spending $1 million a day over 3,000 years. In fact, it’s almost double the amount seen two years ago ($663 billion).
As billionaire wealth accumulates at a remarkable speed, we feature a snapshot of the world’s richest in 2022, based on data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.
Top 10 Richest People in the World
Elon Musk, with a fortune of $266 billion, is the richest person on the planet.
Despite supply chain bottlenecks, Tesla deliveries have increased 27% since the second quarter of 2021. Musk, who is also CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX, plans to send the largest rocket ever built into orbit in 2022. It spans 119 meters tall.
Here are the richest people in the world, based on data as of September 13, 2022:
| Rank | Name | Source | Net Worth (Sep 2022) | Net Worth (Mar 2021) | Change 2021-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | Tesla, SpaceX | $266B | $151B | $115B |
| 2 | Bernard Arnault & family | LVMH | $160B | $150B | $10B |
| 3 | Gautam Adani & family | Infrastructure, Commodities | $151B | $51B | $100B |
| 4 | Jeff Bezos | Amazon | $150B | $177B | -$27B |
| 5 | Bill Gates | Microsoft | $107B | $124B | -$17B |
| 6 | Larry Ellison | Oracle | $104B | $93B | $11B |
| 7 | Warren Buffett | Berkshire Hathaway | $97B | $96B | $1B |
| 8 | Mukesh Ambani | Diversified | $95B | $85B | $10B |
| 9 | Larry Page | $90B | $92B | -$2B | |
| 10 | Sergey Brin | $86B | $89B | -$3B |
With a net worth of $150 billion, Jeff Bezos sits in fourth place. Since last March, Amazon shares have fallen over 20% in light of inflationary price pressures and lagging retail performance.
Most notably, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook) fell off the top 10 for the first time since 2016. Meta shares plunged after reporting the first-ever drop in global daily active users since 2004.
Growth Rates of the Top 10 Overall
Among the 10 richest people in the world, here’s who saw their wealth rise the fastest:
Gautam Adani saw his fortune rise more than any other in this top 10 list. Adani heads one of the three largest industrial conglomerates in India. In the coming years, Adani plans to invest $70 billion in the renewable energy sector.
Like Adani, Musk saw his wealth rise among the fastest, even as Tesla shares have declined over 30% since their peak in November.
Crypto Billionaires in 2022
Even amid the crypto winter, at least ten people worldwide have seen their wealth climb into the billions thanks to the stratospheric rise of cryptocurrencies.
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the FTX crypto derivatives exchange, is at the top, with a jaw-dropping $18 billion net worth. Bankman-Fried launched the exchange in 2019 when he was 27.
FTX now has one million users and a $32 billion valuation.
| Rank | Name | Net Worth | Age (as of Sep 2022) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Bankman-Fried | $18B | 30 |
| 2 | Changpeng Zhao | $17B | 45 |
| 3 | Gary Wang | $5B | 29 |
| 4 | Song Chi-hyung | $3B | 43 |
| 5 | Brian Armstrong | $3B | 39 |
| 5 | Chris Larsen | $3B | 62 |
| 6 | Jed McCaleb | $3B | 47 |
| 7 | Cameron Winklevoss | $2B | 41 |
| 8 | Tyler Winklevoss | $2B | 41 |
| 9 | Barry Silbert | $2B | 46 |
Following Bankman-Fried is Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. It is the largest exchange globally.
Also on the list are co-founders of Gemini cryptocurrency exchange Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, each with a net worth of over $2 billion. Like their rival, Mark Zuckerberg, they have their sights on building a metaverse.
Larger Shifts
Will billionaire wealth continue to accumulate at record rates? As the invasion of Ukraine presses on, it will likely have broader structural outcomes.
Some argue that war is a great leveler, a force that has reduced wealth inequality, as seen in the aftermath of WWII. Others suggest that it increases wealth divergence, especially when the war is financed by public debt. Often, costs have become inflated due to war, putting pressure on low and middle-income households.
Whether or not the war will have lasting effects on wealth distribution is an open question, however, if the pandemic serves as any precedent, the effects will be far from predictable.
Wealth
Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State
Tax burden measures the percent of an individual’s income that is paid towards taxes. See where it’s the highest by state in this graphic.
Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
This map graphic visualizes the total tax burden in each U.S. state as of March 2024, based on figures compiled by WalletHub.
It’s important to understand that under this methodology, the tax burden measures the percent of an average person’s income that is paid towards state and local taxes. It considers property taxes, income taxes, and sales & excise tax.
Data and Methodology
The figures we used to create this graphic are listed in the table below.
| State | Total Tax Burden |
|---|---|
| New York | 12.0% |
| Hawaii | 11.8% |
| Vermont | 11.1% |
| Maine | 10.7% |
| California | 10.4% |
| Connecticut | 10.1% |
| Minnesota | 10.0% |
| Illinois | 9.7% |
| New Jersey | 9.5% |
| Rhode Island | 9.4% |
| Utah | 9.4% |
| Kansas | 9.3% |
| Maryland | 9.3% |
| Iowa | 9.2% |
| Nebraska | 9.2% |
| Ohio | 8.9% |
| Indiana | 8.9% |
| Arkansas | 8.8% |
| Mississippi | 8.8% |
| Massachusetts | 8.6% |
| Virginia | 8.5% |
| West Virginia | 8.5% |
| Oregon | 8.4% |
| Colorado | 8.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 8.4% |
| Wisconsin | 8.3% |
| Louisiana | 8.3% |
| Kentucky | 8.3% |
| Washington | 8.0% |
| New Mexico | 8.0% |
| Michigan | 8.0% |
| North Carolina | 7.9% |
| Idaho | 7.9% |
| Arizona | 7.8% |
| Missouri | 7.8% |
| Georgia | 7.7% |
| Texas | 7.6% |
| Alabama | 7.5% |
| Montana | 7.5% |
| South Carolina | 7.5% |
| Nevada | 7.4% |
| Oklahoma | 7.0% |
| North Dakota | 6.8% |
| South Dakota | 6.4% |
| Delaware | 6.4% |
| Tennessee | 6.1% |
| Florida | 6.1% |
| Wyoming | 5.7% |
| New Hampshire | 5.6% |
| Alaska | 4.9% |
From this data we can see that New York has the highest total tax burden. Residents in this state will pay, on average, 12% of their income to state and local governments.
Breaking this down into its three components, the average New Yorker pays 4.6% of their income on income taxes, 4.4% on property taxes, and 3% in sales & excise taxes.
At the other end of the spectrum, Alaska has the lowest tax burden of any state, equaling 4.9% of income. This is partly due to the fact that Alaskans do not pay state income tax.
Hate Paying Taxes?
In addition to Alaska, there are several other U.S. states that don’t charge income taxes. These are: Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.
It’s also worth noting that New Hampshire does not have a regular income tax, but does charge a flat 4% on interest and dividend income according to the Tax Foundation.
Learn More About Taxation From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out this graphic which ranks the countries with the lowest corporate tax rates, from 1980 to today.
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