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.
Maps
Where the Ultra-Rich Spend Their Holidays
In this graphic, we visualize the destinations that saw the biggest influx of seasonal centi-millionaire residents in 2022.
Visualized: Where the Ultra-Rich Spend Their Holidays
There are more than 25,000 centi-millionaires around the world today, forming an elite club composed primarily of founders and heirs of family fortunes.
According to Henley & Partners, most of these individuals—who have more than $100 million in investable assets by definition—split their time between several properties each year.
To explore the destinations that are the most sought-after by the ultra-wealthy, we’ve visualized the cities that saw the biggest influx of seasonal centi-millionaire residents in 2022, using data from Henley & Partners.
Centi-Millionaire Vacation Hotspots
The top three seasonal vacation hotspots of the ultra-rich are found in the United States: Miami, the Hamptons, and Florida’s West Palm Beach.
This may not come as a shock given the concentration of centi-millionaires in the United States, with New York, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles being home to the highest number of centi-millionaire residents in the world.
Regardless of where they live year-round, the table below reveals where these elites flock for seasonal getaways in their secondary homes.
| Rank | City or Town | Year-Round Centi-Millionaire Residents, 2022 | Peak Holiday Month Centi-Millionaire Residents, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Miami, Florida | 160 | 800 |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 The Hamptons, New York | 25 | 700 |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 West Palm Beach, Florida | 64 | 400 |
| 4 | 🇫🇷 Paris, France | 126 | 300 |
| 5 | 🇺🇸 Santa Barbara & Montecito, California | 82 | 200 |
| 6 | 🇺🇸 San Diego, California | 70 | 200 |
| 7 | 🇫🇷 Nice, France | 60 | 200 |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 Napa, California | 28 | 200 |
| 9 | 🇵🇹 Golden Triangle, Algarve, Portugal | 20 | 200 |
| 10 | 🇺🇸 Aspen, Colorado | 6 | 200 |
| 11 | 🇺🇸 Carmel-by-the-Sea, California | 40 | 150 |
| 12 | 🇺🇸 Boca Raton, Florida | 38 | 150 |
| 13 | 🇵🇹 Lisbon, Portugal | 35 | 150 |
| 14 | 🇨🇭 Lugano, Switzerland | 30 | 150 |
| 15 | 🇫🇷 Cannes, France | 20 | 150 |
| 16 | 🇫🇷 Antibes, France | 18 | 150 |
| 17 | 🇺🇸 Jackson Hole, Wyoming | 10 | 150 |
The data above only considers centi-millionaires vacationing in their secondary residences, therefore excluding hotel stays, holiday rentals, and yachts. Peak holiday months vary for each location.
Beyond the 10 U.S. cities that constitute the top 17 centi-millionaire seasonal hotspots, we come across several French cities on the list, including Paris, Nice, Cannes, and Antibes, as well as Portugal’s Golden Triangle and Lisbon.
Global Centi-Millionaire Trends
According to Henley & Partners’ 2023 Centi-Millionaire Report, the global centi-millionaire population is expected to grow by 38% in the next decade, reaching nearly 40,000 by 2033.
Much of this growth is expected to be seen in countries such as China, India, and Saudi Arabia. China’s Hangzhou and Shenzhen, specifically, are expected to see the highest percentage growth in centi-millionaire populations through 2033, growing by 95% and 88%, respectively.
Despite the rapid growth of the wealthy in the global East, however, it’s notable that many centi-millionaires are still graduating from American universities.
More than half of the top 20 universities with the most centi-millionaire alumni are in the United States, with Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania making up the top three spots.
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