Datastream
Ranked: The Top 10 Richest People on the Planet
The Briefing
- Elon Musk is currently the richest person in the world, with a total net worth of $198 billion as of Sept 21, 2021
- Jeff Bezos comes in second place, with a net worth of $194 billion
Ranked: The Top 10 Richest People on the Planet
The top 10 richest people on the planet have a combined net worth of $1.4 trillion. For some context, that’s roughly the same size as Australia’s GDP.
Who are these ultra-wealthy individuals, and what’s the source of their wealth? Here’s a look at the top 10 richest people on the planet, and how they’ve made their billions.
Who’s in the $100 Billion Club?
Elon Musk is currently the richest of them all, with a total net worth of $198 billion. That’s $60 billion more than the entire group’s average of $138 billion.
| Rank | Name | Total Net Worth | Country | Industry | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $198 B | U.S. | Technology | Tesla, Space X |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $194 B | U.S. | Technology | Amazon |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault | $157 B | France | Consumer | LVMH |
| 4 | Bill Gates | $149 B | U.S. | Technology | Microsoft |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | $132 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 6 | Larry Page | $124 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $119 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 8 | Steve Ballmer | $105 B | U.S. | Technology | Microsoft |
| 9 | Larry Ellison | $100 B | U.S. | Technology | Oracle |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | $100 B | U.S. | Diversified | Berkshire Hathaway |
This is fairly unsurprising considering how well Tesla stock has been performing over recent years. While many skeptics expect the Tesla bubble to burst eventually—including famous investor Michael Burry—so far, the car company’s value has continued to surge.
With a current market cap of $768 billion, Tesla’s worth more than the next six largest car manufacturers combined.
Musk took the top spot from Jeff Bezos, who just a few months ago, held the title as the world’s richest person. However, it’s worth noting that things could change at the drop of a hat, since the pair are constantly neck and neck.
Third on the list is Bernard Arnault, CEO of the luxury brand conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Loro Piana, and Bulgari. Arnault is the wealthiest person in Europe, and actually even became the wealthiest in the world for a brief stint in May.
The Money’s in Tech (and in the U.S.)
When looking at this ranking, there are two obvious trends:
- Most of these billionaires are in the tech industry, apart from Bernard Arnault and Warren Buffett
- All are men located America, with the exception of Arnault
Considering America’s tech sector is only expected to grow in the coming years, it’s likely that American tech billionaires will continue their reign for the foreseeable future.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Notes: Data as of September 21st, 2021
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