The rich had a very good year.
The collective net worth of the 691 billionaires we could find is $2.2 trillion, up $300 billion from the combined worth of the 587 people listed last year. Every region saw gains. The world’s richest moguls now hail from 47 countries, including, for the first time, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and even Iceland. The newcomers include 69 Americans and 38 Europeans. More than half of them are entirely self-made
The gap between the world’s two richest people, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, narrowed further this year, though Gates hung on to his superlative title for the eleventh year. At $46.5 billion the world’s richest man barely held on to top spot as Microsoft stock flatlines.
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