Billionaires are some of the most powerful people on Earth, wielding significant influence over huge swaths of the global economy and playing a key role in everything from international politics and media to philanthropy and scientific innovation. Many have created companies that employ tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of employees worldwide and are behind some of the most famous brands, including Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Google and Nike. Most are self-made, meaning they started creating their wealth themselves rather than inheriting it. Others, like Bernard Arnault and Rupert Murdoch, had a slightly better start, joining family businesses but greatly expanding their fortunes and going on to build empires in their respective industries.
Many billionaires hold a large portion of their net worth in the stock of the company they founded. As the share price moves, their wealth moves with it. As of April 2023, Mike Bloomberg, founder of the financial information and news company Bloomberg LP, was ranked as the seventh richest person in the world by Forbes. But stocks owned by Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, French cosmetics heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers (ranked 8th, 9th and 10th last month) rose during April, lifting their fortunes above Bloomberg's, which is now on the leaderboard. No. 10. The world's richest man, Bernard Arnault, is worth almost $11 billion more than he was on April 1. For some, topping the Forbes real-time billionaires list is a monthly fluke.
Two years ago, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was the fifth richest person in the world, worth $97 billion. Since then, the shares of Facebook (renamed Meta Platforms) have fallen sharply, Zuckerberg has dropped out of the top 10 richest people. Although Meta stock has rebounded — including a big jump in late April 2023 after it reported quarterly earnings — Zuckerberg still isn't back in the top 10. As of May 1, 2023, he ranks 14th at $85 billion — up from $76 billion nearly a month ago .
India's Gautam Adani overtook Mukesh Ambani to become the richest person in Asia in February 2022. His fortune rose by $55 billion last year and he was the third richest person in the world at the end of January, worth $127 billion. Then on January 24, short seller Hindenburg Research published a scathing report accusing the Adani Group of running a "corporate fraud", which the billionaire and his companies vehemently deny. Shares of Adani Group listed companies have fallen sharply since then. Adani dropped out of the top 10 richest on February 1, 2023. As of May 1, it is ranked 24th with a value of $50.2 billion. That's up from its No. 26 ranking on April 1, worth nearly $44.3 billion.
Here are the 10 richest people in the world as of May 1, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. ET, according to Forbes.
Stock prices fluctuate regularly, so this net worth can change daily.
Key facts
Bernard Arnault
France is the richest person in the world. The CEO of luxury company LVMH is worth nearly $237 billion.
Elon Musk
who was the richest person for most of 2022, became the second richest person in December 2022 and has maintained that position.
7/10
the richest people in the world are Americans, including Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and Bill Gates.
Gautam Adani
India dropped from third richest in the world on 24 January 2023 to 24th richest on 1 May 2023.
Nine
of the top ten richest people are men.
Who are the 10 richest people in the world?*
1. Bernard Arnault
2. Elon Musk
3. Jeff Bezos
4. Larry Ellison
5. Warren Buffett
6. Bill Gates
7. Carlos Slim Hello
8. Steve Ballmer
9. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
10. Michael Bloomberg
JAMEL TOPPIN FOR FORBES
1. Bernard Arnault
Net worth: $236.7 billion
Source: LVMH/ luxury goods
Age: 74
Residence: Paris
Nationality: France
Bernard Arnault is the CEO and Chairman of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company with approximately 70 fashion and beauty brands. Among its most important are Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon and Sephora. In January 2021, LVMH acquired jeweler Tiffany & Co. for $15.8 billion.
Arnault's father made millions in construction; to get started, Arnault used $15 million of that fortune to buy Christian Dior.
All five of Arnault's children work in parts of the LVMH empire. In January 2023, Arnault put his daughter Delphine in charge of Dior, the group's second largest brand.
2. Elon Mushk
Net worth: $172.7 billion
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter
Age: 51
Residence: Austin, Texas
Nationality: USA
Musk is the CEO of the car company Tesla, the rocket company SpaceX and the social network Twitter. He owns 23% of Tesla between stock and options, but has pledged more than half of his shares as collateral for loans. The car company makes up roughly two-thirds of his assets. In October 2022, he bought Twitter for $44 billion and owns an estimated 74% of the social media company, which is now worth less than half of what he paid for it. His fortune fell by nearly $30 billion between April 1, 2023, and May 1, 2023, mostly due to a drop in Tesla's stock price.
Originally from South Africa, Musk moved to Canada before his 18th birthday, worked various jobs, enrolled at Queen's University in Ontario, and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics.
In 2000, he merged the online bank he co-founded, X.com, with a similar organization co-founded by Peter Thiel to form PayPal, which eBay bought in 2002 for $1.4 billion. He founded SpaceX in 2002 in El Segundo, near Los Angeles. He joined Tesla as an investor and chairman in 2004, a year after its founding; he was later awarded the title of co-founder. Musk, who became CEO of Tesla in 2008, took the company public in 2010. Its market capitalization increased during 2020 and 2021. In September 2021, Musk became the richest person in the world. In November 2021, his fortune peaked at an incredible $320 billion.
Musk remained the world's richest person until December 2022, when a decline in Tesla's stock price depressed the value of his fortune. Tesla shares have fallen from their peak in November 2021, but are up nearly 50% from the start of 2023 to May 1, 2023.
9. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Net worth: $95.2 billion
Source: L'Oreal
Age: 69
Residence: Paris, France
Nationality: France
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, granddaughter of the founder of cosmetics giant L'Oreal, is the richest woman in the world. Bettencourt Meyers and her family own approximately 33% of L'Oreal. She has been on the board of L'Oreal since 1997 and is the chairman of the family holding company.
Bettencourt Meyers inherited her fortune in 2017 after the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt. She serves as president of the family's philanthropic foundation, which promotes the advancement of science and the arts.
Its assets have grown by nearly $6 billion since April 1, 2023; during that period, L'Oreal shares rose 4%.
10. Michael Bloomberg
Net worth: $94.5 billion
Source: Bloomberg LP
Age: 81
Residence: New York City
Nationality: USA
Michael Bloomberg founded the financial information and intelligence company Bloomberg LP in 1981 after being fired by the investment bank Salomon Brothers. He put in seed funding and now owns 88% of the business, which has revenues north of $12 billion.
After being elected mayor of New York City, he took a break from running his business, a position he held from 2002 to 2013.
Bloomberg is an outspoken advocate of gun control and has donated $14.4 billion to various philanthropic causes, including climate change, education and health care.
Who is the richest man in the world?
As of May 1, 2023, the richest person in the world is Bernard Arnault, CEO and chairman of the French company LVMH; is worth nearly $237 billion. He rose to the number one spot after Elon Musk's fortune fell in late 2022 when shares of electric car maker Tesla fell.
Who is the richest woman in the world?
The richest woman in the world is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers from France. As of May 1, 2023, he has $95.2 billion and is the 9th richest person in the world. Her fortune lies in her ownership of shares in cosmetics giant L'Oreal, which she inherited from her late mother. Her grandfather was the founder of L'Oreal.
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