I know you‘re fascinated by the world‘s wealthiest individuals. You love keeping up with how the top billionaires are getting even richer. Well, I‘ve got the lowdown on the 10 richest people on Earth as of September 2023, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index updated on September 18.
Brace yourself – the net worth figures are mind-boggling!
The top 10 billionaires‘ total net worth adds up to over $1.2 trillion. Let that sink in…trillion with a ‘T‘!
Elon Musk is running away at #1 with a net worth of $249 billion. That‘s more than the entire economic output of Finland!
Intrigued? Read on as I unveil the list and highlights about each of the planet‘s 10 richest people.
Here are the top 10 richest people in the world as of Sept 2023
| Name | Net Worth (Billions) | Country | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk | $249 | United States | Tesla, SpaceX |
| Bernard Arnault | $175 | France | LVMH |
| Jeff Bezos | $165 | United States | Amazon |
| Larry Ellison | $130 | United States | Oracle |
| Bill Gates | $129 | United States | Microsoft |
| Larry Page | $124 | United States | |
| Warren Buffett | $123 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Sergey Brin | $117 | United States | |
| Steve Ballmer | $115 | United States | Microsoft |
| Mark Zuckerberg | $109 | United States | Meta |
The table above summarizes the top 10. Now let‘s look at each one in a bit more detail.
Elon Musk: The runaway leader
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has a commanding lead as the #1 richest person worldwide. Elon Musk‘s net worth has skyrocketed by a staggering $112 billion year-to-date.
To put that into perspective, $112 billion is…
- More than the individual GDP of Ukraine!
- Equivalent to the combined market value of Ford, GM, BMW and Honda.
- Enough to buy Twitter 7 times over. Oh wait…he already did buy Twitter for $44 billion!
Musk owns about 25% of Tesla‘s stock, which comprises the bulk of his mega fortune. His ambitious ventures in electric vehicles, renewable energy, space exploration and more continue to disrupt multiple industries.
Fun fact: Musk earned the equivalent of a Twitter employee‘s annual salary every 4 seconds in 2021!
Bernard Arnault: Emperor of luxury
Bernard Arnault is the wealthiest European on the list. He oversees the world‘s largest luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH.
His net worth has grown by $12.7 billion in 2022 alone. That‘s equal to…
- The annual GDP of Greenland!
- 2,540 Bugatti Chiron supercars.
- Enough Rolex watches for every resident of Monaco.
LVMH encompasses over 75 illustrious brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, and Sephora. This powerful empire gives Arnault major influence in the global luxury retail sector.
He surpassed Bill Gates earlier this year to become the world‘s second richest person. But he still has some way to go to catch Musk.
Fun fact: Arnault has amassed his fortune despite reports that he does not own a car!
Jeff Bezos: Still flying high
You probably shop online a fair bit, right? Well you have Jeff Bezos to thank for making e-commerce so convenient through his brainchild, Amazon.
Bezos has grown $57.7 billion richer in 2022 alone. That‘s equivalent to…
- The market value of Delta Air Lines.
- Enough to buy every NFL, NBA and MLB team combined!
- More than El Salvador‘s annual economic output.
He owns about 10% of Amazon‘s stock. Stepping down as CEO last year allowed Bezos to focus more on his other passions like space tourism company Blue Origin. But he remains deeply involved with Amazon as executive chairman.
Fun fact: Bezos could spend $1 million daily for over 450 years before going broke!
Larry Ellison: Software speedster
Larry Ellison is the flamboyant founder and CTO of software giant Oracle. The jet-setting billionaire has added a mind-boggling $37.7 billion to his net worth this year.
That‘s enough to…
- Buy every house for sale in San Francisco right now!
- Purchase 200 Gulfstream G650 private jets.
- Cover Jamaica‘s annual federal budget 27 times over!
Ellison owns about 35% of Oracle‘s shares. He boasts an extensive global real estate portfolio including 98% of Lanai, Hawaii‘s sixth-largest island.
Fun fact: Ellison once spent $300 million renovating a Japanese-style estate in California only to tear it down later!
Bill Gates: computing visionary
You likely use Microsoft products regularly, like Windows or Office. Well, Bill Gates pioneered many of these indispensable software tools.
Although no longer involved in Microsoft‘s operations, Gates remains a board member. He owns 1.3% of the tech firm‘s shares.
Gates has increased his net worth by $19.9 billion in 2022 through his investment firm Cascade Investment. That‘s enough to…
- Acquire Roblox twice over.
- Cover Malta‘s GDP for 3 years running.
- Buy every single-family home currently for sale in Los Angeles!
Along with his friend Warren Buffett, Gates pioneered philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy. To date, he has donated over $50 billion to charitable causes through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Fun fact: Bill Gates could literally shower in $100 bills and still live comfortably off his wealth!
Larry Page: Google grandmaster
Larry Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin while studying at Stanford in 1998. Today he is CEO of Alphabet, Google‘s parent company.
Page owns about 6% of Alphabet‘s stock. His net worth has ballooned by a colossal $40.6 billion year-to-date. That‘s equal to…
- The foreign exchange reserves of Hong Kong.
- Enough Robux (Roblox currency) for 9 billion Roblox accounts!
- The combined ticket sales of Coachella, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits festivals.
Page is an ardent backer and funder of "flying car" startups to realize his vision for personal transportation.
Fun fact: Page considered naming Google "Googol" after the huge number 1 followed by 100 zeroes!
Warren Buffett: Investing icon
Revered as the "Oracle of Omaha", Warren Buffett is arguably the most successful investor of all time. He chairs Berkshire Hathaway, which owns many companies including GEICO, Dairy Queen and BNSF Railway.
The 92-year-old has added $15.5 billion to his vast fortune this year alone. That‘s enough to…
- Buy the world‘s top 20 soccer teams.
- Purchase over half a million Tesla Model S sedans.
- Fund Liberia‘s annual federal budget for the next decade!
Buffett is noted for his frugality. He still lives in the modest Omaha house he bought back in 1958 for $31,500.
Fun fact: Buffett made 99% of his current wealth only after his 50th birthday. It‘s never too late!
Sergey Brin: Google gladiator
Sergey Brin co-founded the juggernaut that is Google with Larry Page. Today as Alphabet‘s president, Brin owns around 5% of the tech giant‘s shares.
His net worth has ballooned by $37.8 billion year-to-date. That‘s enough to…
- Buy the Dallas Cowboys team 230 times over!
- Purchase every single NFT currently listed on OpenSea.
- Acquire Niue, a self-governing island nation.
Brin invests heavily in biotech research into Parkinson‘s disease, which affects his mother. He also bankrolls innovative projects like lab-grown meat.
Fun fact: Brin briefly went to Montessori school on a NASA scholarship when he was a child!
Steve Ballmer: Microsoft maverick
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has added a mammoth $29.2 billion to his fortune this year. He owns about 8% of Microsoft‘s stock.
His $29.2 billion gain in 2022 could…
- Fund the Jamaican government‘s expenditures for the next 5 years.
- Buy every residential property currently for sale in Miami.
- Purchase 215 million Xbox Series X consoles.
Ballmer‘s record-setting $2 billion purchase of the LA Clippers in 2014 remains the most expensive NBA team acquisition in history.
Among his philanthropic efforts is USAFacts, which provides data on US government finances.
Fun fact: Ballmer was Microsoft‘s 30th employee and met Bill Gates while still studying at Harvard.
Mark Zuckerberg: Social media sovereign
As CEO and co-founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg holds 12% of the social media titan‘s shares.
He has grown $63.5 billion richer in 2022 despite Facebook‘s plummeting stock value. That‘s enough to…
- Buy McDonald‘s outright.
- Purchase every single-family home currently on the market in San Jose.
- Acquire the entire country of Bosnia!
Zuckerberg continues plowing billions into his ambitious metaverse vision for virtual reality under Meta Platforms.
At just 38 years old, he is by far the youngest of the top 10 billionaires.
Fun fact: Zuckerberg coded Facebook‘s predecessor "Facemash" while drunk in his Harvard dorm room!
By the numbers: Stats that sum up the top 10 fortunes
- Total net worth: $1.2 trillion
- Average net worth: $120 billion
- Total year-to-date gain: $388 billion
- Average daily income: $42.8 million per day
- Number of tech billionaires: 7 out of 10
- Oldest billionaire: Warren Buffett, 92
- Youngest billionaire: Mark Zuckerberg, 38
That concludes our rundown of the 10 richest people in the world currently. I hope you found those details as fascinating as I did!
It‘s mind-boggling how much wealth the top billionaires have accumulated. And they just keep getting richer every year.
Theexclusive club of 10 will likely see more shifts in the coming months. But this snapshot provides a peek into the mammoth fortunes and influence of the planet‘s richest as of September 2023.
Let me know if you want me to keep you updated on future changes to the billionaires rankings!
