As proposals to increase U.S. taxes on the ultra-wealthy became a hot topic among billionaires gathered at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, an annual wealth check by the development charity Oxfam was released. It showed that the 26 richest billionaires in the world in 2018 owned as many assets as the nearly 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of the planet’s population – or half the planet’s total population.
So who are these people who hold sway over so much of the world’s assets? Many of us have likely never heard of many of them. However, Bloomberg News tracks the top 500 billionaires in the world, providing daily updates on the fluctuations in their known portfolios.
We’ve used that to put together our own list of the 50 wealthiest people on earth as of the U.S. market close on Jan. 31. It includes their total net worth, the most recent day’s change in that worth as well as the year-to-date change. Some of them make or lose more in one day than many people will earn in a lifetime.
How many of them do you recognize?
Image Credit: Oracle Corporate Communications/wikipedia.org.
50. Wang Jianlin
Total net worth: $18.5B
Last change: +$214M
YTD change: +$868M
Company: Dalian Wanda Group
Country: China
Industry: Real estate
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / World Economic Forum.
49. Rupert Murdoch
Total net worth: $18.5B
Last change: +$7.09M
YTD change: +$502M
Company: News Corp, 21st Century Fox, Fox News
Country: United States
Industry: Media and telecom
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Hudson Institute.
48. Laurene Powell Jobs
Total net worth: $18.6B
Last change: +$383M
YTD change: +$539M
Company: Emerson Collective, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Country: United States
Industry: Media and telecom
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Rhododendrites.
47. Alexey Mordashov
Total net worth: $18.7B
Last change: +$297M
YTD change: $1.21B
Company: Severstal
Country: Russian Federation
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / www.kremlin.ru.
46. Azim Premji
Total net worth: $18.8B
Last change: +$203M
YTD change: +$1.45B
Company: Wipro
Country: India
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / World Economic Forum.
45. Len Blavatnik
Total net worth: $18.9B
Last change: +$103M
YTD change: +$595M
Company: Access Industries
Country: United States
Industry: Diversified
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Mark Neyman / Government Press Office of Israel.
44. Vladimir Lisin
Total net worth: $19.0B
Last change: +$286M
YTD change: +$1.08B
Company: Novolipetsk Steel
Country: Russian Federation
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / www.kremlin.ru.
43. Carl Icahn
Total net worth: $19.2B
Last change: +$123M
YTD change: +$2.02B
Company: Icahn Enterprises, Federal-Mogul
Country: United States
Industry: Diversified
Image Credit: Facebook / Carl Icahn.
42. & 41. Gerard & Alain Wertheimer
Gerard’s total net worth: $19.5B
Last change: +$253M
YTD change: +$415M
Alain’s total net worth: $19.5B
Last change: +$253M
YTD change: +$415M
Company: Chanel
Country: France
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: Getty Images / Julien Hekimian.
40. Yang Huiyan
Total net worth: $20.0B
Last change: +$826M
YTD change: +$1.82B
Company: Country Garden Holdings
Country: China
Industry: Real estate
Image Credit: Facebook / Yang Huiyan.
39. Pallonji Mistry (left)
Total net worth: $20.4B
Last change: +$136M
YTD change: -$300M
Company: Shapoorji Pallonji Group
Country: Ireland
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Government of India.
38. Susanne Klatten
Total net worth: $20.5B
Last change: +$68.1M
YTD change: +$704M
Company: Altana, BMW, Nordex
Country: Germany
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Olaf Kosinsky.
37. Leonid Mikhelson
Total net worth: $20.5B
Last change: +$202M
YTD change: +$1.03B
Company: Novatek
Country: Russian Federation
Industry: Energy
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / www.kremlin.ru.
36. Leonardo Del Vecchio
Total net worth: $20.8B
Last change: +$83.6M
YTD change: +$244M
Company: Luxottica
Country: Italy
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: Luxottica.
35. Vladimir Potanin
Total net worth: $20.9B
Last change: +$404M
YTD change: +$1.30B
Company: Interros
Country: Russian Federation
Industry: Commodities
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Frolzart.
34. Jorge Paulo Lemann
Total net worth: $22.0B
Last change: +$141M
YTD change: +$2.46B
Company: 3G Capital
Country: Brazil
Industry: Food and beverage
Image Credit: Facebook / Jorge Paulo Lemann.
33. Giovanni Ferrero
Total net worth: $23.4B
Last change: +$372M
YTD change: +$1.08B
Company: The Ferrero Group
Country: Italy
Industry: Food and beverage
Image Credit: The Ferrero Group.
32. Lee Shau-kee
Total net worth: $23.6B
Last change: +$185M
YTD change: +2.46B
Company: Henderson Land Development
Country: Hong Kong
Industry: Real estate
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Tksteven.
31. Tadashi Yanai
Total net worth: $23.8B
Last change: -$230M
YTD change: -$2.72B
Company: Fast Retailing
Country: Japan
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Jigneshhn.
30. Elon Musk
Total net worth: $24.0B
Last change: +$430M
YTD change: -$29.2M
Company: Tesla, Inc., SpaceX, Neuralink
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Flickr / Brad Holt.
29. Dieter Schwarz
Total net worth: $24.5B
Last change: +$109M
YTD change: +$2.15B
Company: Schwarz-Gruppe, Lidl, Kaufland
Country: Germany
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Facebook / Dieter Schwarz.
28. Michael Dell
Total net worth: $28.0B
Last change: +$479M
YTD change: -$174M
Company: Dell Technologies
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Oracle PR.
27. Li Ka-shing
Total net worth: $30.7B
Last change: +$110M
YTD change: +$2.51B
Company: CK Hutchison Holdings
Country: Hong Kong
Industry: Real estate
Image Credit: The Li Ka Shing Foundation.
26. Phil Knight
Total net worth: $31.4B
Last change: +$339M
YTD change: +$2.42B
Company: Nike, Inc.
Country: United States
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Neon Tommy.
25. Francois Pinault
Total net worth: $31.7B
Last change: +$915M
YTD change: +$1.66B
Company: Kering
Country: France
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / S. Plaine / CC-BY-SA-4.0.
24. Sheldon Adelson
Total net worth: $32.6B
Last change: +$1.23B
YTD change: +$3.25B
Company: Las Vegas Sands
Country: United States
Industry: Entertainment
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Bectrigger.
23. Hui Ka Yan
Total net worth: $33.3B
Last change: +$595M
YTD change: +$1.08B
Company: Evergrande Group
Country: China
Industry: Real estate
Image Credit: Evergrande Group.
22. John Mars
Total net worth: $34.3B
Last change: +$279M
YTD change: +$1.55B
Company: Mars, Incorporated
Country: United States
Industry: Food and beverage
Image Credit: Historic Photo.
21. Jacqueline Mars
Total net worth: $34.3B
Last change: +$279M
YTD change: +$1.57B
Company: Mars, Incorporated
Country: United States
Industry: Food and beverage
Image Credit: Mars, Inc..
20. Pony Ma
Total net worth: $35.1B
Last change: +$178M
YTD change: +$2.84B
Company: Tencent
Country: China
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Facebook / Pony Ma.
19. Jack Ma
Total net worth: $40.0B
Last change: +$1.44B
YTD change: +$4.35B
Company: Alibaba Group
Country: China
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / World Economic Forum.
18. Steve Ballmer
Total net worth: $40.4B
Last change: +$1.17B
YTD change: +$1.70B
Company: Microsoft Corporation, Los Angeles Clippers
Country: United States
Industry: Technology, Athletics
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Martin Olsson.
17. Alice Walton
Total net worth: $43.5B
Last change: -$634M
YTD change: +$927M
Company: Walmart
Country: United States
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Walmart.
16. David Koch (right)
Total net worth: $44.2B
Last change: +$111M
YTD change: +$787M
Company: Koch Industries
Country: United States
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore.
15. Charles Koch
Total net worth: $44.2B
Last change: +$111M
YTD change: +$787M
Company: Koch Industries
Country: United States
Industry: Industrial
Image Credit: Koch Industries.
14. Jim Walton
Total net worth: $44.6B
Last change: -$664M
YTD change: +$695M
Company: Walmart
Country: United States
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Walmart Corporate.
13. Rob Walton
Total net worth: $44.7B
Last change: -$649M
YTD change: +$913M
Company: Walmart
Country: United States
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Walmart Corporate.
12. Mukesh Ambani
Total net worth: $46.7B
Last change: -$256M
YTD change: +$2.39B
Company: Reliance Industries Limited
Country: India
Industry: Energy
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / World Economic Forum.
11. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Total net worth: $47.8B
Last change: +$676M
YTD change: +$1.66B
Company: L’Oréal
Country: France
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: L’Oréal.
10. Sergey Brin
Total net worth: $52.2B
Last change: +$1.11B
YTD change: +$2.30B
Company: Alphabet Inc.
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Steve Jurvetson.
9. Larry Page
Total net worth: $53.6B
Last change: +$1.18B
YTD change: +$2.38B
Company: Alphabet Inc.
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Stansfield PL.
8. Larry Ellison
Total net worth: $54.3B
Last change: +$933M
YTD change: +$4.93B
Company: Oracle Corporation
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Oracle PR.
7. Mark Zuckerberg
Total net worth: $59.5B
Last change: +$2.38B
YTD change: +$7.41B
Company: Facebook
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Anthony Quintano.
6. Carlos Slim
Total net worth: $59.8B
Last change: -$484M
YTD change: +$4.81B
Company: Grupo Carso
Country: Mexico
Industry: Diversified
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / José Cruz/ABr.
5. Amancio Ortega
Total net worth: $63.2B
Last change: +$594M
YTD change: +$4.58B
Company: Inditex Group
Country: Spain
Industry: Retail
Image Credit: Facebook / Amancio Ortega.
4. Bernard Arnault
Total net worth: $76.9B
Last change: +$4.34B
YTD change: +$8.29B
Company: LVMH, Dior
Country: France
Industry: Consumer
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Jérémy Barande.
3. Warren Buffett
Total net worth: $84.8B
Last change: +$1.70B
YTD change: +$923M
Company: Berkshire Hathaway
Country: United States
Industry: Diversified
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Mark Hirschey.
2. Bill Gates
Total net worth: $95.5B
Last change: +$889M
YTD change: +$5.10B
Company: Microsoft Corporation
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Mueller / MSC.
1. Jeff Bezos
Total net worth: $138B
Last change: +$6.06B
YTD change: +$13.40B
Company: Amazon
Country: United States
Industry: Technology
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Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Seattle City Council.
