When it comes to wealth, there’s a scale for everything. What constitutes “wealthy” today may be very different from what it meant to be rich a century ago. As inflation increases the cost of living, the numberof billionaires is increasing as well.
In 2021, Forbes reported 2,755 billionaires worldwide. The 2021 list added a record high of nearly 500 new billionaires from 2020. The United States had 724 billionaires in 2021, the most in the world, while China had 698 and India 237.
Does that mean the richest person ever alive is among us today?
Who was the richest person ever?
The richest person ever is thought to have been an emperor with an accumulation of wealth often described as “unimaginable” or “incalculable.” The title goes to 14th-century African emperor Mansa Musa, and his wealth has been estimated to be the modern day equivalent of $400 billion.
Musa ruled the Mali Empire beginning in 1312, at a time where gold and salt resources helped the empire expand and flourish. Musa and the empire owned almost half of the Old World’s gold, BBC reports. Musa is credited for funding and encouraging literature, education, architecture and the arts.
According to History.com, Musa showed the true size of his wealth on a pilgrimage to Mecca, surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers and slaves carrying mass amounts of gold. He left behind gifts of gold as he crossed through Egypt, a gift generous in thought but not in actuality. Theprecious resource actually decreased the value of metal and had a disastrous impact on the economy for over a decade.
Who was the first billionaire?
John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first billionaire by measurable dollars. The Standard Oil Company founder became a billionaire in 1916 and was worth about 2% of the national economy. According to Forbes, the Rockefeller family’s wealth stood at $8.4 billion as of 2020. The fortune is spread out among over 70 heirs.
Who is the richest person in the world?
Elon Musk is the richest person in the world once again – he's back in the top spot after LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault and his family overtook the title in December 2022 when Tesla stock dropped. As of January 2024, Musk's net worth is about $230 billion, according to Forbes.
More on the world's richest:Arnault, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos net worth estimates
Who is the richest family in the world?
Despite an $11 billion loss in July 2022 after Walmart’s earnings fell, the Walton family is still the wealthiest family in the world with a net worth of nearly $200 billion, Insider reports. Sam Walton was the founder of Walmart and left behind his legacy and wealth to his three children and their families.
Coming in close behind the Walton family for the title of the world’s richest family is the Mars family with an estimated wealth of $142 billion and the Koch family at $124 billion, according to Investopedia.
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FAQs
Who was the richest person ever? The richest person ever is thought to have been an emperor with an accumulation of wealth often described as “unimaginable” or “incalculable.” The title goes to 14th-century African emperor Mansa Musa, and his wealth has been estimated to be the modern day equivalent of $400 billion.
Who was the richest person who ever lived had unimaginable wealth? ›
Musa was born in 1280 AD into a family of rulers and came to power in 1312 AD. He had so much wealth that experts describe it as incalculable, or unimaginable. His wealth is estimated to be equivalent to modern day $400 billion. According to BBC, Musa and his empire owned almost half of the old world's gold.
Who is the wealthiest person to have ever lived? ›
Wealth. Mansa Musa is renowned for his wealth and generosity. Online articles in the 21st century have claimed that Mansa Musa was the richest person of all time. Historians such as Hadrien Collet have argued that Musa's wealth is impossible to accurately calculate.
Who is the no. 1 richest person in the world? ›
Top 10 richest people in the world
Name & Rank | Net Worth (in $ Billions) | Source of Wealth |
---|
#1 Elon Musk | $208.4 | Tesla, SpaceX |
#2 Bernard Arnault & family | $202.1 | LVMH |
#3 Jeff Bezos | $197.2 | Amazon |
#4 Mark Zuckerberg | $167.3 | Facebook |
6 more rowsJun 5, 2024
Who is the richest person in the world and how did they get rich? ›
Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, is the richest person and the richest man in the world with a net worth of $207 billion. After Arnault is Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla and founder and CEO of SpaceX.
Who will be the first trillionaire? ›
"Of the 21 individuals who stand a chance of reaching this phenomenal milestone in their lifetime, Elon Musk is predicted to be the first," said CEO Magazine. This prediction was reiterated by The Guardian, The Economic Times and many others.
Who has the most wealth in history? ›
Mansa Musa, the king of Timbuktu, is often referred to as the wealthiest person in history. According to Ferrum College history professor Richard Smith, Musa's west African kingdom was likely the largest producer of gold in the world—at a time which gold was in especially high demand.
Who is the youngest billionaire? ›
Clemente Del Vecchio
Clemente was at one time the world's youngest billionaire (at the age of 18), but he has since aged out of that title, which is now held by Livia Voigt.
Who is the richest girl in the world? ›
1. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. With an eye-watering net worth of $99 billion, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, a French businesswoman and philanthropist, is the richest woman in the world.
Who is more richer than Elon Musk? ›
Who is the richest man in the world? As of May 1, 2024, the richest person in the world is Bernard Arnault, the CEO of French luxury goods group LVMH; he's worth nearly $209 billion. He moved into the number one spot in late January 2024, overtaking Elon Musk.
Bernard Arnault Ahead of Elon Musk
Rank | Name | Net Worth |
---|
1 | Bernard Arnault & family | $212.1B |
2 | Elon Musk | $194.6B |
3 | Jeff Bezos | $192.4B |
4 | Mark Zuckerberg | $161.8B |
6 more rowsFeb 21, 2024
Who is the richest kid in the world? ›
1. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: Topping the list with a colossal estimated net worth of $5 billion is the royal gem. As the second child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, her inheritance includes vast land holdings, priceless art collections, and future access to the Crown Estate.
How many billionaires are self-made? ›
As of 2022, a majority of the world's billionaires had earned their wealth themselves. Nearly 2,000 of the total 3,194 billionaires worldwide that year had earned their fortune this way. Meanwhile, 317 billionaires had inherited their wealth.
Is Mansa Musa richer than Elon Musk? ›
Think about the wealth Elon Musk owns now, then add a couple hundred billion, and you will get close to Mansa Musa's fortune in the 14th century. Economists estimate that the West African emperor possessed riches equal to almost 400 billion US dollars.
Who are the six trillionaires? ›
These are the only 6 trillionaires who lived on earth from history who reached the pinnacle of wealth.
- Genghis Khan. 1206–1227. King of Mongol Empire. ...
- Zhao Xu. 1048–1085. ...
- Akbar, The Great. 1542–1605. ...
- Amenhotep III. 1388–1351 BC. ...
- Augustus Caesar. 63 BC-14 AD. ...
- King Solomon. 970–931 BCE. ...
- Mansa Mousa. 1280–1337.
Are the Rockefellers still wealthy? ›
The Rockefeller family is 200 members strong and has a cumulative net worth of $10.3 billion, according to Forbes. The wealthiest and most prominent family member of this century, David Rockefeller, was the world's oldest billionaire at 101 years old, with a net worth of $3.3 billion when he died in 2017.
How much was John D. Rockefeller worth in today's money? ›
But in 1890, Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which led to the breakup of Standard Oil after the turn of the century. Rockefeller's net worth peaked at about $900 million in 1913, or almost $15 billion in today's dollars.