- The list of the world’s wealthiest people for the beginning of 2024 has been unveiled, and Elon Musk is back
- Data shows Musk, who ceded his title as the world’s richest man to Bernard Arnault in 2023, has regained the top spot.
- The combined wealth of the top 10 richest men in the world, which includes prominent figures like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, exceeds over $1 trillion
Journalist Dave Ibemere of Legit.ng has been covering technology, energy, stocks, investments, and the economy for more than ten years.
Based on Forbes data, the 10 wealthiest individuals globally on January 1, 2024, had a combined net worth of around $1.47 trillion.
Compared to the top ten richest people in 2023, whose total net worth was $1.12 trillion, this is $350 billion more.
After beginning 2023 in second place, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and X (previously Twitter), has taken back the title of richest person in the world.
Musk’s net worth increased significantly from $136.9 billion on the same date in 2023 to $250.4 billion as of January 1, 2024.
However, French billionaire Bernard Arnault, who was the richest man in the world at the beginning of 2023, is currently ranked second in 2024.
As of January 1, 2024, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $203.2 billion, a significant increase from $183 billion at the start.
Other billionaires changes
The disappearance of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani from the top 10 richest people in the world in 2024 is one significant difference between the billionaire list and that for 2023.
With a net worth of $126.2 billion, Adani was formerly the richest man in Asia. However, he was accused of wrongdoing in India, which caused one of the worst falls in fortune in 2023. Adani began 2023 ranked third.
On the other hand, things appear to have changed recently.
The nation’s top court declared that the Adani probe ought to be finished in three months, which gave rise to a glimmer of hope. His stocks increased as a result of this decision, perhaps improving his financial circumstances.
On the sixteenth of January, 2024, he will begin a new year with a net worth of $69.7 billion.
Here is the list of the top 10 richest men in the world at the start of 2024
- Elon Musk – $250.4 billion
- Bernard Arnault & family – $203.2 billion
- Jeff Bezos – $174.4 billion
- Larry Ellison – $133.8 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg – $123.6 billion
- Warren Buffett – $118.8 billion
- Bill Gates – $118.3 billion
- Larry Page – $116.2 billion
- Sergey Brin – $111.5 billion
- Steve Ballmer – $110.9 billion
Kenya ranked among richest countries in Africa
The Africa World Report 2023 revealed that Kenyans with a high net worth of over KSh 100 million increased to 7,700 (30%).
The finding placed Kenya in the fourth position in Africa, after South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria.
“The ‘Big 5’ wealth markets in Africa are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco. These countries together account for 56% of Africa’s high-net-worth individuals and over 90% of the continent’s billionaires,” read the report in part.
