From $1 billion fortunes to a $233 billion empire: Here’s how the world’s richest spread out across the globe.
By Annika Grosser, Contributor
Billionaires are becoming ubiquitous. The record 2,781 members of Forbes’ 2024 World’s Billionaires list hail from 78 countries or territories around the world.
France has the richest citizen on the list, Bernard Arnault, who retained his No. 1 spot as his net worth swelled to an estimated $233 billion, thanks to a record year for his conglomerate LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Sephora and scores of other luxury brands. But the United States has the most billionaires overall, with a record 813, the richest being Elon Musk (worth an estimated $195 billion). China, with 473 billionaires (including Hong Kong), has the second-most billionaires, followed by India, with a record 200. The richest is India’s Mukesh Ambani, worth an estimated $116 billion. He’s the only person from Asia to be a member of The $100 Billion Club.
Luxembourg joins the list this year, thanks to newcomer Michael Gans, who debuts with an estimated $1.1 billion fortune. Gans owns a quarter of the shares of Supreme Group, a logistics firm that made billions in annual revenues supplying the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in the 2000s, but had to pay $434 million in criminal penalties to the U.S. Department of Justice for overcharging the military. Gans received an estimated $600 million in dividends from the company between 2010 and 2014. The freshly minted billionaire also owns commercial real estate in Dublin, London, Luxembourg and Manchester. He was born in New York and has dual Luxembourg and U.S. citizenship, though he currently lives in Baar, Switzerland.
New billionaires also emerged in Croatia and Uruguay, adding the two countries back to the list this year, while two others, Peru and Macau, dropped off.
The Asia-Pacific region has the most billionaire citizens, with 1,000 on the ranks, followed by the Americas (993), Europe (690) and the Middle East & Africa (98).
Here is the richest citizen of each country on the 2024 World’s Billionaires list.
DATA AS OF MARCH 8, 2024.
Algeria
Richest Person:
Age: 80 | Net Worth: $2.5 Billion | Rank: 1330 | Source of Wealth: Food
Argentina
Richest Person: Marcos Galperin
Age: 79 | Net Worth: $6.3 Billion | Rank: 453 | Source of Wealth: E-commerce
Armenia
Richest Person:
Age: 55 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Investment banking
Australia
Richest Person: Gina Rinehart
Age: 70 | Net Worth: $30.8 Billion | Rank: 56 | Source of Wealth: Mining
Austria
Richest Person: Mark Mateschitz
Age: 31 | Net Worth: $39.6 Billion | Rank: 31 | Source of Wealth: Red Bull
Bangladesh
Richest Person: Muhammed Aziz Khan
Age: 69 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Power
Barbados
Richest Person: Rihanna
Age: 36 | Net Worth: $1.4 Billion | Rank: 2152 | Source of Wealth: Music, cosmetics
Belgium
Richest Person: Eric Wittouck
Age: 77 | Net Worth: $8.5 Billion | Rank: 298 | Source of Wealth: Investments
Belize
Richest Person: Kenneth Dart
Age: 68 | Net Worth: $4.7 Billion | Rank: 660 | Source of Wealth: Investments
Brazil
Richest Person: Eduardo Saverin
Age: 42 | Net Worth: $28 Billion | Rank: 60 | Source of Wealth: Facebook
Bulgaria
Richest Person (tie): Georgi Domuschiev
Age: 54 | Net Worth: $2.1 Billion | Rank: 1545 | Source of Wealth: Animal health, investments
Richest Person (tie): Kiril Domuschiev
Age: 54 | Net Worth: $2.1 Billion | Rank: 1545 | Source of Wealth: Animal health, investments
Canada
Richest Person:
Age: 66 | Net Worth: $67.8 Billion | Rank: 22 | Source of Wealth: Media
Chile
Richest Person:
Age: 81 | Net Worth: $25.7 Billion | Rank: 75 | Source of Wealth: Mining
China
Richest Person: Zhong Shanshan
Age: 69 | Net Worth: $62.3 Billion | Rank: 24 | Source of Wealth: Beverages, pharmaceuticals
Colombia
Richest Person:
Age: 42 | Net Worth: $10.8 Billion | Rank: 199 | Source of Wealth: Fintech
Croatia
Richest Person: Vasily Anisimov
Age: 72 | Net Worth: $1.7 Billion | Rank: 1851 | Source of Wealth: Real estate
Cyprus
Richest Person: Vinod Adani
Age: 75 | Net Worth: $23 Billion | Rank: 88 | Source of Wealth: Infrastructure, commodities
Czech Republic
Richest Person:
Age: 56 | Net Worth: $18 Billion | Rank: 104 | Source of Wealth: Finance, telecommunications
Denmark
Richest Person: Anders Holch Povlsen
Age: 51 | Net Worth: $12.5 Billion | Rank: 159 | Source of Wealth: Fashion retail
Egypt
Richest Person: Nassef Sawiris
Age: 63 | Net Worth: $8.8 Billion | Rank: 287 | Source of Wealth: Construction, investments
Estonia
Richest Person: Kristo Käärmann
Age: 43 | Net Worth: $2.2 Billion | Rank: 1496 | Source of Wealth: Payments, banking
Eswatini (Swaziland)
Richest Person: Nathan Kirsh
Age: 92 | Net Worth: $7.2 Billion | Rank: 373 | Source of Wealth: Retail, real estate
Finland
Richest Person: Antti Herlin | Age: 67 | Net Worth: $4 Billion | Rank: 784 | Source of Wealth: Elevators, escalators
France
Richest Person:
Age: 75 | Net Worth: $233 Billion | Rank: 1 | Source of Wealth: LVMH
Georgia
Richest Person: Mikhail Lomtadze
Age: 48 | Net Worth: $5.2 Billion | Rank: 581 | Source of Wealth: Fintech
Germany
Richest Person: Klaus Michael Kuehne
Age: 86 | Net Worth: $39.2 Billion | Rank: 32 | Source of Wealth: Shipping
Greece
Richest Person: Maria Angelicoussis
Age: 42 | Net Worth: $6.4 Billion | Rank: 432 | Source of Wealth: Shipping
Guernsey
Richest Person: Stephen Lansdown
Age: 71 | Net Worth: $2.6 Billion | Rank: 1286 | Source of Wealth: Financial services
Hong Kong
Richest Person: Li Ka-shing
Age: 95 | Net Worth: $37.3 Billion | Rank: 38 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Hungary
Richest Person: Lorinc Meszaros
Age: 58 | Net Worth: $1.7 Billion | Rank: 1851 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Iceland
Richest Person: Thor Bjorgolfsson
Age: 57 | Net Worth: $2.1 Billion | Rank: 1545 | Source of Wealth: Investments
India
Richest Person: Mukesh Ambani
Age: 66 | Net Worth: $116 Billion | Rank: 9 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Indonesia
Richest Person: Prajogo Pangestu
Age: 79 | Net Worth: $43.4 Billion | Rank: 27 | Source of Wealth: Petrochemicals, energy
Ireland
Richest Person: Shapoor Mistry
Age: 59 | Net Worth: $9.9 Billion | Rank: 228 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Israel
Richest Person: Eyal Ofer
Age: 73 | Net Worth: $24 Billion | Rank: 84 | Source of Wealth: Real estate, shipping
Italy
Richest Person: Giovanni Ferrero
Age: 59 | Net Worth: $43.8 Billion | Rank: 26 | Source of Wealth: Nutella, chocolates
Japan
Richest Person:
Age: 75 | Net Worth: $42.8 Billion | Rank: 29 | Source of Wealth: Fashion retail
Kazakhstan
Richest Person: Vyacheslav Kim
Age: 54 | Net Worth: $5.8 Billion | Rank: 511 | Source of Wealth: Fintech
Lebanon
Richest Person (tie): Najib Mikati
Age: 68 | Net Worth: $2.8 Billion | Rank: 1187 | Source of Wealth: Telecom
Richest Person (tie): Taha Mikati
Age: 79 | Net Worth: $2.8 Billion | Rank: 1187 | Source of Wealth: Telecom
Liechtenstein
Richest Person: Christoph Zeller
Age: 66 | Net Worth: $1.5 Billion | Rank: 2046 | Source of Wealth: Dental materials
Luxembourg
Richest Person:
Age: 60 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Supply chain services
Malaysia
Richest Person: Robert Kuok
Age: 100 | Net Worth: $11.4 Billion | Rank: 176 | Source of Wealth: Palm oil, shipping, property
Mexico
Richest Person:
Age: 84 | Net Worth: $102 Billion | Rank: 14 | Source of Wealth: Telecom
Monaco
Richest Person: Stefano Pessina
Age: 82 | Net Worth: $6.9 Billion | Rank: 398 | Source of Wealth: Drugstores
Morocco
Richest Person:
Age: 63 | Net Worth: $1.7 Billion | Rank: 1851 | Source of Wealth: Petroleum, diversified
Nepal
Richest Person: Binod Chaudhary
Age: 68 | Net Worth: $1.8 Billion | Rank: 1764 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Netherlands
Richest Person:
Age: 69 | Net Worth: $14.1 Billion | Rank: 132 | Source of Wealth: Heineken
New Zealand
Richest Person: Graeme Hart
Age: 68 | Net Worth: $10.4 Billion | Rank: 213 | Source of Wealth: Packaging
Nigeria
Richest Person: Aliko Dangote
Age: 66 | Net Worth: $13.4 Billion | Rank: 144 | Source of Wealth: Cement, sugar
Norway
Richest Person: Ivar Tollefsen
Age: 62 | Net Worth: $8.3 Billion | Rank: 308 | Source of Wealth: Real estate
Oman
Richest Person: P.N.C. Menon
Age: 75 | Net Worth: $2.8 Billion | Rank: 1187 | Source of Wealth: Real estate
Panama
Richest Person: Stanley Motta
Age: 78 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Finance
Philippines
Richest Person: Manuel Villar
Age: 74 | Net Worth: $11 Billion | Rank: 190 | Source of Wealth: Real estate
Poland
Richest Person: Michal Solowow
Age: 61 | Net Worth: $6.9 Billion | Rank: 398 | Source of Wealth: Investments
Portugal
Richest Person:
Age: 89 | Net Worth: $5.7 Billion | Rank: 522 | Source of Wealth: Energy, investments
Qatar
Richest Person: Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani
Age: 64 | Net Worth: $1.8 Billion | Rank: 1764 | Source of Wealth: Investments
Romania
Richest Person: Daniel Dines
Age: 52 | Net Worth: $2.7 Billion | Rank: 1238 | Source of Wealth: Software
Russia
Richest Person: Vagit Alekperov
Age: 73 | Net Worth: $28.6 Billion | Rank: 59 | Source of Wealth: Oil
Singapore
Richest Person: Li Xiting
Age: 73 | Net Worth: $15.1 Billion | Rank: 126 | Source of Wealth: Medical devices
Slovakia
Richest Person:
Age: 54 | Net Worth: $1.8 Billion | Rank: 1764 | Source of Wealth: Investments
South Africa
Richest Person: | Age: 73 | Net Worth: $12.2 Billion | Rank: 162 | Source of Wealth: Luxury goods
South Korea
Richest Person: Jay Y. Lee
Age: 55 | Net Worth: $11.5 Billion | Rank: 173 | Source of Wealth: Samsung
Spain
Richest Person: Amancio Ortega
Age: 88 | Net Worth: $103 Billion | Rank: 13 | Source of Wealth: Zara
St. Kitts and Nevis
Richest Person: Myron Wentz
Age: 83 | Net Worth: $1.3 Billion | Rank: 2287 | Source of Wealth: Health products
Sweden
Richest Person: Stefan Persson
Age: 76 | Net Worth: $16.6 Billion | Rank: 110 | Source of Wealth: H&M
Switzerland
Richest Person (tie): Gianluigi Aponte
Age: 83 | Net Worth: $33.1 Billion | Rank: 48 | Source of Wealth: Shipping
Richest Person (tie): Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Age: 78 | Net Worth: $33.1 Billion | Rank: 48 | Source of Wealth: Shipping
Taiwan
Richest Person: Barry Lam
Age: 74 | Net Worth: $11 Billion | Rank: 190 | Source of Wealth: Electronics
Tanzania
Richest Person: Mohammed Dewji
Age: 48 | Net Worth: $1.8 Billion | Rank: 1764 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Thailand
Richest Person: Dhanin Chearavanont
Age: 84 | Net Worth: $12.5 Billion | Rank: 159 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Turkey
Richest Person: Murat Ulker
Age: 65 | Net Worth: $5.1 Billion | Rank: 597 | Source of Wealth: Food
Ukraine
Richest Person: Rinat Akhmetov
Age: 57 | Net Worth: $4 Billion | Rank: 784 | Source of Wealth: Steel, coal
United Arab Emirates
Richest Person: Pavel Durov
Age: 39 | Net Worth: $15.5 Billion | Rank: 122 | Source of Wealth: Messaging app
United Kingdom
Richest Person: Michael Platt
Age: 56 | Net Worth: $18 Billion | Rank: 104 | Source of Wealth: Hedge funds
United States
Richest Person: Elon Musk
Age: 52 | Net Worth: $195 Billion | Rank: 2 | Source of Wealth: Tesla, SpaceX
Uruguay
Richest Person (tie): Sergio Fogel
Age: 60 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Fintech
Richest Person (tie): Andres Bzurovski Bay
Age: 46 | Net Worth: $1.1 Billion | Rank: 2544 | Source of Wealth: Fintech
Venezuela
Richest Person: Juan Carlos Escotet
Age: 64 | Net Worth: $4.4 Billion | Rank: 711 | Source of Wealth: Banking
Vietnam
Richest Person: Pham Nhat Vuong
Age: 55 | Net Worth: $4.4 Billion | Rank: 711 | Source of Wealth: Diversified
Zimbabwe
Richest Person: Strive Masiyiwa
Age: 63 | Net Worth: $1.8 Billion | Rank: 1764 | Source of Wealth: Telecom
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