FORBES WORLD’S BILLIONAIRES LIST: The Richest in 2024

Published 1 year ago
Edited by Rob LaFranco, Grace Chung, And Chase Peterson-Withorn
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Taylor Swift (Photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management), Aliko Dangote (Photo by Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images), Elon Musk (Photo by Steve Granitz/Getty Images) and Bernard Arnault (Photographer: Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A record year for ten-figure wealth has left the billionaire class bigger and richer than ever.

What a year it’s been for the planet’s billionaires, whose fortunes continue to swell as global stock markets shrug off war, political unrest and lingering inflation. There are now more billionaires than ever: 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021. They’re richer than ever, worth $14.2 trillion in aggregate, up by $2 trillion from 2023 and $1.1 trillion above the previous record, also set in 2021.

Two-thirds of the list’s members are worth more than a year ago; only one fourth are poorer. Much of the gains come from the top 20, who added a combined $700 billion in wealth since 2023, and from the U.S., which now boasts a record 813 billionaires worth a combined $5.7 trillion. China remains second, with 473 (including Hong Kong) worth $1.7 trillion, despite weak consumer spending and a real estate bust that helped wipe out some $300 billion in wealth. India, which has 200 billionaires (also a record), ranks third.

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To calculate net worths, we used stock prices and exchange rates from March 8, 2024. See below for the full list of the world’s billionaires and our methodology. For daily updated net worths of all 2,781 billionaires, check out our real-time billionaires rankings.

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African Billionaires in 2025

Click on a billionaire to view their profile

RANK: 1
Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote
NET WORTH: $23.9 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Nigeria
RANK: 2
Johann Rupert & family
Johann Rupert & family
NET WORTH: $14 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 3
Nicky Oppenheimer & family
Nicky Oppenheimer & family
NET WORTH: $10.4 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 4
Nassef Sawiris
Nassef Sawiris
NET WORTH: $9.6 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Egypt
RANK: 5
Mike Adenuga
Mike Adenuga
NET WORTH: $6.8 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Nigeria
RANK: 6
Abdulsamad Rabiu
Abdulsamad Rabiu
NET WORTH: $5.1 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Nigeria
RANK: 7
Naguib Sawiris
Naguib Sawiris
NET WORTH: $5 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Egypt
RANK: 8
Koos Bekker
Koos Bekker
NET WORTH: $3.4 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 8
Mohamed Mansour
Mohamed Mansour
NET WORTH: $3.4 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Egypt
RANK: 10
Patrice Motsepe
Patrice Motsepe
NET WORTH: $3 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 10
Issad Rebrab & family
Issad Rebrab & family
NET WORTH: $3 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Algeria
RANK: 12
Mohammed Dewji
Mohammed Dewji
NET WORTH: $2.2 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Tanzania
RANK: 12
Michiel Le Roux
Michiel Le Roux
NET WORTH: $2.2 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 14
Othman Benjelloun & family
Othman Benjelloun & family
NET WORTH: $1.6 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Morocco
RANK: 14
Anas Sefrioui & family
Anas Sefrioui & family
NET WORTH: $1.6 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Morocco
RANK: 16
Aziz Akhannouch & family
Aziz Akhannouch & family
NET WORTH: $1.5 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Morocco
RANK: 16
Femi Otedola
Femi Otedola
NET WORTH: $1.5 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Nigeria
RANK: 16
Christoffel Wiese
Christoffel Wiese
NET WORTH: $1.5 BTREND:
COUNTRY: South Africa
RANK: 20
Youssef Mansour
Youssef Mansour
NET WORTH: $1.4 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Egypt
RANK: 21
Yasseen Mansour
Yasseen Mansour
NET WORTH: $1.2 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Egypt
RANK: 21
Strive Masiyiwa
Strive Masiyiwa
NET WORTH: $1.2 BTREND:
COUNTRY: Zimbabwe