Bill Gates has once again topped Forbes magazine’s annual ranking of global billionaires.
It’s the second time in a row that the Microsoft founder has been crowned the world’s richest person, and the 16th time in the past 21 years.
Mr Gates’ net worth rose to $79.2bn (£51bn) from $76
bn a year earlier, after he unloaded one third of his remaining stake in the tech firm he co-founded in the 1970s.
That sale included a gift of shares worth $1.5bn to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in November 2014, which brought his lifetime giving up to $29.5bn, Forbes said. Most of Mr Gates’ work is now focused on philanthropy through his charity foundation.
Mexico telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim ranked second, worth $77.1bn, while Berkshire Hathaway chief Warren Buffett was third, with $72.7bn.
Mr Buffett’s fortune grew $14.5bn from a year earlier, more than anyone’s else, despite having donated $2.8bn to several charities last July.
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Amancio Ortega, the Spanish founder of Zara owner Inditex, was fourth at $64.5bn, while Oracle chairman Larry Ellison was fifth at $54.3bn.
Forbes identified a record 1,826 billionaires, up from 1,645 last year, worth a combined $7.05 trillion. The list is in its 29th year.
The publication said that entrepreneurship is thriving globally, as 1,191 members of the list are self-made billionaires, while just 230 inherited their wealth.
Another 405 inherited at least a portion but are still working to increase their fortunes.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, aged 30, rose to 16th place from 21st last year, with his net worth now $34.8bn.
The youngest billionaires were Evan Spiegel, 24, and Bobby Murphy, 25, who co-founded mobile messaging app Snapchat, and are each worth $1.5bn.
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel in Los Angeles
Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel is a billionaire at just 24
Elizabeth Holmes, American founder of blood-testing firm Theranos, entered the global list for the first time as the youngest self-made woman at age 31, with a fortune of $4.5bn.
Russia, which has struggled with currency and oil market turmoil and political tension, saw its collection of billionaires fall to 88 from 111, Forbes said.
The world’s top 10 billionaires
1. Bill Gates – Microsoft co-founder, $79.2 bn
2. Carlos Slim Helu – Mexican telecoms mogul, $77.1bn
3. Warren Buffett – investor, $72.7bn
4. Amancio Ortega – Zara founder, $64.5bn
5. Larry Ellison – Oracle co-founder, $54.3bn
6. Charles Koch – American businessman across various industries, $42.9bn
6. David Koch – various, $42.9bn
8. Christy Walton – Walmart family, $41.7bn
9. Jim Walton – Walmart family, $40.6bn
10. Liliane Bettencourt – L’Oreal heiress, $40.1bn
