10 Richest People in the World for 2021

 World’s Richest People 2021

1. Jeff Bezos

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has become a familiar face at the top of Forbes’ wealthiest people in the world list. This is the fourth year running he has taken home top honours and it comes after a massive year for his distribution and retail business. The Jeff Bezos net worth figure is now up to USD$177 billion, a jump of USD$64 billion from a year ago as a result of surging Amazon shares.

Net worth: USD$177 billion

Source of wealth: Amazon

Born: 12 January 1964 (age 57 years), Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Spouse: MacKenzie Scott (m. 1993–2019)

Children: 4

Parents: Ted Jorgensen, Miguel Bezos, Jacklyn Bezos

Education: Princeton University (1982–1986), Miami Palmetto Senior High School (1982), River Oaks Elementary School

2. Elon Musk

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk was the biggest gainer in dollar terms this year, flying into the No. 2 spot. Musk is now worth a monster USD$151 billion, a whopping $126.4 billion more than a year ago, when he ranked No. 31 and was worth $24.6 billion, thanks to a 705 per cent climb in Tesla shares. At one point this year, he was actually the world’s richest man, however, fluctuating stock saw him slip comfortably into the second position.

Net worth: USD$151 billion

Source of wealth: Tesla, SpaceX

Net worth: 163.8 billion USD (2021) Forbes, Trending

Born: 28 June 1971 (age 49 years), Pretoria, South Africa

Citizenship: South Africa (1971–present); Canada (1971–present); United States (2002–present)

Partner: Grimes (2018–)

Children: X Æ A-Xii, Nevada Alexander Musk, Griffin Musk, Xavier Musk, Saxon Musk, Kai Musk, Damian Musk

3. Bernard Arnault

French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault managed to hold onto his spot at No. 3, but that doesn’t do his year justice. Arnault raised his fortune to USD$150 billion, from USD$76 billion, due to an 86 per cent rise in the shares of LVMH, owner of brands including Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior and cosmetics retailer Sephora. Similar to Musk, Arnault was actually the richest man in the world for a short time in 2021, but once again, fell after stock fluct

Net worth: USD$150 billion

Source of wealth: Luxury goods

Born: 5 March 1949 (age 72 years), Roubaix, France

Children: Antoine Arnault, Delphine Arnault, Alexandre Arnault, Frédéric Arnault, Jean Arnault

Spouse: Hélène Mercier (m. 1991), Anne Dewavrin (m. 1973–1990)

Siblings: Dominique Watine-Arnault

Education: École Polytechnique (1969–1971), Lycée Faidherbe

4. Bill Gates

Former world’s richest man Bill Gates also had a solid year. The Microsoft co-founder ranks No. 4 at USD$124 billion, thanks to the strong share performance in Microsoft, Canadian National Railway and tractor maker Deere & Company.

Net worth: USD$124 billion

Source of wealth: Microsoft

Born: 28 October 1955 (age 65 years), Seattle, Washington, United States

Spouse: Melinda Gates (m. 1994)

Children: Jennifer Katharine Gates, Rory John Gates, Phoebe Adele Gates

5. Mark Zuckerberg

Rounding out the top five is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, at USD$97 billion. The tech entrepreneur may have come under fire in recent times, but that didn’t stop him from swelling his net worth by an eye-watering USD$42.3 billion. The massive jump comes in the wake of a big year for Facebook that saw the company’s shares rise 80 per cent as people around the world used its social media platforms to stay in touch.

Net worth: USD$97 billion

Source of wealth: Facebook

Born: 14 May 1984 (age 36 years), White Plains, New York, United States

Spouse: Priscilla Chan (m. 2012)

Children: Maxima Chan Zuckerberg, August Chan Zuckerberg

6. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett may be the world’s sixth-richest person, worth USD$96 billion but 2021 marks the first year since 1993 that the revered investor running Berkshire Hathaway has not appeared in the top five. The stock expert and investment legend, better known as the Oracle of Omaha raised his net worth by USD$28.5 billion.

Net worth: USD$96 billion

Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway

Born: 30 August 1930 (age 90 years), Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Spouse: Astrid Menks (m. 2006), Susan Buffett (m. 1952–2004)

Children: Susan Alice Buffett, Peter Buffett, Howard Graham Buffett

7. Larry Ellison

American business magnate Larry Ellison also had a whopping year. The Oracle co-founder has major shares in Tesla, which surged enormously in 2021, giving him one of the biggest paydays in recent memory.

Net worth: USD$93 billion

Source of wealth: Software

Born: 17 August 1944 (age 76 years), The Bronx, New York, United States

Spouse: Melanie Craft (m. 2003–2010)

Children: Megan Ellison, David Ellison

Education: The University of Chicago (1964–1966)

Books: Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle

8. Larry Page

Google co-founder Larry Page was able to take his wealth to a new level in 2021. The American entrepreneur is now worth an estimated USD$91.5 billion, thanks to a surge in working from home and diversified products.

Net worth: USD$91.5 billion

Source of wealth: Google

Born: 26 March 1973 (age 48 years), Lansing, Michigan, United States

Spouse: Lucinda Southworth (m. 2007)

Education: East Lansing High School (1987–1991)

Parents: Gloria Page, Carl Victor Page

9. Sergey Brin

Similar to his Google co-founder, Sergey Brin also swelled his net worth massively in 2021. The tech guru is now worth an estimated USD$89 billion thanks to a seemingly endless run of success for the world’s most popular search engine.

Net worth: USD$89 billion

Source of wealth: Google

Born: 21 August 1973 (age 47 years), Moscow, Russia

Spouse: Nicole Shanahan (m. 2018), Anne Wojcicki (m. 2007–2015)

Children: Chloe Wojin, Benji Wojin

Education: Stanford University (1993–1995)

Parents: Michael Brin, Eugenia Brin

10. Mukesh Ambani

Rounding out the top 10 richest people in the world for 2021, is Mukesh Ambani of India. Now the richest person in Asia, Ambani has a net worth of an estimated USD$84.5 billion. The Reliance Industries Ltd shareholder has nudged out Jack Ma of China, Asia’s richest person a year ago, whose rank dropped to No. 26 thanks to a massive year.

Net worth: USD$84.5 billion

Source of wealth: Diversified

Born: 19 April 1957 (age 63 years), Aden, Yemen

Spouse: Nita Ambani (m. 1985)

Children: Isha Ambani, Akash Ambani, Anant Ambani

Education: Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT)

Siblings: Anil Ambani, Nina Kothari, Deepti Salgaocar