World’s richest people in 2013

·7 Jan 2014

Bill Gates, the founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp, was crowned the world’s richest person in 2013, with a net worth of US$78.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Gates, who reclaimed the title of world’s richest person in May 2013, from Mexican investor Carlos Slim, was the year’s biggest gainer, upping his wealth by $15.8 billion to $78.5 billion, as shares of Microsoft climbed 40%.

Collectively, the billionaires on Bloomberg’s list added US$524 billion to their combined wealth of US$3.7 trillion at the market close on 31 December.

The technology industry saw the biggest gains, adding 28% during the year. Of the 300 people who appeared on the final ranking of 2013, only 70 registered a net loss for the 12-month period, Bloomberg said.

South Africa born Elon Musk had the biggest percentage gain by a self-made billionaire, up 233% in 2013. Musk ranks at 161, with a fortune of $7.9 billion.

Two South Africans feature on the list, namely Johann Rupert, who controls the world’s largest jewellery maker, Richemont. Rupert is at 154th on the list with a fortune of $8.4 billion, while diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer is at number 172, with a fortune amounting to $7.5 billion.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a ranking of the world’s 300 richest people according to their estimated net worth, and is updated daily.

Bloomberg’s top 10 billionaires:

Rank	Name	Position	Country	Est. Net Worth
1	Bill Gates	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	USA	$78.2 billion
2	Carlos Slim	America Movil	Mexico	$72 billion
3	Amancio Ortega	Inditex	Spain	$65.3 billion
4	Warren Buffett	Berkshire Hathaway	USA	$60.3 billion
5	Ingvar Kamprad	IKEA	Sweden	$52.8 billion
6	Charles Koch	Koch Industries, Inc.	USA	$50 billion
7	David Koch	Koch Industries, Inc.	USA	$50 billion
8	Larry Ellison	Oracle	USA	$43.3 billion
9	Christy Walton	Wal-Mart	USA	$39.1 billion
10	Sheldon Adelson	Las Vegas Sands	USA	$37.5 billion