The World's Billionaires 2014
| Company type | Annual ranking |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Publishing |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | List of billionaires by net worth |
| Website | www |
The World's Billionaires 2014 represented the 28th edition of the annual list compiled by Forbes magazine, assessing the estimated net worth of the globe's wealthiest individuals as of February 12, 2014. This ranking was made available online on March 3, 2014.
Annual list
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, reclaimed the number one position with a $9 billion rise in his net worth, marking his 15th occasion at the summit. After holding the top spot for four years, Mexican business tycoon Carlos Slim was placed second. The third position was maintained by Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara, followed by investor Warren Buffett in fourth place for the 20th year running, and Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, in fifth. The highest-ranked woman from the United States was Christy Walton, positioned ninth. Nigerian entrepreneur Aliko Dangote became the first African to break into the top 25 with a fortune estimated at $25 billion. The youngest billionaire on the list was 24-year-old Perenna Kei, daughter of Chinese property developer Ji Haipeng; meanwhile, the oldest was 99-year-old David Rockefeller.
Among notable wealth increases was Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, whose fortune soared from $13.3 billion to $28.5 billion driven by stock appreciation. Newcomers included Jan Koum, co-founder of WhatsApp, debuting at number 202 with $6.8 billion, and his partner Brian Acton at number 551 with $3 billion.
The compilation featured a total of 1,645 billionaires holding combined assets worth $6.4 trillion, including a record influx of 268 first-time entrants—of whom 42 were women. The total count of female billionaires rose to 172, although only 12 were entirely self-made. Overall, self-made billionaires accounted for 66%, those who inherited their wealth made up 13%, and 21% had fortunes built through a combination of inheritance and personal effort. The aggregate wealth of the top 20 individuals increased from $714.5 billion to $838.6 billion.
The United States topped the list with 492 billionaires, including 50 newcomers and 54 women. China followed with a total of 152 billionaires and 37 new additions; Russia held third place with 111 billionaires. For the first time, Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania, and Uganda were represented on the list. Germany contributed 16 female billionaires, ranking second only to the United States in this regard. Turkey experienced the most significant decline, losing 19 billionaires due to elevated inflation rates.
Top 10
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template:Nts  |
Template:Sortname | $76.0 billion |
58 | Template:USA | Microsoft |
| Template:Nts Template:Loss | Template:Sortname & family | $72.0 billion Template:Loss | 74 | Template:MEX | Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso |
Template:Nts  |
Template:Sortname | $64.0 billion |
77 | Template:ESP | Inditex |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $58.2 billion |
83 | Template:USA | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $48.0 billion |
70 | Template:USA | Oracle Corporation |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $40.0 billion |
78 | Template:USA | Koch Industries |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $40.0 billion |
73 | Template:USA | Koch Industries |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $38.0 billion |
80 | Template:USA | Las Vegas Sands |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname & family | $36.7 billion |
58–59 | Template:USA | Walmart |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $34.7 billion |
65 | Template:USA | Walmart |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
|
|
Unchanged from previous year |
|
|
Increased from previous year |
| Template:Loss | Decreased from previous year |
Top 100
| No. | Name | Net Worth USD billion | Age | Nationality | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|
1 | Bill Gates | 76.00 | 58 | United States | Microsoft 2 | Carlos Slim Helu & family | 72.00 | 74 | Mexico | telecommunications 3 | Amancio Ortega | 64.00 | 77 | Spain | retail industry 4 | Warren Buffett | 58.20 | 83 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway 5 | Larry Ellison | 48.00 | 69 | United States | Oracle Corporation 6 | Charles Koch | 40.00 | 78 | United States | diversified holdings 6 | David Koch | 40.00 | 73 | United States | diversified holdings 8 | Sheldon Adelson | 38.00 | 80 | United States | casino enterprises 9 | Christy Walton & family | 36.70 | 59 | United States | Walmart 10 | Jim Walton | 34.70 | 66 | United States | Walmart 11–20 feature prominent entrepreneurs from cosmetics (L'Oreal), apparel (H&M), luxury brands (LVMH), and technology firms (Google, Amazon). 21–30 include influential figures in social media (Facebook, Inc.), food production, retail, and diversified sectors spanning countries such as China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. 31–50 showcase leading individuals in confectionery (Mars family), brewing, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and energy industries. 51–70 cover key players in steel manufacturing, banking, telecommunications, and automotive fields, highlighting personalities like Lakshmi Mittal, Michael Dell, and Phil Knight. 71–100 represent a broad spectrum of industries including mining, hedge funds, media, shipping, internet services, construction, and investment businesses across regions like Russia, India, Europe, and Asia.
This compilation illustrates the worldwide concentration of wealth predominantly within technology, retail, financial services, and natural resource sectors among the top billionaires globally.
See also
External links
- Inside The 2014 Forbes Billionaires List: Facts And Figures, forbes.com
- The World's Billionaires – Then And Now!, bidnessetc.com