The year 2023 witnessed a notable surge in the wealth of the mega-rich, as their net worth experienced a substantial increase during this period.
According to a renowned global business magazine, nearly half of the world’s billionaires saw a significant rise in their wealth, primarily attributed to the booming stock markets.
The esteemed publication reported that while most billionaires experienced varying degrees of wealth accumulation, a majority of them concluded the year wealthier than they were at the beginning of January 2022.
Forbes estimates indicate that the top 10 gainers collectively added an impressive $490 billion to their wealth by December 15, 2023.
Among the notable gainers, seven individuals on the Forbes list were technology billionaires who achieved substantial growth in 2023, outpacing the market despite the challenges faced in 2022.
Topping the list of the 10 individuals is Elon Musk, the Co-Founder of Tesla, who commenced 2023 as the second-richest person globally with an estimated net worth of around $146.5 billion. Remarkably, Musk added more than $108 billion to his net worth, staging a remarkable recovery in Tesla stock.
Following closely is Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder of Meta, who augmented his net worth by $74.8 billion, reaching a total of $118.6 billion according to Forbes estimates.
For a comprehensive overview, here is the full list compiled by Forbes:
- Elon Musk
- Source of wealth: Tesla, SpaceX
- Net worth: $254.9 billion (+$108.4 billion in 2023)
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Source of wealth: Facebook
- Net worth: $118.6 billion (+$74.8 billion in 2023)
- Jeff Bezos
- Source of wealth: Amazon
- Net worth: $172.3 billion (+$65 billion in 2023)
- Prajogo Pangestu
- Source of wealth: Diversified
- Net worth: $52.8 billion (+$47.9 billion in 2023)
- Larry Page
- Source of wealth: Google
- Net worth: $111.7 billion (+$34.4 billion in 2023)
- Amancio Ortega
- Source of wealth: Zara
- Net worth: $97.4 billion (+$33.2 billion in 2023)
- Sergey Brin
- Source of wealth: Google
- Net worth: $107.3 billion (+$33 billion in 2023)
- Steve Ballmer
- Source of wealth: Microsoft
- Net worth: $110.9 billion (+$32.4 billion in 2023)
- Larry Ellison
- Source of wealth: Oracle
- Net worth: $133.2 billion (+$30.8 billion in 2023)
- Jensen Huang
- Source of wealth: Nvidia
- Net worth: $43.6 billion (+$29.8 billion in 2023)
These figures provide a snapshot of the financial success achieved by some of the world’s wealthiest individuals in 2023, as reported by Forbes magazine.