Former Microsoft boss Bill Gates is once again world’s wealthiest, according to Forbes magazine’s annual rich list.
Rising stock markets have boosted the billions within the coffers of the global elite, which includes a growing number of women.
The 58-year-old co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation now has a net worth of US $76 billion, surpassing Mexico’s telco tycoon, Carlos Slim Helu, who boasts a bank balance of $73 billion.
Amancio Ortega, founder of fashion conglomerate Inditex SA, holds the number three spot. The clothing magnate is worth $64 billion.
Forbes’ rich list, which has seen Gates hold the number one spot for 15 of the past 20 years, now contains 172 women – up from 138 last year. The list is comprised of a record 1,645 billionaires. Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton came in ninth, with $36.7 billion to her name.
In the nick of time, Facebook’s recent $19 billion buyout of messaging app, WhatsApp, saw two new additions to the billion dollar club. Co-founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton now enjoy a net worth of $6.8 billion and $3 billion respectively, placing 202 and 551 on the list.
However, this year’s biggest loser, Eike Batista, saw his net worth plunge from $10.6 billion to below $300 million after the Brazilian tycoon saw his oil empire collapse. The ex-billionaire was at the helm of OGX Oil and Gas and, as of last month, was wrangling with a debt load of more than $5 billion.