The Richest People in the World in 2021

Visualizing the Richest People in the World

Over $890 billion has been amassed by the ten wealthiest people since March 2020.

To put that into perspective, that’s more than the entire economic output of Sweden, Turkey, or Saudi Arabia. As just one example, Elon Musk witnessed his wealth increase at least 1,116% in the last year and a half. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has earned an additional $89 billion.

With data from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, we navigate how the wealth of various uber-affluent groups have changed since the beginning of the pandemic.

The 10 Richest People in the World

With a net worth of $304 billion, Elon Musk is the wealthiest in the world.

Boosting his wealth is a $100 billion valuation of SpaceX. Since February, its valuation has jumped roughly $25 billion, placing it among the most valuable private companies worldwide. The majority of Musk’s wealth, however, derives from Tesla, which recently moved its headquarters from California to Austin, Texas.

Based on data as of November 8, 2021 here are the ten wealthiest individuals worldwide:

Top 10 Wealth Growth

Since the onset of the pandemic, Musk has seen his wealth grow the fastest out of the top 10. Over the third quarter of 2021, Tesla net income topped $1.6 billion—a company record. This surge helped the entrepreneur become the first person to cross the $300 billion net worth threshold.

Yet once again, Musk surpassed Jeff Bezos as the richest person in the world. This is impressive, since Jeff Bezos’s wealth ballooned over 79% in the same time frame. Similarly, Zuckerberg, Gates, and Buffett have all seen double or triple-digit growth.

Following Musk and Bezos is Bernard Arnault, known as “The Wolf in Cashmere”. The French magnate has made over $121 billion spurred by a 43% jump in LVMH revenues over 2021. Earlier this year, LVMH closed a $15.8 billion acquisition of jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co.

On average, the top 10 richest have seen gains of 204% over the course of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, the majority were in tech.

Who’s In and Who’s Out?

As of early August, Rihanna joins the billionaire’s club with an estimated $1.7 billion net worth.

Thanks to the rapid ascent of Fenty Beauty (of which she owns a 50% stake), Rihanna is the second-wealthiest female entertainer in the world, following Oprah at $2.7 billion. The company is focused on inclusivity, offering a broad set of products for every skin type. Launched in 2017 with LVMH (who owns the other 50% stake), Fenty Beauty currently sits at a $2.8 billion valuation.

By contrast, last year’s youngest billionaire, Kylie Jenner, fell off the list after allegedly inflating her net worth. Interestingly, the Kardashian’s took great lengths to show Forbes the extent of her wealth, including showing them their tax returns along with invitations to their mansions.

Still, Jenner’s net worth stands at roughly $700 million.

A New Gilded Age?

Given the staggering growth of the ultra-wealthy in recent years, today’s wealth concentration is now comparable to America’s Gilded Age.

At the time, John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in the world—worth roughly $285 billion in today’s terms. His businesses produced 1.6% of total U.S. economic output.

By comparison, Elon Musk, at over $304 billion, still has a little ways to go just yet.

The data and graphics were last updated on November 8th, 2021.