Year after year, Forbes puts together a list of the world’s wealthiest people to acknowledge the insanely rich. Well, the 2015 list came out, and there are some rather interesting facts to observe. Also note that by the time I typed this sentence, the wealthiest man in the world, Bill Gates, made roughly $2,283.
To begin with, this year marks the highest number of billionaires in the world. There are the usuals, like Bill Gates at the top spot, Warren Buffet at number three, and the Koch brothers at number six. However, there are almost 300 new billionaires, which Forbes claims is the “highest number we’ve ever recorded.” The newbies include Travis Kalanick, the founder of the beloved transportation service, Uber, and another tech startup founder, Bobby Murphy, who created Snapchat.
What hasn’t changed is the lack of females on the list. Out of 1,826 billionaires, only 197 are females. And among that number, only 29 are self-made, rather than inheriting their wealth. The wealthiest woman on the list is Christy Walton, who inhered a stake in Wal-Mart, and has a net worth of $41.7 billion.
A newcomer, and fifth richest woman, is Maria Franca Fissolo, the widow of candy and Nutella mogul Michele Ferrero. Another widow includes Steve Job’s wife, Laurene Powell Jobs who, as the sixth richest woman, is worth an estimated $19.5 billion.
But what about the self-made women? A small percent of the world’s wealthiest are self-made females, yet on a brighter note, that number has increased 11 percent from last year. One of the youngest self-made billionaires is Elizabeth Holmes, 31, who created a blood testing company that has given her a $4.5 billion net worth. Forbes estimates that the number of female billionaires will continue to grow as our society and economy continues to embrace equality.
Most importantly, why does this list matter? This highly anticipated list comes out every year, yet a “World’s Biggest Givers,” list has only been featured several times. The popularity of “The World’s Richest” issue is partially because people find inspiration in how the wealthiest make their fortunes. It gives people ideas, hope and a sense that hard work can potentially get themselves on the coveted list. For whatever your reason might be, here is the link to the full list.
