Bezos, Gates and Buffett still top Forbes list of world's super rich

Bezos, Gates and Buffett still top Forbes list of world's super rich
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (R) and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates are the richest persons in the world, according to Forbes.
PHOTO: AFP

Jeff Bezos is still the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, according to the latest Forbes list of the ultra wealthy.

But while things are largely stable up top in that ranking, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two.

According to the list announced Tuesday by Forbes, the riches of Bezos, 55, have swollen by US$19 billion (S$26 billion) in one year and he is now worth US$131 billion.

Bezos, who holds 16 per cent of Amazon and whose wealth now makes him a target of the left wing of the US Democratic Party, has widened the money gap between himself and Gates, the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft.

Gates, 63, has seen his wealth grow to US$96.5 billion, up from US$90 billion last year, said Forbes.

Third place is held by Buffett, 88 and long considered an investment guru, although he did get stung in late February by a deep plunge in shares of US processed food maker Kraft Heinz, in which he had money.

Buffett's fortune slipped by US$1.5 billion to US$82.5 billion, the magazine estimated.

It is more or less after this trio that things start to get shaken up on the Forbes list.

The CEO of French luxury good company LVMH, Bernard Arnault, held on to fourth place. But Zuckerberg lost US$9 billion in net worth and slipped from fifth to eighth.

Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Bloomberg rose from 11th to ninth place as his fortune increased to US$55.5 billion, from US$50 billion, said Forbes.

Americans still dominate the list with 14 of the top 20 billionaires from the US.

Non-Americans among the top 20 include India's Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, in 13th place, and China's Ma Huateng, head of the Chinese internet giant Tencent, who rounds out the top 20.

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