KATHMANDU, April 3: America's famous Forbes magazine has released the latest edition of the world's billionaires.
The newly released list showcases a surge in the number of billionaires worldwide, reaching a staggering 2,781 individuals. This marks an increase of 141 billionaires compared to the previous year and surpasses the former record by 26.
The collective wealth of these billionaires has soared to $14.2 trillion, indicating a significant uptick of $2 trillion from the previous year and $1.1 trillion from 2021.
Reportedly, two-thirds of billionaires witnessed a growth in their wealth over the past year, while only one-fourth experienced a decline.
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The wealth surge was most pronounced among the top 20 billionaires, whose combined wealth escalated by $7 billion compared to the previous year.
The United States continues to maintain its dominance as the country with the highest number of billionaires, boasting 813 individuals. China follows behind in second place with 473 billionaires, while India secures the third position, with a record 200 billionaires.
Forbes has calculated the wealth of billionaires based on the stock price and exchange rate of March 8 this year.
Topping the list is Bernard Arnault and his family, with a net worth of $233 billion. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, trails closely behind at No 2 with a net worth of $195 billion.
Following Musk is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with a net worth of $195 billion, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth stands at $177 billion.
The list also features prominent figures such as Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch and his family, valued at $19.5 billion, Dallas Cowboys General Manager and President Jerry Jones, with a net worth of $13.9 billion, as well as entertainers like Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift, whose net worth range from $1.1 billion to $2.5 billion.
Binod Chaudhary, Nepal's sole billionaire, currently holds the 1764th position on the global billionaires list, with a total wealth of 1.8 billion US dollars.
In the previous year, Chaudhary held the 1647th position. Despite the shift in ranking, his net worth has remained consistent compared to the previous year.
