The collective net worth of the world’s top ten richest persons in June 2024 was approximately $1.59 trillion, up about $50 billion from the previous month.
Forbes, which has been tracking global billionaires since 1987, continues to monitor these dynamic shifts via their real-time billionaire tracker.
Bernard Arnault, a French business entrepreneur, was the world’s wealthiest person from February to late May 2024.
However, in the most recent June 1 report, Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk recaptured the title of the world’s richest person, thanks to his new AI business, xAI, which raised $6 billion, bringing his fortune to more than $210 billion.
Bernard Arnault, who topped the list from February to May, lost $201.6 billion in fortune when LVMH shares fell.
Mark Zuckerberg increased his fortune by $12.6 billion, bringing his total to $163.8 billion.
Bill Gates remains the seventh richest, at $129.4 billion.
Here is a list of the top 10 richest in the world in June 2024:
1. Elon Musk
Net worth: $210.3 billion
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, X (Twitter)
Age: 52
Residence: Austin, Texas
Citizenship: U.S.
Elon Musk is the creator and CEO of xAI, as well as Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media firm X (previously Twitter). He controls 13% of Tesla and 74% of X, which he acquired for $44 billion in October 2022.
Musk was born in South Africa and migrated to Canada at the age of 17, where he attended Queen’s University and later the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2000, he co-founded PayPal, which was acquired by eBay for $1.4 billion in 2002. Musk established SpaceX in 2002, joined Tesla in 2004, and became CEO in 2008.
He became the world’s richest person in 2021, with a net worth of $320 billion.
Musk recaptured the number one title in June 2023, lost it temporarily in January 2024, and reclaimed it in May 2024 after xAI funded $6 billion.
2. Bernard Arnault
Net worth: $201.6 billion
Source: LVMH/ luxury goods
Age: 75
Residence: Paris
Citizenship: France
In late May 2024, Elon Musk surpassed Bernard Arnault, CEO and chairman of LVMH, to become the second richest person.
Arnault transformed LVMH into the world’s greatest luxury goods corporation, with brands including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Tiffany & Co.
He spent $15 million of his father’s construction money to acquire Christian Dior. Alexandre, Frédéric, Delphine, Antoine, and Jean are all senior executives at LVMH.
Arnault was the world’s wealthiest individual during the most of the first part of 2023, and again from February until late May 2024.
His fortune is $7.8 billion less than it was a month ago, thanks to a drop in the value of LVMH stock.
3. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $194.7 billion
Source: Amazon
Age: 60
Residence: Miami, Florida
Citizenship: U.S.
Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 and served as CEO until July 2021; he remains chairman. In the same month, he flew into space aboard a Blue Origin rocket, a firm he established and significantly funds. In May 2024, his fortune soared by $1.4 billion as Amazon’s stock price rose.
Bezos previously worked for hedge fund D.E. Shaw in New York. Amazon began as an online bookseller before expanding into cloud storage and media creation. Bezos was the world’s richest person from 2018 to 2021, but he fell to second in 2022.
In 2019, Bezos divorced MacKenzie Scott, who earned 4% of Amazon shares while retaining 12%.
He now owns little less than 10% of the company, having sold more than $27 billion in stock since Amazon went public in 1997. Through Bezos Expeditions, he has invested in firms such as Airbnb and Workday.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $163.8 billion
Source: Meta (Facebook)
Age: 40
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook (now Meta Platforms) at Harvard in 2004.
Meta is the world’s largest social network, with over 3 billion monthly members. It owns Instagram and WhatsApp.
Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, took the firm public in 2012 and now controls approximately 13% of it. He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have given 99 percent of their Meta shares to humanitarian causes, with the goal of developing instruments to cure, treat, or prevent all diseases by the end of the century.
Zuckerberg reentered the top ten richest people in the summer of 2023, thanks to an increase in Meta’s stock. In May 2024, his fortune increased by $12.6 billion as Meta’s shares rose 8.5%.
5. Larry Ellison
Net worth: $146.2 billion
Source: Oracle
Age: 79
Residence: Woodside, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Larry Ellison co-founded Oracle in 1977 and was CEO until 2014. He is now chairman and chief technology officer. Oracle has completed several notable purchases, notably Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion in 2010.
In 2012, Ellison paid $300 million buying 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai. He also owns residences in California and Nevada and has invested in Tesla, where he served on the board from 2018 until August 2022.
In February 2024, Mark Zuckerberg surpassed Ellison to become the sixth richest person. In May, his net worth rose by $3.4 billion.
6. Larry Page
Net worth: $142.9 billion
Source: Google
Age: 51
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 and served as CEO from 1998 to 2001 and 2011 to 2015.
He presently serves on Alphabet’s board and is a significant shareholder.
He also invested early in Planetary Resources, which was ultimately acquired by ConsenSys.
Page’s fortune soared by $7.5 billion in May 2024, following a $9 billion increase in April, as Alphabet shares rose.
7. Warren Buffett
Net worth: $137 billion
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 93
Residence: Omaha, Nebraska
Citizenship: U.S.
Warren Buffett, dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha,” leads Berkshire Hathaway, which owns firms such as Geico, Duracell, and Dairy Queen.
He started investing when he was 11 years old, co-founded the Giving Pledge in 2010, and has vowed to contribute 99% of his money.
His donations, largely in Berkshire Hathaway stock, amount to more than $51.5 billion, making him the world’s most philanthropic billionaire.
In May 2024, his wealth increased by $6 billion as the share price of Berkshire Hathaway increased.
8. Sergey Brin
Net worth: $136.9 billion
Source: Google
Age: 50
Residence: Los Altos, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Brin and Larry Page co-founded Google while obtaining their Stanford computer science PhDs.
He presently serves on Alphabet’s board and owns a big stake. Brin’s wealth increased by $7 billion in May 2024.
Despite being semi-retired, he helped develop and launch Google’s Gemini AI chatbot.
Brin is the largest individual donor to Parkinson’s disease research, having contributed $1.25 billion to a variety of programs, including Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s, a joint effort led by his team.
9. Bill Gates
Net worth: $129.4 billion
Source: Microsoft, investments
Age: 68
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: U.S.
Gates was attracted by computer programming in his teens and co-founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975, pioneering software for personal computers. He was CEO for 25 years and remained chairman till 2014.
Despite leaving the board in 2020, he continues to advise Microsoft teams part-time. Gates has a wide investment portfolio that includes Republic Services and Deere & Co., as well as considerable farmland in the United States.
Gates was originally acknowledged as a billionaire by Forbes in 1987, and he remained the world’s richest person from 1995 to 2017, with the exception of brief periods. He gave more than $59 billion to the Gates Foundation before relinquishing the top rank to Jeff Bezos in 2018. He divorced Melinda French Gates in 2021, and she earned an estimated $10 billion in assets.
In May 2024, Gates’ fortune climbed by roughly $2.4 billion, keeping him at No. 9, however it is the lowest he has been in decades as others had surpassed him.
10. Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $123.2 billion
Source: Microsoft, Clippers, investments
Age: 68
Residence: Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship: U.S.
Ballmer, a Harvard classmate of Bill Gates, became Microsoft’s 30th employee in 1980 after leaving Stanford’s MBA program. He served as CEO from 2000 to 2014.
After leaving Microsoft, Ballmer purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion, setting an NBA record. Forbes now rates the team’s worth at $4.65 billion.
Last month, Ballmer’s wealth increased by about $6 billion as Microsoft stock rose. He and his wife, Connie, are among America’s top twenty-five donors.