• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Elon Musk’s DOGE swiped $329 million in humanitarian funding from Nepal, leaving a Gen Z tech revolution to transform the budding country’s economy

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

Ed Sheeran asked Patriots owner Robert Kraft for $2 million aid donation after Macklemore was dropped from his tour for pro-Palestine comments

2

Elon Musk’s DOGE swiped $329 million in humanitarian funding from Nepal, leaving a Gen Z tech revolution to transform the budding country’s economy

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
LeadershipBill Gates

Bill Gates Is Once Again the Richest Person in the World

By
Alicia Adamczyk
Alicia Adamczyk
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alicia Adamczyk
Alicia Adamczyk
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 26, 2016, 1:04 PM ET
GERMANY-US-HEALTH-PHARMA-AID-GATES FOUNDATION
US billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates. TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Tobias Schwarz — AFP/Getty Images
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A fresh list of the wealthiest people in the world is out, and is it any surprise who claimed the number one spot? Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and one of the richest people in human history, once again comes out on top, with a net worth of $87.4 billion.

Wealth-X, a wealth-tracking website, provided Business Insider with its newest figures on the assets of the ultra-rich. Wealth-X collects information on more than 110,000 ultra-high-net-worth people, according to BI, tracking each person’s assets and adjusting “to account for currency-exchange rates, local taxes, savings rates, investment performance, and other factors.”

Gates crushes the second place finisher, Spain’s Amancio Ortega, by more than $20 billion. Ortega, founding chairman of clothing retailer Inditex, is pegged at a net worth of $66.8 billion (though forgive us for not feeling more sympathetic).

Other notable placements on the list? Potential presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg ranks as the ninth wealthiest person on earth, with a net worth north of $42 billion. Fellow political billionaire Donald Trump doesn’t make the list (sorry, Donald). Alice Walton, Walmart heiress, is the wealthiest woman, ranking #15 overall with a net worth of $33.2 billion.

L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt is the next woman on the list, sitting just below Walton at #17 with a net worth of $29 billion. The only other woman to crack the top 50 is Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of the late Steve Jobs, tied at 47th with $14.4 billion to her name.

The 10 Richest People in the World

NAMENET WORTH
Bill Gates$87.4 billion
Amancio Ortega$66.8 Billion
Warren Buffett$60.7 Billion
Jeff Bezos$56.6 Billion
David Koch$47.4 Billion
Charles Koch$46.8 Billion
Larry Ellison$45.3 Billion
Mark Zuckerberg$42.8 Billion
Michael Bloomberg$42.1 Billion
Ingvar Kamprad$39.3 Billion

 

To make the list, you’d have to have a net worth of at least $14.3 billion. Better luck next year. And don’t miss MONEY’s ranking of the richest people of all time (Gates barely makes the list).

This article was originally published on Money.com.

About the Authors
Alicia Adamczyk
By Alicia AdamczykSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alicia Adamczyk is a former New York City-based senior writer at Fortune, covering personal finance, investing, and retirement.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Money
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Leadership


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.