The world’s top 500 richest people added about $ 1.8 billion to their combined wealth by 2020, bringing them to a total net worth of $ 7.6 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Bloomberg noted that the 31 percent rise, which even in the midst of the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, is the largest annual gain in the index’s eight-year history.
Growth has mainly peaked, with five people now owning more than $ 100 billion each, with another 20 individuals each owning at least $ 50 billion.
At the top of the Bloomberg Index is Amazon’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos
Jeffrey (Jeff) Preston Bezos Amazon delivered more than 1.5 billion articles during the Washington holiday season to add more than 150 posts next year, bringing the newsroom to a record high. Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated more than a billion over the past 4 months. with about $ 190 billion. The technology company took great advantage in the midst of the pandemic, when locks and health restrictions forced more people to turn to online shopping.
Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk
Elon Reeve MuskTrump Ends Obama’s 12-Year Career as the Most Admired Man: Gallup Apple’s CEO Ignores Requests to Ignore Meetings on Tesla Sale, Musk Says NASA Selects Next Artemis Moonwalkers While SpaceX MORE A Starship flies. saw the largest increase in wealth in 2020, which according to Bloomberg was possibly the fastest wealth creation in history.
Musk, now worth $ 170 billion, first surpassed Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for the title of second-richest person in the world in November.
Musk’s increase in wealth was largely driven by Tesla, which as of Saturday has a market value of nearly $ 670 billion. About three-quarters of Musk’s net worth consists of Tesla shares.
Bloomberg reported that Bezos and Musk jointly had an increase in wealth of about $ 217 billion in 12 months, which is about enough to send $ 2,000 checks to more than 100 million Americans.
The Tesla founder’s rise was only the second time in the index’s history that Gates is not considered one of the two richest people in the world.
Gates now ranks third with a total net worth of about $ 132 billion, while Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Must Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, ranks fourth with $ 114 billion.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot ZuckerbergSelena Gomez criticizes Facebook over COVID-19 disinformation: ‘Going to be responsible for thousands of deaths’ Facebook feud escalates in Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers call for action after ‘devastating’ cyber attack on federal government | US cyber agency issues emergency guidelines after hacks | FTC opens MORE privacy studies in major internet platforms is the fifth richest person in the world with a net worth of about $ 104 billion.
According to Chuck Collins, director of the Program for Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, growth for the world’s top billionaires is hurting the millions of people who have lost loved ones and experienced declines in their health. , wealth and livelihood. ”
“Worse, it undermines the sense that we are ‘in this together’ – the solidarity needed to withstand the difficult months ahead,” Collins told Bloomberg.
As of Saturday, more than 84 million people worldwide have been infected with COVID-19, with more than 1.8 million deaths due to the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.