Billionaires List Grows in 2005

According to Forbes magazine’s latest special Billionaires issue, not only did the number of billionaires in the world jump 18% – from 587 to 691 – but their collective net worth rose by $300 billion to $2.2 trillion.



Here’s the billionaire trivia as reported in the March 2005 issue of Forbes:



Collective net worth rose 1.6% from 2004 to 2005
The 691 billionaires come from 45 countries
World’s wealthiest man is Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $46.5 billion in net worth
Berkshire Hathaway mogul Warren Buffett is a close second with $44 billion
Steel titan Lakshmi Mittal may be third on the billionaire’s list with $25 million in net assets, but he still holds the record for the world’s most expensive home purchase at a reported $125 million (London, 2004). He also spent a reported $60 million on his daughter’s Parisian wedding last summer
Martha Stewart is a new billionaire (just barely), despite her recent legal troubles
188 billionaires (27%) are from Europe
44 billionaires (6%) are from The Americas (excluding the USA)
388 (56%) are self-made billionaires (new money)
Number of female billionaires is 68 (10%). Only 1% are self-made
Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling made the billionaire’s list for the first time with a magical $1 billion in net worth
Biggest potential “battle of the heirs?” Billionaire Saleh Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi of Saudi Arabia has 60 children


Copyright: 2005