Elon Musk is still the richest person in the world
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world.
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world.
The 52-year-old Tesla CEO and X owner took over the top spot from Bernard Arnault in recent weeks.
Musk boasts a net worth of $208.4 billion at the time of publishing.
Meanwhile, France’s founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Bernard Arnault, is in second place with $203.1 billion.
American Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rounds out the top three with $197.2 billion.
LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding and conglomerate specialising in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris.
Musk is the fourth-youngest member of the top 10 club, behind Mark Zuckerberg (40), Sergey Brin (50) and Larry Page (51).
Following Bezos in the top 10, in order, are Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Page, Brin, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
Apart from Arnault, the rest of the top 10 are all American citizens.
The figures are updated in real time.
TOP 10 RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
Correct as of 5 June 2024 at 09:30 SA time
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Age |
| 1 | Elon Musk | $208.4 billion | 52 |
| 2 | Bernard Arnault & family | $203.1 billion | 75 |
| 3 | Jeff Bezos | $197.2 billion | 60 |
| 4 | Mark Zuckerberg | $167.3 billion | 40 |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $149.2 billion | 79 |
| 6 | Larry Page | $143.8 billion | 51 |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $137.8 billion | 50 |
| 8 | Warren Buffett | $134.9 billion | 93 |
| 9 | Bill Gates | $129.7 billion | 68 |
| 10 | Steve Ballmer | $123.4 billion | 68 |
Meanwhile, French national Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, tops the list of “richest woman in the world”.
She is the 15th-richest person in the world.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the granddaughter of the founder of personal care company L’Oreal.
Bettencourt Meyers and her family own more than a third of publicly traded L’Oreal.
She has served on L’Oreal’s board since 1997 and is the chairwoman of the family holding company.
She became France’s reigning L’Oreal heiress in 2017 when her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, then the world’s richest woman, died at age 94.
TOP 10 RICHEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD:
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Age |
| 1 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | $99.7 billion | 70 |
| 2 | Alice Walton | $78.4 billion | 74 |
| 3 | Julia Koch & family | $65.6 billion | 62 |
| 4 | Jacqueline Mars | $38.6 billion | 84 |
| 5 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $36.2 billion | 79 |
| 6 | Savitri Jindal & family | $36.1 billion | 74 |
| 7 | MacKenzie Scott | $33.5 billion | 54 |
| 8 | Gina Rinehart | $31.0 billion | 70 |
| 9 | Abigail Johnson | $29.3 billion | 62 |
| 10 | Miriam Adelson & family | $29.3 billion | 78 |
For interest’s sake, Warren Buffett, at 93 years of age, is the oldest member of the overall top 10 list.
By contrast, the oldest person on the woman’s top 10 list is 84-year-old Jacqueline Mars.
The average age of those in the top 10 richest overall is 63.6, while the average age on the top 10 women’s list is considerably higher at 70.7.