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Top 10 Countries With The Most Billionaires In 2024

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Billionaire wealth is at an all-time high with some countries boasting of close to 800 billionaires and some struggle to count 20

Forbes’ 38th list shows 2,781 billionaires with a combined $14.2 trillion. This is 141 more billionaires and $2 trillion more wealth than last year.

In 2023, the list saw $900 billion in added wealth, and many of the world’s richest have grown even wealthier.

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The U.S. leads with tech and finance billionaires. China, India, Germany, and Russia follow with wealth in tech, resources, and manufacturing. In Europe, countries like the UK, France, and Italy have their wealth mainly in finance, luxury, and industry.

Here’s a look at the top billionaire countries and some of their top billionaires.

United States

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Leading globally, the U.S. has around 813 billionaires. Many come from technology, finance, and entertainment industries. Some of its billionaires include:

Elon Musk ($245.8 billion)– Founder of Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures, Musk’s fortune has soared due to innovations in tech and space.

Jeff Bezos ($206.6 billion)– He is the founder of Amazon and his fortune expanded from the e-commerce and cloud computing empire.

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Warren Buffett ($145 billion) – Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Buffett leads Berkshire Hathaway with investments in diverse sectors.

Bill Gates ($106.6 billion) – He is the co-founder of Microsoft.

China

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China follows closely with about 406 billionaires, thanks to its booming tech and manufacturing sectors. Some of its billionaires are:

Zhong Shanshan ($52 billion) – He is the founder of Nongfu Spring, China’s largest bottled water company, with a fortune made through consumer goods.

READ ALSO: Top 10 Countries In Africa Where Workers Earn Highest Salaries

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Ma Huateng (Pony Ma) ($47.4 billion) – He is the founder of Tencent, the social media and gaming giant, which has contributed significantly to his wealth.

Jack Ma ($25.8 billion) – Co-founder of Alibaba, China’s leading e-commerce platform, Jack Ma is a popular name among Chinese billionaires.

India

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India has seen rapid growth in its billionaire count which stands at 200, driven by industries such as technology, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals. Here are some of its billionaires:

Mukesh Ambani ($107.7 billion) – He is the chairman of Reliance Industries and his wealth spans energy, telecom, and retail.

Gautam Adani ($80.4 billion) – He is known for his conglomerate Adani Group, and his wealth comes from infrastructure, energy, and ports.

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Shiv Nadar ($41 billion) – Founder of HCL Technologies, Nadar is among the tech billionaires pushing India’s economy forward.

Germany

Germany’s billionaire wealth is strongly rooted in manufacturing and technology, with some billionaires maintaining family-held businesses. The country has approximately 132 billionaires. Some of their billionaires are:

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Beate Heister & Karl Albrecht Jr. ($25.9 billion) – Heirs of the Aldi supermarket chain, the Albrecht family has long been part of Germany’s wealth.

Dieter Schwarz ($37 billion) – Owner of Lidl and Kaufland, Schwarz is a major player in European grocery retail.

Susanne Klatten ($22.3 billion) – She is a key shareholder in BMW and an heir to the pharmaceutical company Altana.

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READ ALSO: 10 Most Corrupt Countries In Africa In 2024

Russia

Russia’s billionaires are primarily concentrated in energy, metals, and mining industries, with wealth tied closely to natural resources. The country boasts of 120 billionaires.

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Vladimir Potanin ($23.7 billion) – A leading shareholder in Norilsk Nickel, Potanin’s wealth is deeply rooted in mining and metals.

Leonid Mikhelson ($27.4 billion) – He is the CEO of Novatek and one of Russia’s wealthiest, thanks to his investments in natural gas.

Alexey Mordashov ($25.5 billion) – He is the owner of Severstal and his wealth is based on steel and energy.

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Italy

Italy’s billionaires are often tied to fashion, infrastructure, and manufacturing. The country currently has 73 billionaires, and some of the popular ones include:

Giovanni Ferrero (43.8 billion)– Chairman of Ferrero Group, known for Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, his wealth is rooted in the confectionery business.

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Leonardo Del Vecchio ($25 billion) – Founder of Luxottica, the world’s largest eyewear company, Del Vecchio has long been a staple of Italian wealth.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is home to 67 billionaires with businesses spanning across real estate, finance, and technology. Some of its billionaires are:

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Li Ka-shing ($36.8 billion) – Known as “Superman” in Hong Kong, his wealth stems from infrastructure, real estate, and telecommunications.

Lee Shau Kee ($29.3 billion) – Founder of Henderson Land Development, Lee is a major figure in Hong Kong’s real estate scene.

Henry Cheng ($28.9 billion) – Chairman of New World Development, Cheng’s fortune is rooted in real estate and infrastructure.

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Canada

Canada’s 67 billionaires are primarily involved in media, e-commerce, and real estate. Here are some:

David Thomson & family ($61.3 billion) – Owners of Thomson Reuters, the Thomson family are leaders in media and information services.

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READ ALSO: 7 Countries With No Railway Lines And Why

Joseph Tsai ($9.7 billion) – He is the co-founder of Alibaba and owner of the Brooklyn Nets. Tsai represents Canadian investments in tech and sports.

Jim Pattison ($9.3 billion) – His conglomerate, the Jim Pattison Group, spans grocery, media, and automotive services.

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United Kingdom

The UK’s billionaire population of 55 comes from various sectors, including finance, real estate, and retail. Some of the popular ones include:

James Ratcliffe ($16.5 billion) – Founder of chemical giant Ineos, Ratcliffe is among the wealthiest in the UK.

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Hugh Grosvenor ($12.8 billion)– Known as the Duke of Westminster, Grosvenor’s wealth comes from extensive real estate holdings.

Sir Richard Branson ($6.5 billion) – Founder of the Virgin Group, Branson’s wealth spans industries from music to travel.

France

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France’s billionaire population is largely in luxury goods, a sector in which it leads globally. France has 53 billionaires, and some of them are:

Bernard Arnault ($177.9 billion) – Chairman of LVMH, Arnault is often among the world’s wealthiest due to luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Sephora.

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers ($87.2 billion)– Heir to the L’Oréal empire, she is among the wealthiest women globally.

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Francois Pinault ($20.9 billion)– Founder of Kering, which owns luxury brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, Pinault’s fortune is rooted in high-end fashion.

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UK Police Hunt Asylum Seeker Mistakenly Freed For Sex Offence

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UK police were still hunting Saturday for an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender whose crimes sparked a wave of anti-immigration protests and who was accidentally released from prison.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by Friday’s “totally unacceptable” error that saw 38-year-old Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu freed rather than sent to an immigration detention centre.

This man must be caught and deported for his crimes,” the UK leader added.

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Kebatu had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman, but was reportedly due to be deported when the Prison Service mistake occurred.

READ ALSO:UK Is A Home, Not Hotel, Kemi Badenoch Tells Immigrants, Starmer’s Govt

Kebatu’s high-profile case earlier this year in Epping, northeast of London, sparked demonstrations in various English towns and cities where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

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Justice Secretary David Lammy said late Friday night that Kebatu was “at large in London” after he was seen boarding a train to the capital in Chelmsford, eastern England.

Essex Police, which is leading the search with the help of London’s Metropolitan Police, said Saturday that “inquiries are continuing at pace this morning to locate and arrest” him.

Officers worked throughout the night to track his movements, including scouring hours of CCTV footage,” the force added, noting “it is not lost on us that this situation is concerning to people”.

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READ ALSO:UK Cuts Post-study Work Period For Foreign Students

The Telegraph reported he was wrongly categorised as a prisoner due to be released on licence and handed a £76 ($101) discharge grant.

The father of Kebatu’s anonymous teenage victim told Sky News that “the justice system has let us down”.

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Police arrested the asylum seeker in July after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her.

He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

At the time, Kebatu was staying at Epping’s Bell Hotel, where scores of other asylum seekers have been accommodated, and which became the target of repeated protests.

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UK Is A Home, Not Hotel, Kemi Badenoch Tells Immigrants, Starmer’s Govt

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UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has slammed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government over its immigration policy, declaring that Britain is “a home, not a hotel.”

Badenoch accused Labour of weakening the country’s borders and enabling mass automatic citizenship.

In a 1:11-minute video posted on her official X account on Friday, Badenoch claimed Labour’s proposed reforms could allow up to two million immigrants to automatically qualify for British citizenship starting next year.

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READ ALSO:Badenoch Unveils Strict UK Immigration Plan, Targets 150,000 Yearly Deportations

“From next year, two million immigrants can automatically claim British citizenship. Two million people! That’s nearly twice the population of Birmingham. That’s massive,” Badenoch said in the video.

Badenoch noted that the Conservative Party has introduced a deportation bill to bring immigration down.

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Among the measures she endorsed in the video were deporting all foreign criminals, mandatory age checks, no more pretending to be kids, tougher visa rules and salary thresholds, disapplying the Human Rights Act to immigration cases, and no more abusing human rights laws to judge deportations. Make asylum support repayable, and no permanent right to stay in the UK if you’ve relied on benefits.

READ ALSO:Badenoch Slams UK’s Palestine Recognition Decision As ‘Absolutely Disastrous’

Until that’s law, we won’t fix this. Labour should adopt it now. It’s time to get tough. That’s what the Conservatives’ Deportation Bill delivers, and we’re going to go further. Our country is a home, not a hotel. And if we don’t defend it, no one else will.”

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In the caption that came with the video, she tweeted, “Labour has blocked every single measure we’ve put forward to cut immigration and stop abuse of the system.

“Now they’re pushing one half-arsed proposal — it’s weak; it won’t work. It’s time they stopped playing games and backed our Deportation Bill.”

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King Charles To Pray With Pope Leo In Historic Vatican Visit

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King Charles III will on Thursday meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and make history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with the pontiff for five centuries.

The 76-year-old monarch, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, arrived in Rome on Wednesday evening with his wife, Queen Camilla, for what Buckingham Palace described as a “historic” state visit.

It will be Charles’s first meeting with Leo since the US-born pope took over as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May, following the death of Pope Francis.

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The royals will arrive at the Apostolic Palace at 10.45am (0845 GMT) for private talks with the pope.

READ ALSO:King Charles III To Visit Vatican Next Week

The king and queen will then join an ecumenical service at midday (1000 GMT) in the Sistine Chapel led by Pope Leo and the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, currently the senior cleric of the Church of England.

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Broadcast live by Vatican media, it will be the first time a reigning English or British monarch has prayed publicly with a pope since English king Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534.

Triggered by the pope’s refusal to annul the king’s marriage so he could marry another woman, the schism made the monarch head of the separate Church of England.

Thursday’s service, held beneath Michelangelo’s spectacular ceiling frescoes, will be centred on conservation and protecting the environment, a cause championed by Charles.

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READ ALSO:King Charles To Knight David Beckham For Football, Charity Work

It will bring together Catholic and Anglican traditions, with the choir from the Sistine Chapel joined by that from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, one of the king’s residences.

– Schism –

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The religious break between London and Rome remains, even if there has been a significant rapprochement in recent decades.

In 1961, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, became the first British monarch to visit the Holy See since the split.

The law was changed in 2013 so that marrying a Catholic would no longer disqualify someone from becoming monarch — although they still have to be a Protestant themselves.

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The rapprochement is important because “Anglicanism was born in reaction to the Catholic Church, and therefore in opposition,” said Hyacinthe Destivelle, a French priest and member of the Vatican’s dicastery (department) for promoting Christian unity.

READ ALSO:King Charles III To Visit Vatican Next Week

This is no longer the case, despite “theological differences in recent decades”, he told AFP.

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Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England — the mother church of the world’s 85-million-strong Anglican community — ordains women and allows priests to marry.

Sarah Mullally was recently named the first female archbishop of Canterbury, the Church’s top cleric, although she has yet to officially take up her post.

– Royal Confrater –

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Charles and Queen Camilla are also set to take part in a service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, one of four major papal basilicas, which has historic links with the English crown.

READ ALSO:Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies

The king will be made a “Royal Confrater” of the basilica and presented with a specially designed seat for use by him and future British monarchs.

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Charles has visited the Vatican several times and met privately with Pope Francis on April 9, just days before the pontiff’s death.

The king sent his son and heir, William, to the funeral and his brother, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, to Leo’s inauguration mass.

The visit comes as the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee, a year-long event held every 25 years, which has drawn millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.

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It also comes at a delicate time for Charles, following new revelations about his brother Prince Andrew, who is mired in a scandal surrounding late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew announced on Friday that he would relinquish his title as Duke of York, reportedly under pressure from Charles. He had already stepped back from royal duties in 2019.

AFP

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