$72bn net worth makes Bill Gates the world's richest
Bill Gates retains the top spot as the richest American for the 20th straight year, with the net worth of US$72 billion.
In the Forbes 400 list, Gates saw his net worth rise by $6 billion from last year.
With the networth, he is also once again the world’s richest person, having passed Mexico’s Carlos Slim in May.
Warren Buffett, #2, is the biggest dollar gainer this year at $58.5 billion, up $12.5 billion from last year. Larry Ellison (#3), worth $41 billion, is the same as last year; he is the only one in the Top 10 who did not add to his fortune. Mark Zuckerberg was the second biggest gainer at $9.6 billion. He returns to the Top 20 (#20) at $19 billion after dropping to #36 last year, while Carl Icahn is back in the Top 20 (#18) for the first time since 2008.
The ranking was released today. Forbes magazine concluded that the combined wealth of the Forbes’ 2013 ranking of the richest people in America is $2 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion in 2012 and the highest ever, due in part to the strength of both the US stock and real estate markets.
The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member is a staggering $5 billion, the highest to date, up from $4.2 billion last year. Net worth increased for 314 members, and decreased for 30 members. Cost of admission to the 2013 list has rebounded back to what it was pre-financial crisis at $1.3 billion, up from $1.1 billion a year ago. For the complete Forbes 400 ranking on Forbes.com, visit: www.forbes.com/forbes400.
Twenty newcomers climbed into the ranks, including Don Hankey (#342) of Auto Loans at $1.6 billion, GoPro’s Nicholas Woodman (#386) at $1.3 billion; and Richard Yuengling Jr. of D.G. Yuengling & Son (# 371) at $1.4 billion. David Duffield’s fortune is up 205% to $6.4 billion from $2.1 billion last year, making the software entrepreneur -- currently co-CEO of Workday and former head of PeopleSoft -- the largest percentage gainer this year (#65).
There are 48 women on the list, including retired Army lieutenant colonel and heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune Jennifer Pritzker (#327), formerly known as James Pritzker and the first transgender billionaire. Paul Allen moves out of the top 20, now at #26, from #20 in 2012; as does Steve Ballmer, now #21, from #19 in 2012. Twenty-eight people who were on the 2012 Forbes 400 dropped off, and 6 people died. Among the deceased is sound pioneer Ray Dolby, who passed away last week.
