The total number of dollar billionaires is now around 2,900, up from around 2,700 last year. Their combined wealth is estimated to have increased to $15.8 trillion (equivalent to SEK 150,000 billion) – up from almost $14,000 billion last year.
Inheritance or exceptional entrepreneurship are common routes into the billionaire club, according to UBS. More than 90 of the 287 new dollar billionaires inherited their fortunes.
According to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, Tesla founder Elon Musk is the richest in the club, with a total fortune of $462 billion.
At the same time, due to a weaker dollar this year, it has become easier to become a dollar billionaire for people who have their wealth in other currencies – but this is hardly noticeable among the top ten list in Bloomberg's index, where nine out of ten are based in the US.
