The Number and Trend of Billionaires Worldwide

Has the billionaire list changed remarkably after the Tesla stocks nosedived recently? We thoroughly analyzed the real-time billionaire list on Jan 22, 2024. Here are our intriguing findings:

• The number of billionaires worldwide decreased from 2,755 in 2021 to 2,668 in 2022 and 2,640 in 2023.

• In 2023, the wealthiest individual in Cyprus has a net worth that makes up 35.9% of the country's GDP, while Elon Musk, the richest person in the US, has assets that represent only 0.8% of US GDP

• If Musk's wealth were converted into $100 bills and lined up end to end, they would stretch for about 198,596 miles, about 83.1% of the way to the moon

One Less Billionaire Every Four Days in 2022

In 2022, the number of billionaires worldwide decreased due to economic events such as Inflation, global conflicts and interest rate hikes. The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in reduced business travel and consumer confidence. As a result, billionaires such as Phil Knight and Leonard Lauder experienced significant financial losses.

Besides, various sanctions against Russian individuals and affiliates involved in the Ukraine-Russia war have been imposed by major economic and political powers, including the US, UK, members of the EU, and other international organizations. This results in a decrease in wealth for billionaires like Gennady Timchenko, an energy investor and close friend of Putin, whose wealth was shrunk by 48%.

In Cyprus, the richest person, John Frederiksen, owns assets worth 35.9% of the country's GDP in 2023

While some billionaires lost their billionaire status from 2022 to 2023, the fortune of certain billionaires surged significantly during that period.

By analyzing the assets of the top 500 billionaires sourced from Bloomberg, along with the assets of the richest individuals in each country, we compared these figures to their respective country's GDP.

It was discovered that the richest individuals in Cyprus and Georgia make up over 20% of their country's GDP. However, in the United States and China, this percentage is relatively low due to the large number of billionaires in these two countries.

Elon Musk's Wealth Is Nearly Enough To Reach The Moon

Musk's wealth is widely recognized, especially after a significant increase in Tesla's stock value in 2020. To put it into perspective, if each $100 bill of Musk's net worth were laid out end to end, it would stretch approximately 198,596 miles, which is 83.1% of the distance to the moon -- 239,000 miles.

In contrast, the US median household income in 2022, which amounts to $74,580, is equivalent to the height of the Statue of Liberty. Additionally, we calculated the lengths of $1B, $100M, $10M. They measure 969 miles, 97 miles and 51,184 feet, which is comparable to the height of low earth orbit, meteors and two Mount Everest respectively.

Methodology

We used information from Wikipedia to study the number of billionaires and the trends in their wealth.

To analyze the wealth distribution, we referred to Bloomberg's rankings of the top 500 billionaires. From there, we gathered the net worth of the wealthiest individual in each country. By considering the respective GDP of each country in 2023, sourced from Wikipedia, we calculated the percentage of the total wealth held by these individuals within their own nations.

Next, we delved into a detailed analysis of Elon Musk's net worth. Through comparisons to notable landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the distance to the moon, we visually portray the immense wealth that Musk possesses.

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