Bill Gates Tops Forbes' 2016 Annual Billionaire List Once Again

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump made the list at number 34 with his fortune valued at 4.5 billion

Bill Gates remains the world's richest person with a current net worth of $75 billion, down from $79.2 billion a year ago, according to Forbes' annual ranking of billionaires in the Mar. 21, 2016 issue. 

The Microsoft co-founder has taken the top spot for 17 of the last 22 years. Right behind Gates was Amancio Ortega with $67 billion, followed by Warren Buffet with $60.8 billion. Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helú was at number four after dropping two spots, and his net worth decreased to $50 billion from $77.1 billion last year. Meanwhile, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, moved up to the fifth spot from number 15 last year with a net worth of $45.2 billion.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg was the biggest gainer on the list at number six. He broke into the top 10 on the list for the first time, adding $11.2 billion to his fortune for a total net worth $44.6 of billion.

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump made the list at number 34 with his fortune valued at 4.5 billion. The real estate mogul spent only $18 million of his vast fortune on his White House bid so far, Forbes noted. 

But the total number of billionaires was slightly down this year to 1,810 from 1,826 in 2015. The total net worth for this year’s billionaires was $6.48 trillion, down from $7.05 trillion last year.

The U.S. has the most billionaires on the list with 540 total, followed by China with 251, Germany with 120, India with 84, and Russia with 77. A wealth of billionaires is concentrated in California where there are 131, including 9 newcomers.

The U.S. also boasts the most women on the list with 65, although the overall number of women is down on the list to 190 from 197 in 2015. The list includes thirty-three women who are self-made billionaires. Hong Kong newcomer Zhou Qunfei, whose Her Lens Technology went public in 2015, is the richest woman on Forbes' list. 

This year, 198 billionaires were new to the list, with China adding 70, the most of any country. The U.S. followed with 33.

Sixty-six of the billionaires are under 40 this year, including Norway's Alexandra Andresen, 19, and her 20-year-old sister Katharina Andresen. The sisters, heiresses to a family fortune built on tobacco, are the world’s youngest billionaires. 

A few people are missing from the list this year, including American fashion designer Tory Burch. Forbes attributed the change to the decreasing value of luxury fashion brands. 

The billionaire list is determined by a snapshot of wealth taken on Feb. 12, 2016 when stock prices and exchange rates are locked in from around the world. Individuals on the list must be worth a minimum of $1 billion apiece to make the list.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who has a net worth of $2.9 billion, graced the Forbes cover this year, which marks the magazine's 30th edition of the billionaire list.

 
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