How many billionaires are there in the world?
According to Forbes, there are a record 2,208 billionaires from 72 countries and territories who have minted a total net worth of almost $9.1 trillion in 2018. And among the members of this elite group, one man stands out.
Amazon.com Inc. CEO and founder Jeff Bezos has secured the No. 1 spot on Forbes‘ annual global billionaires list for the very first time, becoming the only person to amass a 12-figure fortune. He boasts an estimated wealth of about $112 billion after gaining more than $39 billion within the last year — the largest single-year growth on record. (His real-time net worth is reported to be a whopping $127.3 billion.)
The tech guru is now ahead of Microsoft Corp. magnate Bill Gates, who ranks second with $90 billion — marking the biggest gap between the top two positions on the Forbes list since 2001. Bezos owns a 16 percent stake of the retail giant’s e-commerce site, Amazon.com, which has seen rising shares since the beginning of the year.
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Recently, Amazon has made a marked push toward retail dominion. Last week, the company announced that it was opening up its Fulfillment by Amazon program to thousands of third-party vendors in Australia — less than a month after reports surfaced that it was planning to roll out Shipping with Amazon, a package delivery service that will directly compete with FedEx and UPS.
Other notable names that made the Forbes list were President Donald Trump, whose fortune has fallen by about $400 million since he entered office, to $3.1 billion, and Zara mogul Amancio Ortega, who earned his title as the wealthiest retailer in the world, with $70 billion.
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