Who are the richest men in the world?

Who are the richest men in the world in 2023? Has Elon Musk retained his supremacy, or has another billionaire undermined him? 

What is the ranking of the richest men in the world in 2023? This ranking is calculated according to net worth, which is the difference between the total value of the goods or assets owned, e.g., cash, investments, real estate, and companies, and the amount of liabilities, especially debts and mortgages.

Forbes compiles the best-known ranking of the world’s richest men annually. The one compiled by the US magazine is one of many. However, there is also the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which returns the value of the possessions of the world’s wealthiest billionaires in real-time and, for this reason, may change in the coming months.

Although these two rankings show slightly different values in terms of assets, they present virtually the same ranking of the world’s richest men, except for the first position. Discover the 2023 ranking in this article. 

10. Steve Ballmer

In tenth place in the ranking of the world’s richest men is the former CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer. Ballmer was one of the tech company’s first employees; he joined the company founded by Bill Gates in 1980. 

Over the years, he held several key roles within Microsoft, including president from 1998 to 2000. After leaving the company in 2014, he owned the Los Angeles Clippers National Basketball Association (NBA) team. His wealth is approximately $80.7 billion.

9. Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), one of India’s largest companies. RIL manufactures petroleum and petrochemical products, fibres and materials for the textile industry. Its assets are USD 83.4 billion.

8. Carlos Slim Helu

Carlos Slim Helu, a Mexican entrepreneur and philanthropist, is ranked eighth among the 10 richest men in the world. Slim Helu is the president of Grupo Carso, an aggregation of companies operating in the telecommunications, construction, and energy sectors. He owns assets worth USD 93 billion.

7. Micheal Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg is an American entrepreneur, politician, philanthropist, and activist. He founded Bloomberg LP and was the mayor of New York City for three consecutive terms, from 2002 to 2013. He was also a candidate in the Democratic Party primaries for the US presidential election in 2020. His wealth is approximately $94.5 billion.

6. Bill Gates

The sixth in the ranking of the world’s richest men needs no introduction. The founder of Microsoft has led this ranking for several years, continuously from 1995 to 2009 and in 2014 and 2015. His wealth since 2009 has grown every year. According to Forbes, it is around 104 billion dollars, while according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, it is 114 billion.

5. Warren Buffett

Also in fifth position in the ranking of the world’s richest men is a well-known figure who has been the leader in this ranking twice. Warren Buffet is considered by many to be the best investor ever. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, is the sixth largest company on the planet, with a market capitalisation of $713 billion. The total value of Buffet’s assets is $106 billion according to Forbes and $112 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

4. Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison is a co-founder and former CEO of Oracle, one of the world’s largest software companies. According to Forbes, his wealth is approximately USD 107 billion.

3. Jeff Bezos

The bottom step of the podium of the ranking of the world’s richest men is occupied by the founder and former CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. He left the world’s fifth-largest company in 2021 to devote himself to philanthropy and other projects, such as his charitable fund, to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability. Bezos has been the richest man in the world on four occasions: in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and his wealth in 2023 is $14 billion.

2. Elon Musk

Silver medal for South African tycoon Elon Musk. Who has recently knocked off the top step of the podium? The new chairman of Twitter, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and co-founder of Open AI, the company is developing Chat GPT. 

He was the richest man in the world in 2021 and 2022 and is now vying for the top spot with the owner of the LVMH group. Elon Musk’s wealth of around $188 billion is undergoing significant fluctuations mainly due to the controversial deal to buy Twitter.

1. Bernard Arnault

So, who is the wealthiest individual on the planet? Forbes’ rankings of the world’s richest men and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index agree the answer is: Bernard Arnault. 

The Frenchman is chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, the world’s largest conglomerate of luxury goods companies, which includes Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Fendi, Moët & Chandon and Dom Pèrignon. Bernard Arnault’s assets are approximately $218 billion.

And in Italy?

Who is the richest man in Italy? In our country, the ranking has remained unchanged from last year. In first place is still Giovanni Ferrero, president and CEO of the group owned by the Piedmontese company, who also occupies the 27th position in the ranking of the richest men in the world. In second and third place are Luxottica’s Leonardo Del Vecchio and fashion designer Giorgio Armani.