Forbes announces 2018's billionaires

Forbes has released their list of the top 10 richest people on the planet in 2018.

Topping the list, perhaps unsurprisingly due to their 2017 shopping spree, is Jeff Bezos – CEO of Amazon.

And there are a few more familiar faces in the top 10, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

Their methodology

Forbes found 2,208 billionaires this year, collectively worth $9.1 trillion.

To find the top 10, Forbes looked at stock prices and exchange rates from February 9 2018.

They also looked at individuals, rather than multigenerational families who share large fortunes. They did, however, include the financial of spouse and children, if that person was the founder of the fortune.

And, in case where the ownership breakdown wasn’t clear, Forbes did list siblings and couples together. To then make the cut, the company had to have a net worth of at least $1 billion per person.

They also valued a variety of assets, including private companies, real estate, etc. And, when balance sheets are available, those are considered as well.

So, who are 2018’s billionaires?

Here are the top 10 for 2018:

10. Larry Ellison – Oracle – $58.5 billion
8. Charles and David Koch – Kock industries – $60 billion each
7. Carlos Slim Helu – America Movil – $67.1 billion
6. Amancio Ortega – Inditex – $70 billion
5. Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook – $71 billion
4. Bernard Arnault – LVMH – $72 billion
3. Warren Buffett – Berkshire Hathaway – $84 billion
2. Bill Gates – Microsoft – $90 billion
1. Jeff Bezos – Amazon – $112 billion

How Orbis helped

Orbis, the world’s most powerful comparable data resource on private companies, was used by Forbes to help decide who the top 10 were.

Our global database includes detailed financials, including balance sheets, and corporate ownership structures. 

Our ownership structures highlight direct and indirect ownership, reveal the level of ownership within a company link through to financial items.

Read the full report from Forbes to see the extent of the top 10’s wealth, as well as an introduction to more of 2018’s billionaires.