Forbes uses data from Orbis to rank the world's billionaires

Forbes has released its 2019 list of the world's billionaires using data from Orbis. The participants are worth a combined $8.7 trillion—which is $400 million less than the total wealth in 2018. With a headcount of 2,153, there are also 55 fewer billionaires on the list than last year, and a record 46% of them are "poorer" than they were in 2018. Forbes attributes the decline to economic forces and weak stock markets.

The world's wealthiest 

The list features Amazon's Jeff Bezos & family ($131 billion) in top spot for the second year in a row, followed by Microsoft's Bill Gates ($96.5 billion), who was named the richest person in the world from 2001-2009 and 2014-2017. 

The other leading billionaires are: 

• #3, Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company 
• #4, Bernard Arnault and family of LVMH, a luxury goods group 
• #5, Carlos Slim Helu and family of American Movil, a mobile telecom firm

The world's youngest 

The Forbes list highlights Kylie Jenner, who at age 21 and with a net worth of $1 billion is the youngest self-made billionaire on the list. There are only 8 entries under the age of 30 on the list, 3 of which Forbes has classified as self-made. Jenner's fortune comes from her company Kylie Cosmetics, which recently transitioned from an online-only distribution model to signing an exclusive deal with beauty retailer Ulta which has more than 1,000 stores. 

The methodology 

The 2019 Forbes billionaire list is a "snapshot of wealth" that uses stock prices and exchange rates from 8 February 2019. It considers individuals rather than families, though it includes wealth from spouses and children if the person listed founded the fortune themselves. Assets that contribute to the assessment include but are not limited to private companies, real estate and works of art. Forbes discounted fortunes where documentation wasn't supplied or available. 

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