In 2024, the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by $2 trillion, and their number reached 2,769 people. Elon Musk is still the richest with a capital of more than $400 billion.. This is stated in the annual report of the association of charitable organizations Oxfam. The rate of wealth growth was three times faster than in 2023, amounting to $5.7 billion per day.. As of January 2025, the top five richest people in the world are headed by:.

The successes of large technology companies such as Tesla, Meta and Oracle have become key factors in the growth of billionaires' fortunes. The world's 500 richest people will collectively accumulate a record $10 trillion in 2024, Bloomberg reports.. Most billionaires' wealth is not the result of work, according to Oxfam report.

Billionaires' wealth continues to grow thanks to gains in stock markets and rising stock and real estate values..

Particularly prominent are American tech companies, whose shares have boosted the fortunes of the likes of Musk, Bezos and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.. According to Oxfam, the rise in billionaire wealth comes as some 3.6 billion people live below the poverty line ($6.85 a day)..

Oxfam warns that this rate of rising inequality could reach five trillion in the next decade, further highlighting the imbalance in wealth distribution. Experts note that the global economic system promotes inequality by creating conditions for a small group of people to accumulate wealth.