Forbes, the world’s most respected voice in wealth reporting, recently revealed its list for 2024, which includes four Nigerians.
The only Nigerians on the list were Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Femi Otedola.
According to Forbes, the list highlighted a record year for billionaires around the world, with the most billionaires ever recorded and fresh faces joining the ranks. At the same time, old members became bigger and stronger despite inflation, political upheaval, and wars.
Forbes curated its current list of billionaires based on stock prices and exchange rates as of March 8, 2024. It also maintains a real-time index of billionaires for more in-depth analysis.
The United States is first on the list of countries with the most billionaires in 2024, with a record 813 billionaires worth $5.7 trillion.
China comes in second with a record 473 billionaires worth $1.7 trillion, followed by India with 200 billionaires.
What are the world’s billionaires worth?
The year 2024 saw the largest number of billionaires with 2,781 billionaires, 141 billionaires more than the previous year and 26 billionaires more than the 2021 record.
The overall net worth of the world’s billionaires is $14.2 trillion, up $2 trillion from 2023 and $1.1 trillion from the previous peak set in 2021.
Two-thirds of the billionaires on the list are wealthier than a year earlier, while one-fourth are poorer.
The top 20 occupants of the list accumulated a staggering $700 billion in fortune.
Nigerians in the list
Four Nigerians are among the world’s 2,781 billionaires, according to Forbes magazine’s most recent annual billionaire rankings. They are rated below according to their net worth and position on the Billionaires Index.
Aliko Dangote
The Nigerian mogul, who also happens to be Africa’s richest man, is placed 144th with a net worth of $13.4 billion. Aliko Dangote is the head of the Dangote Group, Africa’s largest cement maker. He has also made a major investment in Sugar.
Mike Adenuga
The second Nigerian on the list is Globacom chairman Mike Adenuga, who is rated 409th with a $6.7 billion net worth. He amassed his money from telecommunications and oil.
Abdulsamad Rabiu
The third Nigerian on the list is Abdulsamad Rabiu, founder of the BUA Group. He is rated 581 and has a current net worth of $5.2 billion. BUA Group is a Nigerian company that operates in cement manufacture, sugar refining, and real estate.
Femi Otedola
The fourth and last Nigerian on the list is Femi Otedola, who, according to Forbes, made his first fortune in commodities before selling his Forte Oil shares to invest in the energy industry. He is rated 2152 and has a current net worth of $1.4 billion.
What To Know:
The Forbes 2024 list included some newcomers from emerging industries such as AI and cryptocurrency.
There were 262 additions to the League of Billionaires, the most popular of whom were Taylor Swift, Christian Louboutin, and Magic Johnson.
Forbes magazine compiled its most recent list of billionaires by analysing stock prices and exchange rates.