Lists of billionaires

The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people, compiled and published every March by the American business magazine Forbes. The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated, in United States dollars, based on their assets and accounting for debt. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists.

The list has been published annually in March since 1987.Microsoft founder Bill Gates has topped the list 17 of the past 22 years, including the 2016 list. In 2015, there was a record of 1,826 people on the list that included a record 290 newcomers with 71 from China, 57 from the US, 28 from India and Germany with 23. People under 40 had 46 join the list. A record of 197 women were on the list. The average net worth of the listed came in at US$3.86 billion, down US$60 million from 2014. Added together, the total net worth for 2015's billionaires was US$7.1 trillion, up from US$6.4 trillion in 2014. According to a 2017 Oxfam report, just eight billionaires own as much combined wealth as "half the human race".

Each year, Forbes employs a team of more than fifty reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world's wealthiest individuals. Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list. According to Forbes, they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any questions. Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets – land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet the figures and get a better idea of an individual's holdings. Finally, positions in publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication. Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios. Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual's estimated worth in United States dollars. Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly, an individual's true wealth and ranking at the time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled.

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