More Ultra-Rich Are Worth Over $100 Billion Than Ever Before

  • Bettencourt Meyers, Dell and Slim amassed 12-figure fortunes
  • Combined net worth for top 15 richest is now $2.2 trillion

Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers became the first woman to amass a 12-figure fortune in December after shares of the luxury cosmetics company posted their best year since 1998.

Photographer: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images
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The world’s super-rich club now has 15 members with fortunes over $100 billion, the most on record, as they ride the waves of artificial intelligence, luxury goods and geopolitical shifts.

The combined net worth for these people is up 13% this year to $2.2 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, beating the pace of inflation and the broader stock market. Between them, they hold nearly a quarter of the wealth of the world’s 500 richest people.