According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world. Image via Instagram @elonmuskh
Elon Musk’s net worth JUMPS: Latest numbers
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world.
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world. Image via Instagram @elonmuskh
According to the Forbes Real Time Billionaires website, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world.
The 53-year-old Tesla CEO and X owner took over the top spot from Bernard Arnault earlier this year – and has seen his gap grow atop the list.
Musk boasts a net worth of $248.7 billion at the time of publishing.
American Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has moved into second place with $214.3 billion, giving Musk a sizeable $34.4 billion lead.
Meanwhile, France’s founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Bernard Arnault, is now in third place with $196.9 billion.
LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding and conglomerate specialising in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris.
Following Arnault in the top 10, in order, are Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and Warren Buffett.
Musk is the fourth-youngest member of the top 10 club, behind Zuckerberg (40), Brin (50) and Page (51).
Apart from Arnault, the rest of the top 10 are all American citizens.
The figures are updated in real-time.
Top 10 richest people in the world
Correct as of 4 July 2024 at 22:20 SA time
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Age |
| 1 | Elon Musk | $248.7 billion | 53 |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $214.3 billion | 60 |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault & family | $196.9 billion | 75 |
| 4 | Mark Zuckerberg | $178.7 billion | 40 |
| 5 | Larry Ellison | $178.6 billion | 79 |
| 6 | Larry Page | $153.3 billion | 51 |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $146.7 billion | 50 |
| 8 | Bill Gates | $134.4 billion | 68 |
| 9 | Steve Ballmer | $134.0 billion | 68 |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | $128.3 billion | 93 |
Meanwhile, French national Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, tops the list of “richest woman in the world”.
She is the 17th-richest person in the world.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the granddaughter of the founder of personal care company L’Oreal.
Bettencourt Meyers and her family own more than a third of publicly traded L’Oreal.
She has served on L’Oreal’s board since 1997 and is the chairwoman of the family holding company.
She became France’s reigning L’Oreal heiress in 2017 when her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, then the world’s richest woman, died at age 94.
Top 10 richest women in the world
| Rank | Name | Net worth | Age |
| 1 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family | $89.9 billion | 70 |
| 2 | Alice Walton | $79.9 billion | 74 |
| 3 | Julia Koch & family | $65.2 billion | 62 |
| 4 | Savitri Jindal & family | $41.9 billion | 74 |
| 5 | Jacqueline Mars | $37.3 billion | 84 |
| 6 | MacKenzie Scott | $36.8 billion | 54 |
| 7 | Rafaela Aponte-Diamant | $36.8 billion | 79 |
| 8 | Gina Rinehart | $31.2 billion | 70 |
| 9 | Abigail Johnson | $29.8 billion | 62 |
| 10 | Miriam Adelson & family | $28.9 billion | 78 |
For interest’s sake, Warren Buffett, at 93 years of age, is the oldest member of the overall top 10 list.
By contrast, the oldest person on the woman’s top 10 list is 84-year-old Jacqueline Mars.
The average age of those in the top 10 richest overall is 63.7, while the average age on the top 10 women’s list is slightly higher at 70.7.
