How many billionaires are there in the world? There are 1,210 people in the world worth $1 billion or more. And some of them have a lot more!
Which countries have the most billionaires? Top of the pile for billionaires is the U.S. with 413. China is 2nd with 115, followed by Russia with 101, India 55, and Germany 52.
How do you become a billionaire? This is a little harder to achieve than the millionaire status. Generally speaking, most billionaires have made their money from a lifetime of hard work and determination. But there are of course some billionaires who haven't had to work their whole life to enter this elusive club. They still had to work extremely hard, but they are young enough to be able to really enjoy their new found wealth. Dustin Moskovitz, aged 26, is one of the founders of Facebook and is worth and estimated $2.7 billion. Although this will be considerably more with Facebook's IPO this year (2012).
So how do you become a billionaire? 1. Technology. If you have the 'next big thing' in the tech world, whether it's a website, a game, an app, or software for the masses, you could be on your way to becoming the next tech billionaire. 2. Inheritance. If any of your parents are one of the 1,210 billionaires in the world, you might inherit their fortune, if your good, and become a billionaire over night. 3. The lottery. To date (Feb 2012), there has been no lottery jackpot to reach the $1 billion mark. In-fact, the biggest lottery jackpot in history was $390 million back in 2007.
In 2000 a website launched a billion dollar competition which asked the entrant to pick 7 numbers from 77. If they matched all 7 numbers they won $1 billion. Worth a try you say? Well, with odds of over 1 in 2.4 billion, not really. To compare those odds, you are over 13 times more likely to win the U.S. Powerball lottery than that billion dollar competition. In the end, nobody won the jackpot.
The World's Richest - How They Did It 1. Carlos Slim Helu: The world's richest man is believed to have stakes in over 200 businesses, from media, retail, and tobacco. However the main source of his wealth is his telecommunications empire in Latin America. Aged 71, he is resident in Mexico and has amassed a $63 billion fortune.
2. Bill Gates: The world's second richest man is probably the most recognised of the world's billionaires. He made his $59 billion fortune from software and technology with Microsoft. He is known throughout the world for his philanthropy and is believed to have given away a staggering $28 billion since 2007.
3. Warren Buffet: Worth an estimated $39 billion, Warren Buffet has made his fortune through his investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway. Also well known for his philanthropy, he has given away a reported $11 billion.