Taylor Swift Joins Billionaire Ranks as Elon Musk Regains Top Spot in Annual Billionaires Ranking

In the latest iteration of the annual billionaires ranking, Taylor Swift has made her debut among the world's wealthiest individuals, entering her billionaire "era" propelled by the success of her Eras Tour and earnings from re-recording her albums.

According to Barrons, Elon Musk has reclaimed his title as the world's richest person, boasting a fortune of $231 billion. Musk's resurgence sees him surpassing Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, marking his third time atop the list in four years.

Notably, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms Inc. secured the fourth position with a wealth of US$158 billion, experiencing significant wealth growth driven by Meta's soaring shares, which more than doubled.

Another notable addition to the billionaire list is Ryan Breslow, a 30-year-old entrepreneur based in Miami and chairman of fintech platform Bolt. Breslow's wealth stands at US$1.3 billion, making him the youngest self-made billionaire on the list.

The 13th Hurun Global Rich Report, conducted by China-based media and research firm Hurun, reveals a total of 3,279 billionaires worldwide, up from 3,112 the previous year. This surge represents a 5% increase in the number of billionaires and a 9% increase in their total wealth.

Notably, the report highlights the significant role of AI technology in driving wealth growth, with over half of the newly accumulated wealth attributed to advancements in AI. Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun's chairman and chief researcher, emphasised AI's impact, citing notable figures such as Jensen Huang of Nvidia.

Despite a reduction in the number of billionaires, China maintains its leading position with 814 individuals, while the United States witnessed an increase of 109 billionaires, bringing its total to 800. India also registered significant growth, adding 84 billionaires to its ranks.