The number and wealth of the world’s billionaires has peaked – but Mark Zuckerberg is the biggest riser
The number of billionaires in the world peaked at a record high last year and has begun to drop, according to a new ranking – which added that the average wealth of the world's billionaires has also begun to fall.
Forbes' 2016 Billionaires List showed the number of billionaires in the world has fallen to 1,810, from a record high of 1,826 in 2015.
Meanwhile, billionaires' average net worth has fallen by $280m (£201m), to $3.58bn. Total wealth among the world's billionaires has fallen from just over $7 trillion last year, to $6.48 trillion now.
The UK has 50 billionaires – down from 53 in 2015. Among the seven newcomers were musical theatre mogul Cameron Mackintosh, and Triumph Motorcycles owner John Bloor.
Meanwhile, Bill Gates came top of the rankings for the third year in a row – although his wealth has shrunk from $79.5bn last year to $75bn now.
That was followed by Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, whose wealth rose from $64.5bn to $67bn last year, and Warren Buffett, whose wealth fell 16 per cent in 2015, to $60.8bn.
The highest riser was Mark Zuckerberg, at number six, who accumulated another $11.2bn during 2015, pushing his total wealth up to $44.6bn. Not bad for someone who didn't graduate…
