Talk about making some serious cash!
Forbes has just released its 2019 list of the richest people in the world and some of the stats are staggering.
While the number of billionaires actually shrank since last year, the world’s ultra-rich still control a combined $8.7 trillion of the world’s wealth.
But their fortunes are shrinking, relatively speaking.
See also: Vancouver Islanders won over $20 million in lottery jackpots this year
“For only the second year in a decade, both the number of billionaires and their total wealth shrank, proving that even the wealthiest are not immune to economic forces and weak stock markets,” says Forbes.
There are currently 2,153 billionaires worldwide, which is 55 fewer than last year. Out of those, a record 46% (994) are poorer than they were in 2018.
Moreover, 11% of last year’s list (247 people) dropped out of the billionaire club, making it the largest exodus since the 2009 global financial crisis.
China suffered the biggest loss, with 49 fewer billionaires in the country than last year. Meanwhile, the US is one of the only places that saw an increase of the number of billionaires; the country is now home to 14 of the world’s 20 richest people.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos continues to hold the title of richest person alive, with a jaw-dropping $131 billion fortune, while Bill Gates claims second place, with a tidy $96.5 billion.
But who are the richest people in the Great White North and how much are they worth?
The top 20 wealthiest Canadians 2019
1. David Thomson: $32.5 B
2. Joseph Tsai: $9.5 B
3. Galen Weston: $8.4 B
4. James Irving: $7 B
5. Jim Pattison: $6B
6. David Cheriton: $5.8 B
7. Emanuele (Lino) Saputo: $5.1 B
8. Garrett Camp: $4.6 B
9. Mark Scheinberg: $4.5 B
10. Alain Bouchard: $3.7 B
11. Chip Wilson: $3.6 B
12. Arthur Irving: $3.3 B
13. Huang Chulong: $3.1 B
14. Daryl Katz: $3.1 B
15. Bob Gaglardi: $3 B
16. Peter Gilgan: $2.9 B
17. Mitchell Goldhar: $2.7 B
18. Lawrence Stroll: $2.6 B
19. Jean Coutu: $2.4 B
20. Robert Miller: $2.4 B
