The Richest People in the World (From 1995 to 2019)

When we think of billionaires, certain names come to mind immediately: Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim. However, visualizing how their fortunes have evolved over time isn't so simple, simply because their numbers have always been gigantic (at least for us). A recent animation published by the RankingTheWorld channel on YouTube shows us the economic progress of the world's richest people, focusing on the changes in the Top 10 between 1995 and 2019.

How does such a fortune accumulate? Is it enough to have good vision? Or is the only alternative to pulverize every obstacle in your path without worrying about the consequences? Unfortunately, I don't have the answers, and personally, I think I'd be a terrible billionaire. But if I've learned anything, it's that money attracts money, and the accounts of these privileged individuals never stop growing. Now, I use the word 'privileged' not only to highlight their spectacular financial situation.

Some of them have had several very successful ideas, while others reached that level thanks to the power of their families. What interests us today is their evolution, the progress of these fortunes. Beyond a couple of financial crises, the world's richest people saw their numbers skyrocket with relative ease, and this animation shows us the details:

The richest people in the world

This video, published by the RankingTheWorld channel, begins in 1995, and the number one at that time was obviously Bill Gates, with $12.9 billion. Warren Buffett followed closely behind ($10.7 billion), and two billionaires shared third place: Hans Rausing (the heir to Tetra Pak) and Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, who proved to be a true criminal and ended up arrested in 2005. Hassanal Bolkiah (the controversial Sultan of Brunei) surpassed Gates in December 1996, but that didn't last long.

Who is the Walton family, you ask? None other than the owners of Walmart. The dominance of Gates and Buffett was unquestionable until Carlos Slim reached the podium in April 2005 and claimed first place in just four and a half years. Amancio Ortega (the owner of Zara) climbed to third place in September 2012, Bill Gates regained the top spot a year later, and in June 2015, the 1-2 spots were held by Gates and Buffett again… until the ‘Bezos era’ began. In less than two years, he left Bill Gates behind as if he were fallen wire, crossing the $130 billion threshold.

This is without a doubt the most disturbing aspect: the richest person in the world held that title with $12.9 billion in 1995. 24 years later, they added a zero to that number. Obviously, there is no ceiling here, and it doesn't make much sense to talk in those terms with companies worth a trillion dollars (of our kind). Some of these billionaires seek to do good. Others treat their employees like trash and are champions at evading taxes. Two sides of the same coin.