## The Global Wealth of Billionaires Reaches an Unprecedented Milestone: Who Were the Big Winners?

2024 closed with figures confirming the extreme concentration of wealth worldwide. According to data from institutions specializing in tracking billionaires, the wealthiest elite experienced a collective growth of 2.2 trillion dollars this year, a record high that raised the combined assets of the top 500 individuals to 11.9 trillion dollars.

### The markets were the engine of wealth accumulation

Asset diversification was key in this phenomenon. Stock markets, the cryptocurrency sector, and precious metals experienced a bullish year that significantly boosted the portfolios of these major investors. The technology sector solidified as the main catalyst, with artificial intelligence playing a fundamental role in the performance of major U.S. stocks, generating extraordinary gains for those with exposure to these companies.

### Eight billionaires accounted for a quarter of the growth

The most notable aspect is that approximately one in four units of wealth generated came from just eight individuals. Among them are Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle; Elon Musk, leader of Tesla; Larry Page, co-founder of Alphabet; and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. These entrepreneurs saw their fortunes multiply at rapid rates. In particular, Jeff Bezos’s net worth experienced significant movements driven by the performance of his corporate assets and positions in various industries.

### A change from the previous year

However, this concentration of wealth in a few hands marks an important change compared to 2023. A year ago, these same eight billionaires accounted for 43% of all net gains among the top 500, while in 2024 their share decreased to approximately 25%. This suggests that wealth growth was more broadly distributed among other members of the global financial elite, although the gap remained enormous compared to the rest of the world’s population.