14 MALAYSIANS MAKE IT TO FORBES’ LIST OF WORLD’S BILLIONAIRES
KUALA LUMPUR: Robert Kuok remains Malaysia’s wealthiest in Forbes’ latest annual ranking of the world’s billionaires.
Asia Pacific boasts the most number of billionaires at 827 with a total net worth of US$2.75 trillion (RM10.7 trillion).
There are 14 Malaysian billionaires in the list. Kuok is ranked 96 with a net worth of US$14.8 billion, followed by Ananda Krishnan (No. 217, US$7.2 billion), Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan (No. 217, US$7.2 billion), Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow (No. 289, US$6 billion) and Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng (No. 321, US$5.6 billion).
Forbes said a record 2,208 billionaires with an average net worth of US$4.1 billion made the list, up from 2,043 last year.
The total combined net worth of this year’s billionaires was US$9.1 trillion, up from US$7.7 trillion last year, with 1,490 members being self-made billionaires, up from 1,371 last year.
The United States has the most billionaires (585), followed by mainland China (373).
Forbes’ list contains 259 newcomers, including the first-ever cryptocurrency billionaires.
The Forbes Billionaires list is a snapshot of wealth taken on February 9. Forbes used that day’s stock prices and exchange rates from around the world.
It lists individuals rather than multi-generational families who share large fortunes.
In some cases, siblings and couples are listed together if the ownership breakdown among them isn’t clear. However, they still must be worth on average a minimum of US$1 billion apiece to make the cut.
The full list can be found at www.forbes.com/billionaires.