The World's Top 5 Richest Individuals

Jeff Bezos

Wealth: $105billion

Gains in 2018: $6.11billion

The CEO and founder of Amazon.com is listed as the world's richest person with a net worth of $105billion.

Thanks to a surge in Amazon's share price, the 53-year-old added $34.2 billion to his wealth in 2017 to round out a standout year for the tech and retail giant.

The Seattle-based company has grown from its online retail roots to cloud computing, streaming video, artificial intelligence and more.

Amazon's shares have recently been boosted by its acquisition of grocery chain Whole Foods. The firm has also expanded its line-up of devices tapping into its digital assistant Alexa.

Bill Gates

 Wealth: $93.3billion

Gains in 2018: $1.49billion

The 61-year-old Microsoft founder had held the top spot on Bloomberg's rich list for four years until being overtaken by Bezos. 

He remains a board member of Microsoft, the software firm he founded with Paul Allen in 1975.

With his wife Melinda, he chairs the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable foundation.

Most of his wealth now comes from other sources outside of Microsoft, with the mogul only owning a 2.5 per cent stake of the world's biggest software company – worth around $11 billion.

Instead, Gates makes most of his money through his personal investment company Cascade Investment LLC, which he funds entirely himself. The company owns stakes in Canadian National Railway, Berkshire Hathaway, Deere & Co, Liberty Global, Waste Management, green energy technology firm Ecolab, and more.

Warren Buffett 

Wealth: $87.2billion

Gains in 2018: $1.84billion

Buffett is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The 87-year-old billionaire has been the chairman and largest shareholder of the company since 1970.

He has transformed Berkshire since 1965 from a failing textile company into a conglomerate with more than 90 businesses in such sectors as insurance, railroads, energy and retail, and well over $100billion of stocks. 

He is also considered to be one of the greatest investors in the world. 

Mark Zuckerberg

Wealth: $77.5billion

Gains in 2018: $4.73billion

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg added a whopping $22.6 billion to his fortune in 2017, bringing his net worth to $72.6 billion.

Zuckerberg began working on the social networking site in January 2004 when he was studying at Harvard. He famously dropped out of the Ivy League school to focus on creating the website. 

He took Facebook public in May 2012 and owns about 17 percent of stock. 

Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan have publicly pledged to give away 99 percent of their stock over their lifetime. 

Amancio Ortega

 Wealth: $76billion

Gains in 2018: $664million

The Spanish business tycoon is the founder and former chairman of Inditex fashion group. The group is best known for its popular Zara fashion stores.

His group is also the parent company of brands Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti.

There is more than 2,200 Zara stores in 93 countries with the chain valued at roughly $11.3 billion.