Forbes Magazine’s annual The World’s Billionaires List is one of the most awaited business publications around the globe. First published in 1987, this list showcases the most prominent names in the world’s largest industries. Aside from informing its readers on which individuals dominate the game, the list also provides a snapshot of the most bankable sectors worldwide.
Forbes Magazine is an American business magazine that serves as one of the world’s leading business trends and news sources. Apart from the World’s Billionaires List, it highlights topics such as Innovation and Technology, Business Leadership, Lifestyle, Real Estate, Banking, Insurance, Investments, Entrepreneurship, and more.
2022 LIST AT A GLANCE
Photo: Entrepreneur
Forbes Magazine used stock prices and exchange rates for this year’s list from March 11, 2022. Two thousand six hundred sixty-eight individuals made the cut, despite the ongoing pandemic, war of nations, and a sluggish global market. These individuals – comprised of various industry leaders – are collectively worth $ 12.7 trillion. American automotive tycoon Elon Musk of Tesla and Space X leads the pack with a net worth of $219 billion, followed by Jeff Bezos of Amazon with a net worth of $171 billion.
Related Article: A Tale of Two Titans: Bezos and Musk’s Race to the Top
Most of this year’s billionaires come from the United States, with 735 billionaires, while China, Hong Kong, and Macau collectively have 607. The list also has 166 from India, 134 from Germany, and 83 from Russia, which is 34 individuals fewer than the previous year’s list due to the nation’s ongoing war with Ukraine. Finance and Investment billionaires dominate the list, making up nearly 15% of the total number. The second largest industry is the Manufacturing industry, with 337 billionaires, while the Technology industry has 332 billionaires. Other industries that made their mark on the global economy and the billionaire’s list are Fashion and Retail, Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Real Estate, Media and Entertainment, and Energy.
WHO ARE THE RICHEST ASIANS IN 2022?
In Asia, industry leaders in Technology, Food and Beverage, Infrastructure, Media and Entertainment, Manufacturing, Automotive, and Real Estate made waves and made it to the list. Read on to know more about some of Asia’s most respected business leaders:
1. Mukesh Ambani from India (10th overall)
Photo: Blockworks
Mukesh Ambani of India is hailed as the richest man in Asia, with a net worth of $ 90.7 billion, rounding up the Top 10 worldwide. He is the founder and chairman of Reliance Industries. The company, founded in 1966 by Mukesh’s father, started as a small textile manufacturer that grew larger over the years and now ventures into various industries such as petrochemicals, oil, gas, telecom, and retail.
2. Gautam Adani and family from India (11th overall)
Photo: The Campus Times
Indian infrastructure tycoon Gautam Adani comes in at a close second with a $90 billion net worth, making him the 11th richest person globally. His family manages the Mundra Port in Gujarat, considered India’s largest commercial port. Aside from infrastructure, Adani’s family is also into real estate, commodities, power generation, power transmission, coal mining, airport operation, and renewable energy.
3. Zhong Shanshan from China (17th overall)
Photo: The Indian Express
Ranked 17th overall, Chinese businessman Zhong Shanshan ($65.7 billion net worth) is the third wealthiest individual in Asia. Zhong is a self-made billionaire who owns Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy and Nongfu Spring, a bottled water company founded in 1996. Before making a name in the pharmaceutical and Food and Beverage fields, he had jobs as a construction worker, newspaper reporter, and beverage sales agent.
4. Zhang Yiming from China (25th overall)
Photo: The Information
In 2012, Zhang Yiming founded ByteDance, which eventually became one of China’s most prominent media content platforms. In 2016, the company launched a short-video sharing platform called Douyin which quickly became popular. Fast-forward to 2017, its global counterpart TikTok was found outside mainland China and has dominated the social media industry. This success has made Zhang Yiming the second most affluent Chinese national globally with a net worth of $50 billion, ranking 4th richest in Asia and 25th overall.
5. Robin Zeng from Hong Kong (29th overall)
Photo: CATL
Hong Kong native Robin Zeng is the 5th richest person in Asia (29th overall), with $44.8 billion. He is the founder and chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), one of the world’s leading battery suppliers for electric vehicles, with notable clients such as BMW, Geely, and Volkswagen.
6. Ma Huateng from China (34th overall)
Photo: Britannica
Next on the list is Ma Huateng, the CEO and Chairman of Tencent Holdings, one of the leading internet giants in China. He co-founded Tencent Holdings in 1998, eventually launching WeChat, one of the world’s top social messaging apps that has more than 1 billion users. Tencent is also one of the largest video game publishers globally and has stakes in top brands such as Tesla, Spotify, and Snap Incorporated. Thanks to these ventures, Ma Huanteng has amassed a net worth of $37.2 billion, making him the 34th wealthiest person on earth.
7. Li Ka-shing from Hong Kong (37th overall)
Photo: Nikkei Asia
The 7th wealthiest person in Asia and 37th overall is Li Ka-Shing of CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, with $34.8 billion. Often called “Superman,” this Hong Kong-based tycoon is considered one of Asia’s most influential businessmen. He retired as the company chairman but has remained as a Senior Advisor, giving way to his son, who now heads the conglomerate.
8. Lee Shau Kee from Hong Kong (39th overall)
Photo: Forbes
Real estate mogul Lee Shau Kee from Hong Kong is the 8th richest person in Asia and 39th globally, with a total net worth of $32.6 billion. He is the co-founder of property developer Sun Hung Kai, and he also started Henderson Land Development in 1976. He stepped down as the property giant’s chairman in 2019, appointing two of his sons as co-chairmen of the company.
9. Shiv Nadar from India (47th overall)
Photo: Dazeinfo
In 1976, Shiv Nadar founded HCL Technologies inside a garage. Forty-six years later, the company has become one of India’s largest software services providers, making Shiv Nadar the 9th wealthiest individual in Asia and 47th globally, with $28.7 billion. He stepped down as chairman in 2020 but stayed as chairman emeritus and strategic advisor to the current management team led by his daughter, who took on the mantle as chairperson.
10. He Xiangjian from China (49th overall)
Photo: SCMP
Rounding up Asia’s ten most affluent individuals is Chinese entrepreneur He Xiangjian with a net worth of $28.3 billion, making him the 49th wealthiest individual worldwide. He founded Midea Group, one of the world’s largest appliance manufacturers that started with a lid production workshop led by Mr. Xiangjian in 1968. The company currently has over 200 subsidiaries worldwide, including the German robotics firm Kuka.
