There Are More Billionaires In The World Than Ever

from Niall McCarthy, September 24th, 2014

The number of billionaires worldwide has increased 7 percent from 2,170 in 2013 to 2,325 in 2014, according to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014. In fact, there are now more billionaires in the world than ever before. Collectively, these individuals are worth $7.3 trillion and just 286 of them are women.

Europe is home to the most billionaires - there are 775 of them there, 9 more than in 2013. There are 609 in North America, placing it second while Asia rounds off the top three with 560. Africa's small billionaire population is in decline, falling from 42 to 40 over the past 12 months. Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helú is still the world's top billionaire with $81.1 billion.

This chart shows the number of billionaires worldwide in 2013 and 2014.