5 Nigerians make Forbes list of the world's richest people

Forbes has released the 29th annual guide to the globe’s 20 richest.

Bill Gates is still the world’s richest after his fortune grew by $3.2 billion over the past year.

Five Nigerians also made the list. The names of the Nigerians are: Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Folorunsho Alakija, Femi Otedola and Abdulsamad Rabiu.


Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico is at No. 2 while revered American investor Warren Buffett took back the No. 3 spot from Spain’s Amancio Ortega (now No.4).

Warren Buffett was the list’s biggest gainer, up $14.5 billion to $72.7 billion, thanks to Berkshire Hathaway’s rising share price.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg moves up 5 spots to number 16, his first time ranked among the world’s 20 richest. The youngest richest person on the list is 24 year old Evan Spiegel of Snapchat.

Silicon Valley tech companies have spawned 23 new billionaires, including cofounders of car-hailing service Uber co founders, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Cam. Silicon Valley alone has 131 individuals with 10-figure net worths, more than any other country besides China and the U.S.

The country that was lost the most ground by far was Russia, which now has 88 billionaires down from 111, less than not just the U.S. and China but now also Germany and India.