the richest person in 33 countries around the world
Dietrich Mateschitz, the creator of Red Bull, took the No. 1 spot for Austria.AP/ANDREAS SCHAAD
The world's leaders figures, many of them billionaires, have descended on Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum this week.
While some billionaires, like Bill Gates, have held the title of the richest in their country for years, others are just now entering the top spot.
With the help of Forbes' Billionaires List, we've rounded up the biggest earners in 33 countries around the world.
The current rankings and net worth are based on real-time data and are subject to change.
The richest person in Ukraine: Rinat Akhmetov
Net worth: $4.9 billion
Forbes rank: 270
Background: Akhmetov's net worth is composed of DTEK, his energy company, and Metinvest, his steel producer. Recently, his wealth has suffered from weak demand and slumping prices for his steel and iron-ore assets. The ongoing fighting in Ukraine has also hurt his net worth.
The richest person in New Zealand: Graeme Hart
Net worth: $6.1 billion
Forbes rank: 201
Background: Hart's company, Reynolds Group holdings, manufactures packaging material. In 2014, he sold the subsidiary SIG to Canadian billionaire Gerald Schwartz’ Onex Group for $4.7 billion. Hart dropped out of school when he was 16, and once worked as a truck driver.
The richest person in South Africa: Nicky Oppenheimer
Net worth: $6.5 billion
Forbes rank: 183
Background: Oppenheimer inherited his family's portion of the De Beers diamond company. He left in 2012, selling his 40% stake to mining conglomerate Anglo American for $5.1 billion. Oppenheimer also helped launch the Diamond Route, which set aside 250,000 hectares of land around diamond mines.
The richest person in Switzerland: Gianluigi and Rafaela Aponte
Net worth: $8.2 billion
Forbes rank: 138
Background: In 1970, Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela launched Mediterranean Shipping (now called MSC), which stands as the world's second-biggest container-shipping company. Aponte also runs MSC Cruise along with his wife, who designs the interiors of the ships.
The richest person in Denmark: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
Net worth: $12.8 billion
Forbes rank: 68
Background: As the grandson of the inventor of Legos, Kristiansen ran the company for 25 years before stepping down in 2004. He currently owns 75% of the company. Kristiansen also owns 30% of Merlin Entertainments, which went public at the end of 2013 and operates attractions like the Madame Tussaud's wax museums.
The richest person in Cyprus: John Fredriksen
Net worth: $8 billion
Forbes rank: 142
Background: Oil-tanker and shipping tycoon Fredriksen owns several oil tanks that have led to surging shares in his company, Frontline Ltd. In the last year, he sold most of his stake in LNG shipper Golar for a whopping $1.8 billion, and he is planning a merger between bulk-shipping companies Golden Ocean and Knightsbridge.
The richest person in Austria: Dietrich Mateschitz
Net worth: $10.7 billion
Forbes rank: 98
Background: Mateschitz is the creator of Red Bull. He started the company back in 1987, and today it operates in 166 different countries around the world. He also owns stakes in two soccer teams, a Formula One racing team, and a luxury resort in Fiji. He has a collection of historic aircraft and a personal submarine.
The richest person in South Korea: Lee Kun-hee
Net worth: $9.1 billion
Forbes rank: 116
Background: Lee Kun-hee is the chairman of Samsung, which accounts for around one-fourth of South Korea's $1.4 trillion economy, according to Forbes. After being hospitalized due to a heart attack in 2014, Lee has begun planning the succession of his company by his son, Jay Y. Lee.
The richest person in Malaysia: Robert Kuok
Net worth: $8.6 billion
Forbes rank: 128
Background: Kuok made fortunes in shipping, palm oil, cane-sugar fields, and properties in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. He also has a stake in Wilmar, the world's largest listed palm-oil company, and raised $300 million through the Singapore listing of his PACC Offshore Services Holdings (Asia's largest vessel operator for offshore oil and gas exploration) in 2014.
The richest person in the Netherlands: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Net worth: $12.6 billion
Forbes rank: 69
Background: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken took over the beer company Heineken when her father, Henry Heineken, passed away, leaving her his fortune. With a 25% controlling stake in the company, she remains relatively out of the spotlight.
The richest person in Australia: Gina Rinehart
Net worth: $8.3 billion
Forbes rank: 136
Background: Rinehart acquired her wealth through the inheritance of her father's mining assets. She's the executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, and in March 2014, she finalized a $7.2 billion deal to develop one of the world's largest iron-ore mines, Roy Hill, according to Forbes.
The richest person in Colombia: Luis Carlos Sarmiento
Net worth: $8.5 billion
Forbes rank: 131
Background: Sarmiento started out in the construction industry and later expanded his empire into financial services. His company, Grupo Aval, which he still chairs at 82 years old, now controls one-third of all banking in Colombia.
The richest person in Thailand: Dhanin Chearavanont
Net worth: $16.8 billion
Forbes rank: 45
Background: Chearavanont leads the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, which is one of the largest producers of animal feed and livestock in the world today. The fortune is shared with his three brothers and other relatives.
The richest person in the Philippines: Henry Sy and family
Net worth: $11.9 billion
Forbes rank: 79
Background: Sy worked at his family's convenience store before opening his first business, which was a footwear shop. After merging with mall operator SM Prime Holdings, Sy has seen the value of his publicly traded conglomerates — SM Investments and SM Prime Holdings — increase by 17% and 20% over the last year. Recent growth plans include the building of 10 mixed-use townships by 2020.
The richest people in the United Kingdom: Srichand and Gopichand
Net worth: $14.3 billion
Forbes rank: 57
Background: The Hinduja brothers control the Hinduja Group, a multinational conglomerate that works in everything from banking and transportation to technology and media. Originally started by their father, the group is cochaired today by siblings Srichand and Gopichand.
The richest person in Nigeria: Aliko Dangote
Net worth: $14 billion
Forbes rank: 59
Background: Dangote owns around 91% of the publicly traded Dangote Cement, which is Africa's largest cement producer. Currently active across 15 different African countries, the Dangote Group is also composed of publicly traded sugar, flour, and salt manufacturing companies.
The richest person in Russia: Mikhail Fridman
Net worth: $12.9 billion
Forbes rank: 67
Background: Fridman controls Alfa Group, Russia’s largest financial and industrial investment group, along with billionaires German Khan and Alexei Kuzmichev. In 2013, Alfa Group started a new company called LetterOne Holdings S.A. (L1) to hold their foreign assets and manage foreign acquisitions.
The richest people in Japan: Tadashi Yanai and family
Net worth: $16.3 billion
Forbes rank: 48
Background: Tadashi Yanai is the owner of the popular brand Uniqlo, which he first started as a small roadside outlet back in 1984. In 2014, he saw a 65% increase in the company’s international sales, according to Forbes, and has seen a total increase of more than $3 billion in business in the last year.
The richest person in India: Mukesh Ambani
Net worth: $20.9 billion
Forbes rank: 35
Background: Mukesh Ambani is head of the oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, which has helped him to remain the richest person in India for almost 10 years.
The richest person in Saudi Arabia: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud
Net worth: $17.6 billion
Forbes rank: 40
Background: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud owns stakes in private and public companies in the US, Europe, and the Middle East, mostly through Kingdom Holding Co. His holdings include stakes in Twitter, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Citigroup, Fairmont Raffles Holding, and several other hotel and real-estate properties.
The richest person in China: Wang Jianlin
Net worth: $24.4 billion
Forbes rank: 22
Background: Wang Jianlin's real-estate firm, Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties, owns 125 shopping plazas, 68 five-star hotels, and one of China's largest movie-theater chains, Wanda Cinema Line. In the last year, he also purchased 20% of the Spanish soccer team Atletico Madrid and paid $650 million to purchase the US organizer for Ironman Triathlons.
The richest person in Sweden: Stefan Persson
Net worth: $21.3 billion
Forbes rank: 33
Background: Stefan Persson owns a 28% stake and serves as the chairman of popular budget-retail store H&M, which was started by his father in 1947. He also has a wide portfolio of real-estate properties in major shopping districts like London's Oxford Street and the Champs-Elysée in Paris. He also purchased Linkenholt, the Hampshire village, back in 2009.
The richest person in Brazil: Jorge Paulo Lemann
Net worth: $23.7 billion
Forbes rank: 24
Background: Jorge Paulo Lemann holds stakes in the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. His private-equity firm, 3G Capital, bought H.J Heinz & Company with Warren Buffett for $23 billion, as well as purchasing Burger King in 2010 through a leveraged buyout. Since 1999, he has lived in Switzerland due to an attempted kidnapping of his children, according to Forbes.
The richest people in Canada: David Thomson and family
Net worth: $23 billion
Forbes rank: 29
Background: David Thomson is the chairman of the media and publishing company Thomson Reuters. The private holding company Woodbridge runs the business for the family and holds a 57% stake. The family also has stakes in Strategic Hotels & Resorts and The Globe and Mail. David Thomson also owns part of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets.
The richest person in Germany: Georg Schaeffler
Net worth: $23.1 billion
Forbes rank: 25
Background: Georg Schaeffler and his mother, Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler-Thumann, are the proprietors of Schaeffler Group, which is a part of Schaeffler AG, one of the world's largest producers of ball bearings and machine components. The Schaefflers also own a stake of around $17 billion in tire and auto-parts company Continental AG.
The richest people in France: Liliane Bettencourt and family
Net worth: $36.3 billion
Forbes rank: 11
Background: Liliane Bettencourt added to her fortune in 2014 when she purchased 8% more of her family's cosmetic company, L'Oreal, from Nestle. Bettencourt, who suffers from dementia, is no longer involved in running the company her father started. To this day, she remains Europe’s richest woman.
The richest person in Spain: Amancio Ortega
Net worth: $67.1 billion
Forbes rank: 2
Background: As the world's richest retailer, Amancio Ortego cofounded Zara with his former wife, Rosalia Mera, in 1975. He stuck to controlling much of his own supply chain and was able to grow his wealth by $45 billion from 2009 to 2014 alone. He has been reinvesting money into real estate in cities including Madrid, Barcelona, London, Chicago, Miami, and New York.
The richest people in Mexico: Carlos Slim Helu and family
Net worth: $47.4 billion
Forbes rank: 5
Background: Slim is the founder and chairman of telecommunications conglomerate Grupo Carso. In January 2015, Slim became the top shareholder in The New York Times. He also controls America Movil, through which he has around 300 million mobile phone and landline subscribers. Recently, he has been bidding on oil-production contracts in Mexico.
The richest person in the US: Bill Gates
Net worth: $76.4 billion
Forbes rank: 1
Background: The wealthiest man in America did not even graduate from college. Gates dropped out of Harvard University his junior year when he had his idea for Microsoft. He has recently focused on philanthropy efforts through the Gates Foundation and the Giving Pledge, which some of the world's superrich have signed with the promise to give away at least half of their net worth to charity.
The richest person in Belgium: Albert Frère
Net worth: $4.7 billion
Forbes rank: 295
Background: Frère’s father was a nail merchant, and, when he passed away, Frère left school at 17 to run the company. By 30, he began investments in Belgian steel factories, eventually expanding into finance. Today, he owns all of Compagnie Nationale a Portefeuille (CNP), the media, utilities, and oil giant he built from his family's original business.
The richest people in Norway: Stein Erik Hagen and family
Net worth: $4.1 billion
Forbes rank: 354
Background: Stein Erik Hagen founded Rimi, a discount supermarket, with his father in the '70s. He eventually sold his stake, focusing on investments across Scandinavia. He is the chairman of Orkla ASA, a consumer-goods manufacturer. In 2014, he donated $16 million to found the Norwegian Prostate Cancer Institute, after having been diagnosed with the disease and sought treatment in the US.
The richest people in Venezuela: Gustavo Cisneros and family
Net worth: $3.6 billion
Forbes rank: 424
Background: Gustvao Cisneros is the owner of conglomerate Cisneros Group, which has interests in television stations, telecom, a regional brewery, a real-estate company, and a baseball team in Venezuela. In January of last year, Cisneros Media also announced a partnership with the Latin American division of Turner Broadcasting.
The richest person in Egypt: Nassef Sawiris
Net worth: $3.9 billion
Forbes rank: 225
Background: Nassef Sawiris' company, OCI, formally split in February 2015, but its construction arm, Orascom Construction, continues to trade on Egypt’s exchange. In October, he was dubbed the largest individual shareholder in Adidas with a 6% stake totaling more than $1 billion.
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