Top 5 countries with billionaires

Where do the rich live? We round up the top 5 nations with the most billionaires in the world

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is the 5th richest person in the US. His heavy investment in the America's Cup paid off last year, with Team Oracle making yachting history during an impressive seven-round comeback to beat Team New Zealand

Wealth Management

Top 5

1. US

The US is by far the country with the most billionaires in the world. For 27 years it has outranked all other countries when it comes to wealth, with the percentage of global billionaires hailing from the US constantly hovering just under one third, 31 percent. The US’s 492 billionaires are worth a combined $1.87tn, representing just over one third of total billionaire wealth in 2013.

The world's richest man, Bill Gates, is just one of many billionaires to call the US home. Several other wealthy Americans have also made their riches in the tech industry, such as Google's Larry Ellison and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg — The world’s richest man, Bill Gates, is just one of many billionaires to call the US home. Several other wealthy Americans have also made their riches in the tech industry, such as Google’s Larry Page and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg

2. China

China has climbed wealth rankings in recent years following the country’s explosive economic growth. In 2013, the amount of wealthy in China pushed the country into the second spot in global billionaire rankings. As such, a total of 152 Chinese people residing in China had a total net worth of $1bn or over. That’s a 25 percent increase in the past year.

Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, is China's richest man — Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, tops Forbes’ China Rich List. He is closely followed by Zong Qinghou, who made his money in beverages, and Robin Li, an internet search mogul

3. Russia

Russia, with its 111 billionaires in 2013 came in third in the global ranking of billionaires per country. The Russian billionaires are worth a combined $422bn, equivalent to one-fifth of Russia’s GDP. The majority of these billionaires have achieved their wealth by privatising former Soviet assets in steel, oil, coal and mining, which are now worth billions.

With a net worth of approximately $18.6bn, Alisher Usmanov is Russia's richest man. He made his fortune in metals and now has his fingers in more than a few pies, from telecommunications to fencing — With a net worth of approximately $18.6bn, Alisher Usmanov is Russia’s richest man. He made his fortune in metals and now has his fingers in a few pies, from telecommunications to fencing

4. Germany

Of the 1,645 billionaires in the world, 85 are German. The highest placed German is the 94-year-old supermarket king Karl Albrecht, valued at $25bn. The wealth of the German billionaires amounts to $364bn. This compares to the total wealth of billionaires across the world, which at $6.4tn grew 18.5 percent last year – an all time high.

Susanne Klatten is Germany's richest woman, largely thanks to inheriting her father's business - the car company BMW — Susanne Klatten is Germany’s richest woman, largely thanks to inheriting her father’s business – the car company BMW

5. India

India is home to the fifth largest group of billionaires in the world – 56 – amounting to a staggering collective net worth of $191.5bn. This is a slight decline from 2012, as the wealth of Indian billionaires has weakened along with the country’s economy and falling rupee. Mukesh Ambani, chairman of pharma firm Reliance Industries, is the country’s richest man with a personal fortune of $18bn.