Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers became the first woman to amass a 12-figure fortune in December after shares of the luxury cosmetics company posted their best year since 1998. Photographer: Francois Guillot/AFP/Getty Images
The combined net worth for these people is up 13 percent this year to $2.2 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, beating the pace of inflation and the broader stock market. Between them, they hold nearly a quarter of the wealth of the world’s 500 richest people. Bettencourt Meyers became the first woman to amass a 12-figure fortune in December after shares of the luxury cosmetics company posted their best year since 1998. Bettencourt Meyers, 70, ranks 14th on the index with a net worth of $101 billion.
Other new joiners include Slim, 84, who ranks 13th with $106 billion. The richest person in Latin America added about $28 billion to his net worth in 2023 amid a boom in the Mexican peso that’s helped to boost the stock of companies in his business empire, which range from construction to operating restaurants and shops.