Bill Gates, Who Has Already Given Away $28 Billion, Is The World's Richest Man Again

World's Richest Man Is Bill Gates (Again)

And the world's richest man is... Bill Gates.

Again.

The founder of Microsoft has apparently climbed back to the top of the global wealth charts, based largely on the rising value of his company's share price.

Gates is now worth about $76 billion, according to Forbes, helping him to knock Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim from the perch which he has held for four years. Slim is now worth a mere $72 billion.

Gates has now held the 'richest person' title for 15 of the last 20 years, according to Forbes, even as he gives away the vast bulk of his fortune to charitable causes.

Through his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates has already dispensed with $28 billion.

Meanwhile Gates has returned to Microsoft as a technology advisor to new CEO Satya Nadella, after having stepped down as chair of the company's board.

Amongst other techies, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg has gained the most net worth in the last 12 months, after the price of shares in his social network rose.

His net worth of $28 billion is nowhere near Gates', but it's quickly rising.

Collectively the 1,645 people on the wealth ranking for billionaires are worth $6.4 trillion - a greater sum than at any other time in history. More than 268 new billionaires joined the "club" last year - the most ever.

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