As over 2.8 million people have died globally from COVID in the past year, the wealth of the world’s billionaires has surged.
The planet’s 2,365 billionaires have seen their wealth increase $4 trillion, or 54 percent, during the pandemic year. Their combined wealth rose from $8.04 trillion to $12.39 trillion between March 18, 2020 and March 18, 2021.
Thirteen billionaires saw their wealth increase over 500 percent (see the “500 Percent Club” below). Many of them are connected to companies that benefited enormously from the conditions of the pandemic, including having their competition shut down or diminished.
There are 270 new billionaires on this year’s global list, while 91 billionaires fell off the list.
The analysis was conducted for the Patriotic Millionaires (and their affiliated UK Millionaires) and Millionaires for Humanity by the Institute for Policy Studies –Program on
— source Institute for Policy Studies | Chuck Collins, Omar Ocampo | Mar 31, 2021