The wealth of Russia’s richest people this year surged 21 percent, or by $51 billion, according to an index of the richest 500 billionaires tracked by Bloomberg.
The business news outlet attributed the rise in the net worth of Russia’s wealthiest individuals to a rebound in the value of “emerging-market assets from currencies to stocks and bonds” following “big losses a year earlier.”
Twenty-three Russians were listed on the richest index and only Dmitry Rybolovlyev, whose net worth is valued at $9.6 billion, saw his wealth shrink -- by $438 million this year.
Much of Rybolovlyev’s wealth stems from the sale of Russia’s largest producer of potassium fertilizers nearly a decade ago for $6.5 billion.
In neighboring Ukraine, industrialist Rinat Akhmetov was the only person listed. He saw his coffers grow by $812 million to more than $6 billion.
The United States still boasts the most billionaires with 172, whose net worth grew by $500 billion in 2019.
The richest 0.1 percent of U.S. citizens control a bigger share of their country’s economy than at any time since 1929.
Despite a divorce with his former spouse, e-commerce titan Jeff Bezos is still the world’s richest person with an estimated $116 billion.
In all, the collective wealth of the 500 richest people in the world soared 25 percent to $5.9 trillion this year.
Russia’s Richest Gain $51 Billion In 2019
Related
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Listen
Top Trending Russia
1
