"80 % of the wealth on this planet is in the hands of about 220 people". I heard this sentence on tv today, while they showed starving children. Anyhow - what can a single sane person do with more than a billion dollars? Think about this.
Here are those (enter curse here) gods of capitalism:
Forbes List of World's Richest People, 1999, without dictators and royalty.
Listings include name, home country, wealth in billions of dollars and source of wealth, where available.
1. Gates, William H. III, United States, 90.0, Microsoft
2. Buffett, Warren, United States, 36.0, Berkshire Hathaway
3. Allen, Paul, United States, 30.0, Microsoft
4. Ballmer, Steven, United States, 19.5, Microsoft
5. Oeri, Hoffman and Sacher families, Switzerland, 17.0, Roche pharmaceuticals
6. Anschutz, Philip, United States, 16.5, oil, railroads, telecommunications
7. Dell, Michael, United States, 16.5, Dell Computer
8. Walton, Alice L., United States, 16.0, inheritance (Wal-Mart Stores)
9. Walton, Helen R., United States, 16.0, inheritance (Wal-Mart Stores)
10. Walton, Jim C., United States, 16.0, inheritance (Wal-Mart Stores)
11. Walton, John T., United States, 16.0, inheritance (Wal-Mart Stores)
12. Walton, S. Robson, United States, 15.8, Wal-Mart Stores
13. Alsaud, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Saudi Arabia, 15.0, investments
14. Bettencourt, Liliane, France, 13.9, cosmetics
15. Albrecht, Theo and Karl and family, Germany, 13.6, retailing
16. Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong, 12.7, real estate, telecommunications, diversified
17. Haniel family, Germany, 12.4, pharmaceuticals, diversified
18. Engelhorn, Curt and family, Germany, 12.0, pharmaceuticals
19. Thomson, Kenneth, Canada, 11.9, Thomson Corp
20. Lee Shau Kee, Hong Kong, 11.1, real estate
21. Moore, Gordon Earl, United States, 10.9, Intel
22. Anthony, Barbara Cox, United States, 10.6, inheritance (Cox Enterprises)
23. Chambers, Anne Cox, United States, 10.6, inheritance (Cox Enterprises)
24. Kluge, John, United States, 10.5, Metromedia Co.
25. Walker, Jay, United States, 10.2, Priceline.com
26. Bezos, Jeffrey, United States, 10.1, Amazon.com
27. Quandt family, Germany, 9.9, BMW
28. Mulliez, Gerard, France, 9.8, retail
29. Kwok, Walter, Thomas, Raymond, Hong Kong, 9.7, real estate
30. Ellison, Larry, United States, 9.5, Oracle
31. Rausing, Gad, Sweden, 9.0, packaging
32. Redstone, Sumner, United States, 8.7, Viacom
33. Schwab, Charles, United States, 8.7, discount stock brokerage
34. Berlusconi, Silvio, Italy, 8.0, media
35. Slim Helu, Carlos, Mexico, 8.0, diversified
36. Omidyar, Pierre, United States, 7.8, eBay
37. Takei, Yasuo, Japan, 7.8, consumer finance
38. Turner, Ted, United States, 7.8, Turner Broadcasting
39. Kerkorian, Kirk, United States, 7.3, investments
40. Haefner, Walter, Switzerland, 7.2, computers, cars
41. Murdoch, Rupert, United States, 7.2, publishing
42. Schwarz, Dieter, Germany, 7.1, retailing
43. Boehringer family, Germany, 7.1, pharmaceuticals
44. Olayan, Suliman, Saudi Arabia, 7.1, Olayan Investment Co.
45. Persson, Stefan, Sweden, 7.0, retailing
46. Rausing, Hans, Sweden, 7.0, packaging
47. Beisheim, Otto, Germany, 6.8, retailing
48. Saji, Keizo, Japan, 6.7, Suntory
49. Schmidt-Ruthenbeck family, Germany, 6.6, retailing
50. Landolt, Pierre and family, Switzerland, 6.4, Novartis
51. Pinault, Francois, France, 6.4, retail
52. SeydouxSchlumberger families, France, 6.4, diversified
53. Son, Masayoshi, Japan, 6.4, software
54. Arnault, Bernard, France, 6.0, luxury goods
55. Tsai Wan-lin and family, Taiwan, 5.9, insurance, financial services
56. Knight, Philip, United States, 5.8, Nike
57. Wang, Y.C., Taiwan, 5.8, Formosa Plastics
58. Otto, Michael, Germany, 5.7, retailing
59. Arison, Theodore (Ted), Israel, 5.6, Carnival Corp.
60. Defforey family, France, 5.6, Carrefour
61. Haub, Erivan and family, Germany, 5.6, retailing
62. Woeste, Albrecht and Henkel family, Germany, 5.6, chemicals
63. Latsis, Spiro, Greece, 5.4, banking
64. Hopp, Dietmar and sons, Germany, 5.2, software
65. Gerling, Rolf, Germany, 5.1
66. Herz, Gunter and family, Germany, 5.1, consumer products
67. Winnick, Gary, United States, 5.1, investments
68. Arison, Micky, United States, 5.0, Carnival Cruise Lines
69. Hewlett, William Redington, United States, 5.0, Hewlett-Packard
70. Kirch, Leo, Germany, 5.0, media
71. Piech, Ferdinand and family, Austria, 5.0, Porsche
72. Pritzker, Robert, United States, 5.0, financier
73. Tschira, Klaus, Germany, 5.0
74. Flick, Friedrich Karl Jr., Germany, 4.9
75. Sainsbury family, Britain, 4.9
76. Halley, Paul-Louis and family, France, 4.8, retailing
77. Ito, Masatoshi and family, Japan, 4.8, retail
78. Kinoshita, Kyosuke, Japan, 4.8, consumer finance
79. Scott, Walter Jr., United States, 4.8, construction, telecommunications
80. Skoll, Jeffrey, United States, 4.8, eBay
81. Tsutsumi, Yoshiaki, Japan, 4.8, real estate
82. von Finck, August and family, Germany, 4.8, insurance (Allianz AG)
83. Al-Kharafi, Nasser, Kuwait, 4.7, M. A. Al Kharafi & Sons
84. Ricketts, J. Joe, United States, 4.7, Ameritrade
85. Wurth, Reinhold, Germany, 4.7
86. Waitt, Theodore, United States, 4.6, Gateway 2000
87. Kuok, Robert, Malaysia, 4.5, diversified
88. Langmann, Hans Joachim, Germany, 4.5, chemicals
89. Newhouse, Donald, United States, 4.5, media
90. Newhouse, S.I., United States, 4.5, media
91. Sabanci, Sakip and family, Turkey, 4.5, conglomerate
92. Cheng Yu-tung, Hong Kong, 4.4, real estate
93. Hostetter, Amos Jr., United States, 4.4, Continental Cablevision
94. Lauder, Leonard A., United States, 4.4, inheritance (cosmetics)
95. Lauder, Ronald S., United States, 4.4, cosmetics
96. Malone, John, United States, 4.4, cable TV
97. Plattner, Hasso, Germany, 4.4, SAP
98. Schmidheiny, Stephan, Switzerland, 4.4, ABB
99. Bronfman, Edgar Sr., United States, 4.3, Seagram Co.
100. Fisher, Donald, United States, 4.3, The Gap
101. Fisher, Doris, United States, 4.3, The Gap
102. Jahr, John and family, Germany, 4.3, publishing
103. Reimann family, Germany, 4.3
104. Shigeta, Yasumitsu, Japan, 4.3, software
105. Annenberg, Walter Hubert, United States, 4.2, publishing
106. Johnson, Abigail, United States, 4.2, Fidelity Investments
107. McCaw, Craig, United States, 4.2, telephones
108. Perelman, Ronald, United States, 4.2, investments
109. Filo, David, United States, 4.1, Yahoo!
110. Al-Hariri, Rafik and family, Lebanon, 4.0, construction, banking
111. Benetton, Luciano and family, Italy, 4.0, apparel
112. Mars, Forrest Sr., United States, 4.0, candy (Mars Inc.)
113. Mars, Forrest Jr., United States, 4.0, candy (Mars Inc.)
114. Mars, John, United States, 4.0, candy (Mars Inc.)
115. Perot, H. Ross, United States, 4.0, electronic data management
116. Schickedanz family, Germany, 4.0
117. Soros, George, United States, 4.0, money management
118. Vogel, Jacqueline Mars, United States, 4.0, candy (Mars Inc.)
119. Wang, Nina, Hong Kong, 4.0, real estate
120. Yang, Jerry, United States, 4.0, Yahoo! Inc.
121. Bertarelli, Ernesto, Switzerland, 3.9, Ares-Serono
122. Bronfman, Charles, Canada, 3.7, Seagram Co.
123. Irving, James, Arthur and Jack, Canada, 3.7, diversified, including Irving
Oil
124. Packer, Kerry, Australia, 3.7, Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd.
125. Broad, Eli, United States, 3.6, home building
126. Dolan, Charles, United States, 3.6, cable TV
127. Johnson, Samuel C., United States, 3.6, S.C. Johnson & Son
128. Matsuda, Kazuo, Japan, 3.6, consumer finance
129. Mori, Akira, Japan, 3.6, real estate
130. Perez Companc, Gregorio, Argentina, 3.6, conglomerate
131. Bass, Lee, United States, 3.5, oil, investments
132. Brost and Funke families, Germany, 3.5
133. Del Vecchio, Leonardo, Italy, 3.5, eyewear
134. Kamel, Saleh, Saudi Arabia, 3.5, Dallah Albaraka
135. Perenchio, A. Jerrold, United States, 3.5, television
136. Botin, Emilio and family, Spain, 3.4, banking
137. Dassault, Serge and family, France, 3.4, aviation
138. von Holtzbrinck, Dieter and family, Germany, 3.4, publishing
139. Agnelli, Giovanni and family, Italy, 3.3, autos
140. Grosvenor, Gerald Cavendish, Britain, 3.3, real estate
141. Heineken, Alfred, Netherlands, 3.3
142. Ng Teng Fong and Robert, Singapore, 3.3, real estate
143. Schmidheiny, Thomas, Switzerland, 3.3, Holderbank
144. Ergen, Charles, United States, 3.2, EchoStar (satellite TV)
145. Greenberg, Maurice, United States, 3.2, American International Group
146. Huntsman, Jon Meade, United States, 3.2, plastics, chemicals
147. Khoo Teck Puat, Singapore, 3.2, investments
148. Kwek Leng Beng, Singapore, 3.2, diversified
149. Mohn, Reinhard and family, Germany, 3.2, media
150. Sturm, Donald L., United States, 3.2, telecommunications
151. Verspieren/ Decoster family, France, 3.2
152. Bren, Donald L., United States, 3.1, real estate
153. Kipp, Karl-Heinz, Germany, 3.1
154. Lerner, Alfred, United States, 3.1, MBNA (finance)
155. Oshima, Kenshin, Japan, 3.1, finance
156. Wrigley, William, United States, 3.1, Wrigley gum
157. Al Rajhi, Saleh bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Arabia, 3.0, banking
158. Bass, Sid Richardson, United States, 3.0, investments
159. Goodnight, James, United States, 3.0, SAS Institute
160. Hillman, Henry Lea, United States, 3.0, industrial holdings
161. Iwasaki, Fukuzo, Japan, 3.0, Iwasaki Sangyo
162. Koch, Charles De Ganahl, United States, 3.0, Koch Industries
163. Koch, David Hamilton, United States, 3.0, Koch Industries
164. Oetker, Rudolf and family, Germany, 3.0, diversified
165. von Siemens family, Germany, 3.0
166. Wonowidjojo family, Indonesia, 3.0, tobacco
167. Crown, Lester, United States, 2.9, diversified
168. Ebner, Martin, Switzerland, 2.9, investments
169. Mann, Hugo, Germany, 2.9, furniture stores, supermarkets
170. Moller, Maersk Mc-Kinney, Denmark, 2.9, shipping
171. Moores family, Britain, 2.9
172. Sorenson, James L., United States, 2.9, medical devices
173. Buffett, Susan Thompson, United States, 2.8, Berkshire Hathaway
174. Koc, Rahmi and family, Turkey, 2.8, Koc Holding
175. Kristiansen, Kjeld Kirk, Denmark, 2.8, Lego
176. Mendoza, Lorenzo and family, Venezuela, 2.8, Empresas Polar
177. Premji, Azim Hasham, India, 2.8, information technology
178. Wexner, Leslie Herbert, United States, 2.8, The Limited
179. Bass, Robert Muse, United States, 2.7, investments
180. Davis, Marvin H., United States, 2.7, investments
181. Fentener van Vlissingen family, Netherlands, 2.7, retailing, travel
services
182. Hector, Hans-Werner, Germany, 2.7
183. Jacobs, Klaus, Switzerland, 2.7
184. Marcus, Bernard, United States, 2.7, Home Depot
185. Branson, Richard, Britain, 2.6, diversified
186. Ermirio de Moraes, Antonio and family, Brazil, 2.6, mining, cement, pulp
and paper
187. Goldschmeding, Frits, Netherlands, 2.6
188. Hsu, Douglas and family, Taiwan, 2.6, Far Eastern Group
189. Ingram, Martha Robinson Rivers, United States, 2.6, inheritance (Ingram)
190. Itoyama, Eitaro, Japan, 2.6, Shin Nihon Kanko
191. Kamprad, Ingvar, Sweden, 2.6, Ikea
192. Naify, Robert Allen, United States, 2.6, movie theaters
193. Takenaka, Toichi and family, Japan, 2.6, construction, civil engineering
194. Ty, George, Philippines, 2.6, banking
195. Brenninkmeyer, Herman and family, Netherlands, 2.5, retailing
196. Faria, Dr. Aloysio de Andrade, Brazil, 2.5, banking
197. Geffen, David, United States, 2.5, entertainment
198. Icahn, Carl Celian, United States, 2.5, investments
199. Safra, Edmond, Lebanon, 2.5, Republic Bank
200. Sahenk, Ayhan and family, Turkey, 2.5, Garanti Bank
201. Simplot, John R., United States, 2.5, potatoes 202. Widjaja, Eka Tjipta,
Indonesia, 2.5, pulp and paper, food
203. Bin Mahfouz, Khalid, Saudi Arabia, 2.4, banking, investments
204. Kadoorie, Michael and family, Hong Kong, 2.4, family of merchants
205. Malone, Mary Alice Dorrance, United States, 2.4, inheritance (Campbell
Soup)
206. Rockefeller, David Sr., United States, 2.4, investments
207. Schoerghuber, Stefan, Germany, 2.4, services, breweries, construction,
real estate
208. Taylor, Jack Crawford, United States, 2.4, Enterprise Rent-A-Car
209. Dorrance, John T. III, Ireland, 2.3
210. Dumas, Jean-Louis and family, France, 2.3, Hermes International
211. Foriel-Destezet, Phillipe, France, 2.3, temporary help agency
212. Fukuda, Yoshitaka, Japan, 2.3, consumer finance
213. Louis-Dreyus, Gerard and family, France, 2.3, commodities trading
214. Mantegazza, Sergio, Switzerland, 2.3, travel services
215. Otsuka, Masahito, Japan, 2.3
216. Rocca, Roberto and family, Argentina, 2.3, diversified
217. Sy, Henry and family, Philippines, 2.3, shopping malls
218. Yamaguchi, Hisakazu and family, Japan, 2.3, manufacturing
219. Birck, Michael, United States, 2.2, Tellabs
220. David-Weill, Michel, France, 2.2, finance
Update: As this list excludes some persons this are not really the 220 richest living persons. As it was pointed out, the Sultan of Brunei would be in this list, as well as the Queen of Great Britain and Saddam Hussein. This was the only list I could lay hands on. The sum of money would be much larger.