Billionaire Facts

Famous billionaire Howard Hughes stored his own urine in large bottles.

In 2000, China had zero billionaires. By 2024, it had over 800 billionaires, the second-highest number in the world after the United States.

Martha Stewart became a billionaire while in prison.

Oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller, was the world's first billionaire.

The world's ten richest billionaires have more combined wealth than the 40 poorest countries' annual GDP.

The founder of IKEA was worth $58 billion. He drove a 1993 Volvo for two decades. He flew economy. He ate at IKEA. He bought his clothes at flea markets because it is a waste to throw out good things. He was once refused entry to his own Businessman of the Year award for arriving by public bus. Ingvar Kamprad lived like he was furnishing his first apartment from the place he built.

J.K. Rowling became the first person to fall off the Forbes billionaire list primarily due to charitable giving, donating over $160 million to causes including children's welfare and multiple sclerosis research.

Bill Gates could give away 98% of his wealth and still be a billionaire.

Beyonce submitted Cowboy Carter to the 2024 CMAs. The country establishment gave her zero nominations. She took the album on tour anyway, grossing over $400 million - the highest-grossing country tour in history - and Forbes declared her the fifth musician ever to become a billionaire.

In 1978, Richard Branson tried to impress his girlfriend by pretending to buy a Caribbean island listed at $6 million. He jokingly offered $100,000 and was thrown off the island — but a year later, with no other buyers, the desperate owner accepted just $180,000.

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1985. He sold nearly every share he owned, keeping just one share to attend meetings. With the money, he bought George Lucas's animation studio for $10 million. That studio was Pixar. Toy Story came out 10 years later. Pixar made him a billionaire first.