Thailand Surges to 12th Spot as Global Billionaire Hotspot

The Hurun Research Institute recently released the prestigious 2024 Hurun Global Rich List, revealing that Thailand ranks 12th in the world for the highest number of billionaires. The institute, based in Shanghai, China, is recognized as a leader in research, luxury publishing and event organization focused on global wealth. The Hurun Global Rich List has garnered significant attention for the institute, which updates its rankings annually.

Between January 16, 2023, and January 15, 2024, 167 new billionaires were added to the list, bringing the total to 3,279. More than half of these new wealth accumulations were driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

Elon Musk regained his position as the world's richest person for the third time in the last four years, followed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in second place. Others on the list include Louis Vuitton CEO Bernard Arnault, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer, Bill Gates, Larry Page, and Mukesh Ambani.

China leads the world in the number of billionaires with 814, followed by the United States (800), India (271), the United Kingdom (146), Germany (140), Switzerland (106), Russia (76), Italy (69), France (68), and Brazil (64). Meanwhile, Thailand has climbed three places from last year and now ranks 12th with 49 millionaires.

According to Forbes' Thailand's Richest 2023 report, the country's wealthiest individuals include