Forbes billionaire list: Trump plummets, Bezos reigns supreme

Donald Trump has plummeted more than 200 spots in the latest Forbes list of billionaires.

The US President is now ranked #766, with his estimated personal fortune dropping from US$3.5 billion to US$3.1b.

Forbes said he's been hit hard by falling property values in Manhattan and falling revenue at his golf courses.

The new list is headed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with US$112b - the first time someone has ever topped US$100b on the list.

His net worth rose a whopping US$39b, thanks to his 16 percent share of Amazon. The company's share value jumped 31 percent in 2018 alone.

Mr Bezos also owns The Washington Post and the Blue Origin space company.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is second, with US $90b- up US $4b despite his devotion to charitable causes. Third is investor Warren Buffett, with US$84b.

There are an estimated 2200 billionaires in the world now, with a combined wealth of more than US$9 trillion.

Others high up the Forbes list include Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg at #5, Republican Party funders the Koch brothers at #8, Oracle chief Larry Ellison at #10 and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at #12 and #13.

New Zealand's richest man Graeme Hart ranks #148, with a fortune of US$10.1 billion. High-profile immigrant Peter Thiel is #965, with US$2.5 billion.

The third and final Kiwi on the list is Richard Chandler at #1157 with US$2.1 billion.

The top-ranked woman is Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, at #16 with US$46 billion.

Alongside the billionaire list, Forbes released its annual '30 under 30' of young businesspeople to watch. One Kiwi made the list - 27-year-old Sam Stuchbury, founder of Auckland creative agency Motion Sickness.

"A few months ago they got in touch to let me know I'd been nominated. I didn't hear anything back until yesterday when they contacted me to say I was on the list. I'm stoked, and to be the only Kiwi is great," said Mr Stuchbury.

He will go to Hong King on July for the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit.

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