Emeka Nweze
There are 2,095 billionaires in the world, more than half of them are between the ages of 50 and 70, and only 47 of them are under the age of 40. Yet, there are more young billionaires now than ever. This is because, asides from inheritance, there are more opportunities for young people to be thrive and be successful. Becoming a billionaire now is a lot less harder than it was two decades ago. Young billionaires have emerged from industries such as fashion and tech, and more are still emerging.
From self-made to inheritance, here are the top 10 wealthiest young people in the world.
1. Lukas Walton – 18.9 billion
Age – 34
Lukas Walton is an American billionaire heir, son of John Walton and grandson of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. He inherited his fortune from his father who died in a 2005 plane crash. Lukas was ranked 75th in the Forbes’ annual list of the world’s billionaires and as of 2020, he is estimated to be worth $18.9 billion.
2. Bobby Murphy – $4.2 billion
Age – 31
Robert Cornelius Murphy is an entrepreneur, software engineer, co-founder and the CTO of the American multinational technology and social media company Snap Inc., which he created with Evan Spiegel and Reggie Brown while they were students at Stanford University. As of 2020, he has a net worth of $4.2 billion.
3. Evan Spiegal – $3.7 billion
Age – 29
Evan Thomas Spiegel is the co-founder and CEO of the American social media company Snap Inc., which he created with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown while they were students at Stanford University. Spiegel was named the youngest billionaire in the world in 2015.
4. Patrick Collison – $3.2 billion
Age – 31
Patrick Collison is an Irish billionaire entrepreneur and older brother of John Collison with whom he co-founded Stripe. He won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen.
5. John Collison – $3.2 billion
Age – 29
John Collison is an Irish billionaire entrepreneur. He is best known for having co-founded Stripe with his brother, Patrick. He began developing Stripe when he was just 19, and 10 years later he is valued at $3.2 billion.
6. Gustav Magnar Witzøe $2.8 billion
Age – 27
Gustav Magnar Witzøe is a Norwegian billionaire who owns owns almost half of SalMar ASA, one of the world’s largest producers of salmon. He inherited his stake from his father, Gustav Witzoe Sr., who is still in charge of running the company’s day-to-day operations. Away from from his stake in SalMar ASA, Witzøe has investments in real estate and tech startups.As of 2020, his net worth is estimated at $2.8 billion.
7. Jonathan Kwok – $2 billion
Age – 28
Jonathan Kwok is the younger son of the late Walter Kwok, former chairman of Hong Kong’s largest developer, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP). Jonathan Kwok inherited his fortune from his father, Walter, who had already been outsted as company chairman in 2008. After Walter’s death, Jonathan and his brother, Geoffrey, took over Empire Group Holdings, a property developer that Walter started after he left SHKP.
8/9. Alexandra and Katharina Andresen – $1.2 billion each
Age – 23/25
Sisters Alexandra and Katharina are daughters of Johan H. Andresen Jr., who owns Ferd, a Norwegian investment company that manages hedge funds, actively invests in the Nordic Stock Exchange, and boasts a substantial private equity portfolio. Their father gave them the majority of his shares in Ferd in 2007 they both have net worth of $1.2 billion each. Asides from to her investment portfolio, Alexandr, the younger of the sisters, is a competitive horseback rider, sponsored by equestrian brands, Kingsland and Samshield.
10. Kylie Jenner – $1 billion
Age: 23
Wikipedia describes Kylie Jenner as a media personality and business woman, and quite rightly, she has earned the right to be called the latter at the age of 23. She gained initial fame for her appearance on E! reality TV show, Keeping up with the Kardashians along with her family, the Kardashians. Her first business endeavour came at 14 when she and her sister, Kendall, started their own clothing line, Kendall & Kylie. In 2015, Kylie started a cosmetics company, Kylie Lip Kits, which was eventually rebranded under the name Kylie Cosmetics. She is currently estimated to have a net worth of $1 billion.
