Top 5 most Richest People in the world 2014

5) LARRY ELLISON – $49.3 BILLION



Heavily involved in the tech industry, Larry Ellison is the chief executive officer of Oracle, an American multinational computer technology corporation based out of California that specializes in computer hardware systems. Ellison is worth $48 billion, a whopping $8 billion more than the two Koch brothers. Named the third wealthiest man in America last year, Ellison also has large stakes in companies such as Salesforce, NetSuite, Astex Pharmaceuticals and Quark Biotechnology. Ellison was, along with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, one of the billionaires to sign the “The Giving Pledge,” where most of his wealth will be given to philanthropic causes.

4) WARREN BUFFET – $63.3 BILLION



The fourth richest man in the world has amassed a total net worth of $58.2 billion, over $10 billion more than Ellison. Buffett has long been known as one of the world’s wealthiest individuals and has been praised for his sound financial investing and advice. Buffett is the CEO, chairman and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, an American multinational conglomerate holding company based out of Omaha, Nebraska, and has famously pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune.

3) AMANCIO ORTEGA – $63.8 BILLION



Thanks to his success in the retail industry, this Spanish businessman is worth $64 billion. Ortega is the founder of the famous Spanish clothing company, the Inditex fashion group, which is headquartered in Arteixo, Spain. Perhaps his best known chain is the Zara clothing and accessories shops. Since 2013, Ortega’s wealth has increased by $7 billion.

2) CARLOS SLIM HELU – $68.8 BILLION



Holding the title of the world’s richest person from 2010 to 2013, this Mexican businessman dropped in rank this year. Via his conglomerate, Grupo Carso, Helu is involved in many Mexican companies in the fields of communication, retailing, technology, and finance. He is also the chairman and chief executive of popular telecommunication companies Telmex and América Móvil. Helu has also been named as one of the world’s biggest charitable givers, donating a total of $4 billion to his foundation.

1) BILL GATES – $77.1 BILLION



Perhaps the most famous icon for wealth and philanthropy in the world, after holding down the second place spot for three years, Bill Gates reclaimed his position in 2014 as the world’s richest person. Gates is known as a prominent American investor, philanthropist, inventor and programmer. He co-founded Microsoft, and also held positions of CEO, chairman and chief software architect at the company before retiring. Through his charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has donated more than $26 billion dollars to philanthropic causes such as enhancing healthcare and reducing extreme poverty worldwide.

So there you have it, the ten richest people in the world for 2014. Luckily for the world, the richest people in the world, by and large, are heavily involved in philanthropic pursuits that help those who are less fortunate. Many in the above list have signed a pledge to actually donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy, which will drastically change and improve many lives in the years and decades to come.