Food for thought – The richest person on each continent ranked – With $287.7 billion Elon Musk rules the list while Mukesh Ambani tops in Asia. But what about other billionaires across the globe?

Tech entrepreneur and multi-billionaire Elon Musk recently made global headlines when his personal net worth surpassed the US$300 million mark. This is the first time in history that an individual’s fortune has reached such a massive figure. This record-shattering achievement meant that the eccentric tech billionaire usurped Jeff Bezos to become the wealthiest person on the planet.

And while Musk currently holds the distinction of being both the world’s wealthiest man, as well as the wealthiest person in North America, many may wonder who the richest people in other parts of the world are.

STYLE has got your back with the answer to that very question. The following list features the wealthiest person on each continent, ranked by their individual estimated net worth as reported by Forbes.

Since reports about his personal net worth surpassing the US$300 million mark, Musk has lost about US$50 billion after Tesla shares plunged. But he still remains the wealthiest person in the world by a large margin, with about US$78 billion more than Jeff Bezos.

As the head of the luxury group’s vast empire, the native Frenchman saw his personal wealth increase to over US$190 billion in 2021. This makes the European businessman not only the wealthiest man in Europe, but also the third wealthiest person in the world.

Ambani is the chairman of Reliance Industries, the diverse multinational corporation that has brought him his affluent status.

Besides his business dealings, the Mumbai resident is also famous for his family’s OTT Antilia private residence. The 27-storey high-rise in India’s financial hub of Mumbai showcases state-of-the-art design and architecture, and is considered one of the world’s most expensive private dwellings.

While there are several noteworthy facts about Australasia’s wealthiest national, perhaps most striking is the fact that the Australian mining magnate is only the world’s 83rd wealthiest person. This means that about 70 people separate her from Mukesh Ambani. As these wealthy individuals all hail from North America, Europe and Asia, it’s a thought-provoking and telling observation on the concentration and distribution of global wealth.

Nowadays, the wealth built by his businesses is managed by the Chilean’s widow, Iris Fontbona, and her children. With an estimated net worth of about US$20 billion, Fontbana ranks as South America’s wealthiest – fifth on this list and 94th richest person in the world.

Besides being the continent’s biggest producer of cement, Dangote holds stakes in various other endeavours, such as salt and sugar mining. As of 2021, Dangote is worth an estimated US$13.6 billion, making him the 162nd wealthiest person in the world.

Note: This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.