Timing, luck or talent - what makes a billionaire?

Are billionaires good or bad for society - or simply very very rich? The BBC's Simon Jack investigates.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersTiming, luck or talent - what makes a billionaire?Getty ImagesPop star Taylor Swift recently joined the list of the world's richest peopleWhat do an Italian communist student of mime, a toddler with an eye for a ball and a comedian who jokes about nothing have in common?

They all went on to become members of a very select global club.

Miuccia Prada, Tiger Woods and Jerry Seinfeld are among about 2,800 people on the planet who are US-dollar billionaires.

But the list of super-rich is very international.

According to the American media firm Forbes, which tracks the fortunes of the world's richest, the United States has 813 billionaires, China (including Hong Kong) is second with 473, and India is third with 200.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4yej2n184o

---