Korean Media: China Tops the World in Number of Billionaires, Surpassing the United States!

On April 3, South Korean media outlet Global Economy published an article stating that according to the Hurun Report, often referred to as the "Chinese version of Forbes," China's number of billionaires has surpassed that of the United States this year, thanks to the booming development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

The Hurun Report defines billionaires as individuals whose personal net worth exceeds $1 billion, including assets such as stocks, real estate, vehicles, and artworks.

According to Hurun’s annual report, the global total number of billionaires reached 4,020, with 1,110 from China.

China added 287 new billionaires this year. Yan Junjie, CEO of AI company MiniMAX, entered the billionaire ranks with a net worth of $3.6 billion, while Liu Debing, founder of Zhipu AI, ranked on the list with $1.2 billion in assets.

"The concentration of economic power continues to intensify. China is leading the global stock market surge driven by artificial intelligence, setting a new record for the highest number of billionaires worldwide," said Rupert Ho, President and Publisher of the Hurun Report.

The United States came in second with 1,000 billionaires, followed by India (308) and Germany (171).

Individually, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, ranked first with a fortune of $792 billion.

The Hurun Report noted that among this year’s billionaires, 114 are from AI-related companies, including 46 newcomers—highlighting how the AI sector has now become a major source of wealth creation for billionaires.

Additionally, three out of every four Chinese billionaires were not listed in the Forbes rankings a decade ago. This trend is particularly notable as China advances its policy of semiconductor self-reliance, resulting in a significant influx of entrepreneurs in the semiconductor industry.

Hurun commented: "The way people make money today is completely different from what it was just ten years ago."

The Hurun Report also revealed that among cities, New York in the U.S. leads with 146 billionaires, followed by Shenzhen in China with 132, and then Shanghai, Beijing, London, and Hong Kong.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1861429367982154/

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