The coronavirus pandemic has decimated wealth across the globe and is expected to push 71 million people into extreme poverty, according to the World Bank. However, billionaires, on average, saw their wealth increase by 27.5% between April and July alone, according to Swiss bank UBS. In fact, the world’s wealthiest have so much money that their fortunes often exceed the riches of entire nations. Click or scroll through some of the richest people on the planet and the countries they are richer than.

GDPs are based on the latest IMF figures and are rounded to the nearest $100 million, while each individual’s net worth is based on Forbes figures from 30 November 2020. All dollar values in US dollars.

Charles Koch has been in charge of America’s second largest private company, Koch Industries, since 1967. Founded in 1940 by Charles’ father Fred, Koch Industries covers all manner of sectors, including chemicals and biofuels, pollution control equipment, and building products, and made an incredible $110 billion (£83.5bn) in sales in 2019. Koch himself has a net worth of $44.9 billion (£34.1bn).

Jordan is a country in the Middle East, bordered by Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. Unlike some of its wealthier neighbours, Jordan has few natural resources and a total population of 6.5 million people. The country’s GDP is $42.6 billion (£32.3bn), which is $2.3 billion (£1.8bn) less than the wealth of Charles Koch.

Staying with the Kochs, Julia Koch is the widow of Charles’ late brother David, who also inherited a huge chunk of the Koch Industries fortune. Julia and her three children inherited the 42% stake in the company when David passed away in 2019, also giving them a net worth of $44.9 billion (£34.1bn).

The Kochs' immense wealth outweighs the GDPs of Libya and Trinidad and Tobago combined. Libya is a small country that is rich in oil, and crude petroleum – the black stuff in its naturally occurring, unrefined form – makes up 86.8% of the nation’s exports, and a large portion of the country’s $21.8 billion (£16.5bn) GDP. Trinidad and Tobago also depends heavily on its natural resources as it has an abundance of oil and gas, making it one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean with a GDP of $22.7 billion (£17.2bn). Adding both countries’ riches together equals $44.5 billion (£33.8bn), which is still $500 million (£379m) less than the fortune of Julia Koch and her children. 

Michael Bloomberg is a co-founder of the financial information and media conglomerate Bloomberg LP. He also ran one of the most expensive US presidential campaigns of all time earlier this year, spending $900 million (£674m) on his campaign. Unsurprisingly Bloomberg’s assets add up to a huge sum – $54.9 billion (£41.2bn) to be exact.

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Named after the Congo river that flows through the country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's GDP of $46.06 billion (£34.5bn) is just eclipsed by Bloomberg's wealth. As of 2018, 72% of the country's population was in extreme poverty, living on less than $1.90 (£1.42) a day. The country is home to more than 84 million people.

Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, is the CEO of Tencent Holdings, which is the second largest company in China in terms of value – a staggering $696.6 billion (£521.8bn) as of 30 November. The best-known arm of Tencent is the online messaging app WeChat, which had around 1.2 billion monthly users in the second quarter of 2020. Ma himself also has stakes in Tesla, Spotify, and Snap Inc., which contribute to his enormous fortune of $55.3 billion (£41.5bn).

Huateng’s fortune just exceeds that of Lithuania, which has a GDP of $55.1 billion (£41.8bn). The Baltic republic joined both the military alliance NATO and the European Union in 2004, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, and has a population of 2.7 million.

Carlos Slim Helú is Mexico’s richest man, with a net worth of $59.1 billion (£44.4bn). Slim has years of savvy investments to thank for the sensational fortune he has amassed, and he and his family control the biggest mobile telecom firm in Latin America: America Movil. Slim’s other assets include companies in construction, consumer goods, mining and real estate, as well as 17% of The New York Times newspaper. 

Slim's fortune may pale in comparison to the entire wealth of his home country Mexico, which is $1.04 trillion (£789bn), but his wealth does exceed that of the whole country of Belarus, which has a GDP of $57.7 billion (£43.8bn). Belarus sits snugly between Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and has a population of 9.5 million. The country also held a presidential election this year and strikes broke out across the country when President Lukaschenko held onto his title, due to widespread belief that voting was rigged. 

Following her high profile and record-breaking divorce from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott became the fourth wealthiest woman in the world. She received an unprecedented settlement of $35 billion (£26.7bn). Despite having given a huge portion of her wealth to charity, Scott became the richest woman in the world in September as Amazon’s stock price surged, giving her a net worth of $60.5 billion (£45.4bn). 

Gold and gas are the biggest exports coming out of Uzbekistan, which used to be at the heart of the Silk Road trade route between China, the Middle East and Rome. The country has a population of 32 million, and almost but not quite as much money as MacKenzie Scott with a GDP of $59.8 billion (£45.5bn).

Jack Ma co-founded Alibaba which, with a valuation of more than $730 billion (£548bn), is China’s richest company. This stellar entrepreneur started out as an English teacher, and is known for having been rejected by dozens of employers, including KFC, before he hit the big time with his e-commerce business. Despite the bumpy start, it’s safe to say that Ma is doing well for himself, with a net worth of $62.8 billion (£47.1bn).

Côte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, lies on the south coast of West Africa and has a population of more than 26 million. The country is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans and exported around $3.57 billion (£2.7bn)-worth in 2019. The booming beans trade isn’t enough to keep up with tech giant Jack Ma however, who is $1.3 billion (£975m) richer than the country.

Alice, Rob and Jim Walton are the heirs to the Walmart empire, which was founded by their father Sam Walton in 1962. Rob Walton has the smallest wealth of the siblings at the time of writing, at $69.8 billion (£52.4bn), followed by Jim with $70.1 billion (£52.6bn) and Alice has the largest fortune, with $70.4 billion (£52.8bn). Yet each of the Waltons individually has a fortune that amounts to more than the entire GDP of not one but two countries. 

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Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East and has a population of 1.7 million. The nation’s wealth is mostly drawn from large natural gas and oil reserves, which make up a large part of its $34.6 billion (£26.3bn) GDP. Nepal has a much larger population of 28.09 million, but a smaller GDP of $32.16 billion (£24bn). Even in combining these countries’ GDPs, each of the Walton siblings has a greater fortune. However, the whole Walton clan, including all the heirs, has a combined net worth of $215 billion (£161bn) according to Bloomberg, which means the family is wealthier than the whole of Peru, which has a GDP of $195.76 billion (£146.9bn) and is home to more than 31 million people.

The title of ‘World’s Richest Woman’ was passed down to Francoise Bettencourt Meyers in 2017 when her mother, Liliane Bettencourt (pictured, left), passed away and left her as heiress to the L’Oréal empire. Meyer’s grandfather, Eugène Schueller, founded the cosmetics company back in 1909, and it is through owning 33% of the company that Meyers and her family have amassed a fortune of $72.2 billion (£54.2bn).

Bulgaria is one of the oldest states in the continent of Europe, having been founded in the 7th century, and has a population of almost seven million. The country has a GDP of $68 billion (£51.6bn), which means Bulgaria falls short of Francoise Bettencourt Meyers’s immense riches.

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Having studied at Harvard University with Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer became Microsoft’s 30th employee in 1980 and worked his way up to take on the role of CEO between 2000 and 2014. Ballmer made his billions through the company and is now worth a jaw-dropping $73.2 billion (£54.9bn).

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the second largest country in southeast Asia and has a population of more than 54 million people. With a GDP of $70.9 billion (£53.8bn), the country is $2.3 billion (£1.7bn) poorer than Microsoft's Steve Ballmer.

Mukesh Ambani has been the richest person in India since 2008 and currently has an astonishing net worth of $73.6 billion (£55.2bn). Ambani’s company, Reliance Industries, was founded by his father in 1966 as a small textile manufacturer, and has since ballooned to include petrochemicals, gas, oil, retail and telecoms.

Honduras has a GDP of $24 billion (£18.2bn), while Venezuela sits at the $48.6 billion (£36.9bn) mark, giving the two countries a combined GDP of $72.6 billion (£55.1bn). Adding these two nations together doesn’t even match the wealth of Mukesh Ambani, and they trail behind $1 billion (£750m) behind.

It’s thanks to the work of Sergey Brin and co-founder Larry Page that Google exists, as the pair set up the company in 1998 after meeting at Stanford University. It's since blossomed into the world’s most used search engine and processes more than 3.5 billion searches every day. Sergey Brin stepped down as the president of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in December 2019 but his wealth continues to skyrocket, and currently sits at $76.5 billion (£57.4bn).

Paraguay is at the heart of South America and has a population of around 6.7 million. Soybeans are the country’s biggest export and the raw product, meal and oil make up more than $3.6 billion (£2.7bn) of Paraguay’s $35.6 billion (£27bn) GDP. Across the South Atlantic Ocean, Cameroon sits on the coast of Central Africa. The country has a population of 23.5 million and a GDP of $39 billion (£29.6bn). Paraguay and Cameroon’s combined GDPs come to $74.6 billion (£56.6bn) – $1.9 billion (£1.4bn) less than Brin’s net worth. 

Amancio Ortega is Spain’s richest person thanks to his sprawling clothing business Inditex, which is best-known for fashion brands Zara, Pull&Bear and Bershka. It has 7,500 stores across the world. Ortega is also quite the property mogul, having invested in real estate in Madrid, Barcelona, Chicago, Miami, New York and London. Growing his brands into global names has also grown Ortega his own fortune, and he currently has assets adding up to $76.8 billion (£57.6bn).

Amancio Ortega's journey from poor to rich

Latvia is situated on the north-eastern European coast, bordering the Baltic Sea, while Azerbaijan neighbours the Caspian Sea, nestled between Russia and Iran. Latvia has a GDP of $33 billion (£23bn), and oil-rich Azerbaijan is worth $41.7 billion (£31.6bn) – combined, the countries still fall $2.1 billion (£1.6bn) shy of the enormous wealth of Amancio Ortega.

Marginally the richer of the two Google co-founders, Larry Page also stepped down from his role at the company in December 2019. Page is still a board member and controlling shareholder though, which is reflected in his enormous fortune of $78.7 billion (£59bn). 

Serbia’s GDP has fluctuated since becoming a stand-alone republic in 2006, and the country that’s home to 8.7 million people currently has a GDP of $52 billion (£39.5bn). On the other side of the equator, Papua New Guinea has a similar number of citizens at 8.9 million, but a much smaller GDP of $23.3 billion (£17.7bn). Combining the landlocked European state and the Oceanic island gives a GDP of $75.3 billion (£57.1bn), around $3 billion (£2.3bn) less than Page's wealth.

Larry Ellison has made his fortune as the chairman, former CEO and co-founder of computer technology corporation Oracle. The company has grown exponentially as it has acquired more and more software companies, such as Netsuite in 2016, and is now worth more than $173 billion (£129.8bn). Ellison’s wealth has correlated with his company’s success, and currently sits at $78.9 billion (£59.2bn).

Guatemala is more densely populated than any other Central American country, but its GDP per capita is around half the average for the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. Guatemala’s biggest export is bananas, which make up 13.8% of the country’s exports and bring in $1.35 billion (£1bn). The country’s total GDP is $76.2 billion (£57.8bn), which is $2.7 billion (£2bn) behind Larry Page’s wealth.

Warren Buffett is heralded as one of the most successful investors of all time, and runs the multinational conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, which is made up of more than 60 companies. Insurance company Geico and battery maker Duracell are among the billionaire’s collection of businesses. Together with Bill Gates, Buffett launched the Giving Pledge in 2010, which asks billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth over their lifetimes. Although a known philanthropist, Buffett still has a bulging fortune of $87.4 billion (£65.6bn).

The tropical island of Sri Lanka is home to 21.4 million people and has a GDP of $81.1 billion (£61.5bn), which is $6.3 billion (£4.7bn) short of the Oracle of Omaha’s wealth. Sri Lanka has become an increasingly popular holiday destination thanks to its natural beauty, and the country brought in an impressive $4.4 billion (£3.3bn) from tourism in 2018.

Mark Zuckerberg runs the world’s most-used social media platform, Facebook. The tech magnate founded the global company while he was still studying at Harvard University in 2004, and has since propelled the site to a value of $791 billion (£593bn). As Facebook’s largest shareholder, it’s unsurprising that Zuckerberg has amassed an enormous personal fortune of $102 billion (£77bn).

Slovakia sits at the heart of Europe and has a population of 5.5 million. The country joined NATO and the European Union in 2004 and adopted the euro as its currency five years later. Slovakia is the eighth newest country in the world, joint with the Czech Republic, following the countries’ separation in 1993 as a result of the Velvet Revolution, and has a GDP of $101.9 billion (£77.3bn).

Bill Gates has become one of the richest people in the world through co-founding Microsoft in 1975. Four and a half decades later, the company continues to be one of the biggest brands in tech and Gates’ wealth continues to grow. Gates and his wife Melinda chair the world’s largest private charitable foundation, and the pair are known for their philanthropy, but they're still worth $119.3 billion (£89.5bn).

Kuwait is a small country, but like its neighbours Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran is extremely rich in oil. The nation exported an incredible $45.8 billion (£34.8bn)-worth of crude petroleum in 2018, which makes up 72% of its total export market and a large chunk of Kuwait’s GDP, which is $108.7 billion (£82.5bn). This huge sum still falls more than $10 billion (£7.6bn) short of Bill Gates's wealth however.

The year 2020 has been good for Elon Musk's fortune, which is five times higher than at the start of the year. In fact, Musk has gone from 31st richest person to the third richest according to Forbes, while Bloomberg says that he took the number two spot in November. His net worth currently stands at $131.6 billion (£98.8bn).

Morocco is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of GDP and has a population of 37 million. The kingdom regained independence after living as a French protectorate between 1912 and 1956. The country’s GDP is $112.2 billion (£85.1bn) – $19.4 billion (£14.6bn) less than the wealth of Elon Musk. 

Bernard Arnault's empire is made up of 70 brands including Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton and Sephora. Arnault's collection of luxury businesses is a far cry from the construction business started by his father, but it was money from that company that allowed him to purchase Christian Dior in 1985 and kickstart his lucrative career in extravagant goods. Bernard Arnault and his family have a net worth of $142.8 billion (£107bn).

Ukraine sits in East Europe and is known for its Black Sea coastline. The large country has a population of 41.98 million, and its GDP reaches $142.25 billion (£106.8bn). But this is topped by Bernard Arnault's vast wealth, which is $550 million (£412.8m) greater.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO behind online retail behemoth Amazon, is the world’s richest person with a net worth of $186.5 billion (£140bn). The coronavirus pandemic has done wonders for his fortune, which has grown by more than $72 billion (£54bn) since the start of the year, and sees him on track to be the world’s first trillionaire by 2026. 

Now discover the coronavirus pandemic’s biggest billionaire winners and losers

War-torn Iraq holds the second largest proven oil reserves in the world, behind Saudi Arabia, and produces 4.8 million barrels of the black stuff every day. Crude oil made up 94% of the country’s exports in 2018, which added up to a huge $82.1 billion (£62.3bn). While Jeff Bezos’ wealth exceeds that of Iraq, it is also interesting to note how much money the billionaire has compared to the world’s poorest nations – Bezos' $186.5 billion (£140bn) fortune equals the GDPs of 54 entire countries...

Now look at nations leading the world in oil production