In 2019 Forbes found that the number of billionaires globally had fallen from 2,208 to 2,153, a drop of 55, while total wealth decreased from $9.1 trillion (£7tn) to $8.7 trillion (£6.7tn). Possible reasons for the drop include the slowdown in China's economy, but billionaires elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Europe, the Middle East and Africa also took a hit. Bucking the global trend, the number of billionaires in the US rose to a record 630.

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