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Super-rich billionaires who were once poor

From tough times to super-rich
J.K Rowling: $1 billion (£785m)
Guy Laliberté: $1.2 billion (£942m)
Jay-Z: $2.5 billion (£2bn)
Howard Schultz: $2.9 billion (£2.3bn)
Oprah Winfrey: $3 billion (£2.4bn)
George Soros: $6.7 billion (£5.3bn)
Steve Bisciotti: $6.9 billion (£5.4bn)
Rocco Commisso: $7.5 billion (£5.9bn)
Ken Langone: $8.7 billion (£6.8bn)
Ralph Lauren: $9.2 billion (£7.2bn)
Roman Abramovich: $9.7 billion (£7.6bn)
Shahid Khan: $12 billion (£9.4bn)
Jan Koum: $16.1 billion (£12.6bn)
Harold Hamm: $18.5 billion (£14.5bn)
François Pinault: $25.8 billion (£20.2bn)
Li Ka-Shing: $35.8 billion (£28.1bn)
Jensen Huang: $105.9 billion (£83.1bn)
Amancio Ortega: $111.3 billion (£87.3bn)
Larry Ellison: $153.1 billion (£120bn)
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The Canadian Press/Alamy Stock Photo

From tough times to super-rich

Today's super-rich have more money than most of us can dream of, but not all of them were born into a life of luxury. 

From Oprah Winfrey to the CEO of Cirque du Soleil, read on to discover the surprising billionaires who used to be poor. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars. 

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Alice Cattley

12 June 2024

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