Rolling in the dough: Forbes releases list of richest people in 2015

Unsurprising to most people, the ranks of the world’s richest defied global economic turmoil and expanded yet again. Though 519 of the wealthiest saw their fortunes decline — led by Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote, who saw his wealth drop nearly in half due to a weak currency and weak demand for cement — 819 billionaires are much richer. Russian billionaires were also hit hard by the economic issues there.

There’s no doubt that entrepreneurship is thriving globally.

Forbes, noting that 1,187 of the billionaires are self-made, while 433 inherited either part or all of their wealth

The top four are mostly unchanged from previous years, and should be no surprise to those who follow the richest list: Bill Gates is tops, Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim Helu comes in second, followed by Warren Buffett and Spanish retailer Amancio Ortega, who flipped from their spots last year. Following Larry Ellison are the Koch Brothers and the heirs to the Walmart family fortune. Mark Zuckerberg comes in at No. 16, his first time in the top-20. Despite plunging oil prices and a weakened euro, the ranks of the world’s richest defied global economic turmoil and expanded yet again. Forbes found a record 1,826 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion a year ago. The total includes 290 new billionaires and a record 197 women, up from 172 last year.

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