Taylor Swift, the American pop sensation, has made her debut on Forbes' billionaires list, boasting a net worth of $1.1 billion. Similarly, making his first appearance is Sam Altman, the innovator behind the AI-driven chatbot ChatGPT, with a net wealth of $1 billion.

Leading the pack is Bernard Arnault, the French luxury goods mogul from LVMH, along with his family, possessing an estimated fortune of $233 billion.

According to Forbes, the increase to 2781 billionaires in 2024 tops the previous records, marking a rise of 141 from last year, and 26 more than the record set in 2021. This elite group is wealthier than ever, amassing a total wealth of $14.2 trillion.

The BBC has highlighted that the American singer-songwriter’s ascension to the list of the wealthy comes after her recent string of successes. At this year’s Grammy Awards, Swift shone brightly, becoming the first performer to win the Album of the Year award four times.

Her album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), emerged as the best-selling record of the previous year.

Swift's impact isn’t limited to the music industry. Her mere appearance at an NFL game, attending to watch her friend Travis Kelce, results in a significant spike in viewership figures.

Despite her enormous popularity, she has a long way to go before reaching the top echelons of the rich list, where eight out of the world's ten wealthiest individuals hail from the United States, with six earning their fortune in the tech sector.

Following Bernard Arnault and family, Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and Platform X, occupies the second spot with a net worth estimated at $195 billion.

In third place is Jeff Bezos, the mastermind behind Amazon.

Musk’s fortune has increased by 8 percent compared to last year, though it falls short of his peak net worth in November 2021, when he became the first person to achieve a $300 billion fortune.

Also featuring on Forbes’ list is basketball legend Magic Johnson, with a net worth of $1.2 billion, and Dick Wolf, the TV producer known for Law and Order and Chicago PD, each with $1.2 billion.

Forbes notes that the billionaires of 2024 are 255 percent wealthier than they were a decade ago.

According to Forbes, 189 individuals dropped off the list, including 129 from China, affected by the country’s struggling economy and the collapse of its real estate market, wiping billions off their portfolios.

Additionally, the past year saw the deaths of 32 billionaires, including Egyptian magnate Mohamed Al-Fayed, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, and Jimmy Buffett of Margaritaville fame.