Bill Gates has retained his title as the world’s richest person. The fortune of the Microsoft co-founder grew $3.2 billion since last year to $79.2 billion, according to Forbes’ list of 2015’s richest people.

Gates has held the title for 16 of the past 21 years.

The magazine said there is now a record 1,826 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $7.05 trillion. The figure topped 2014’s record-breaking $6.4 trillion sum by $650 billion.

The list included 290 newcomers, 71 of whom are from China.

Also in the top five are Mexican entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helu ($77.1 billion), American investor Warren Buffett ($72.7 billion), Spanish fashion mogul Amancio Ortega ($64.5 billion) and Oracle Corporation founder Lanai Larry Ellison ($54.3 billion).

At $33.4 billion, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg moved up five spots to number 16, his first time ranking among the world’s 20 richest.

Arguably the most renowned newcomer in the list is basketball legend Michael Jordan, with a net worth of $1 billion.

Most of Jordan’s wealth comes from his Nike subsidiary – Brand Jordan – and his stake in the NBA team Charlotte Hornets, according to Forbes.

•Sourced from Anadolu Agency (AA). Photo shows Bill Gates.