Bill Gates: Forbes names Microsoft founder richest man in the world for third year in a row

Only five businessmen have earned the top honour

(Emmanuel Dunnand/Getty)

Bill Gates is still the richest person in the world.

The Microsoft co-founder was named the world's wealthiest businessman by Forbes in their 2016 list of top billionaires. Gates tops with $75bn, remaining number one for three years in a row. He's now held the top honour for 17 of the last 22 years. The business publication has been curating the list for 30 years and only five men have earned the top honour.

This year's list featured 1,810 billionaires across the world. Combined, they have a net worth of nearly $6.5 trillion.

Hong Kong's Zhou Qunfei has become one of the 198 new billionaires in 2016. Qunfei, one of only 190 women on the list, was recognised as the richest self-made woman in the world, whose $5.9 billion fortune from smartphone screens.

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also reached the top ten for the first time.

“Zuckerberg was actually the year’s biggest gainer, he was up over $11bn. He really did have the best year on the planet,” Louisa Kroll, assistant managing editor of wealth at Forbes, told CBS This Morning on Tuesday.

Kroll said that while Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in the top 10, 66 of the honourees are under the age of 40, and 36 of those have made their own fortunes.

Here are the rest of the business moguls rounding the top 10:

1. Bill Gates, US, $75bn
2. Amancio Ortega, Spain, $67bn
3. Warren Buffett, US, $60.8bn
4. Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico, $50bn
5. Jeff Bezos, US, $45.2bn
6. Mark Zuckerberg, US, $44.6bn
7. Larry Ellison, US, $43.6bn
8. Michael Bloomberg, US, $40bn
9. Charles Koch, US, $39.6bn
10. David Koch, US, $39.6bn