An Australian mining magnate has successfully nailed down her spot on the top 100 richest people in the world, earning AU$21.5 billion in 2017.
Gina Rinehart, 63, is the wealthiest person in Australia and the 85th richest person in the world, earning AU$3.5 billion more than last year, The Age reports.
The most recent Bloomberg Billionaires Index lists Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos as the highest-earner in the world, with a net worth of AU$126.5 billion.
Gina Rinehart, 63, is the wealthiest person in Australia, earning over AU$21.5 billion in 2017
Gina Rinehart almost doubled her 2016/2017 financial year profits from Hancock Prospecting
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos (left) is the world’s richest person with a net worth of AU$126 billion, followed by Bill Gates (right) with a net worth of AU$115 billion at the end of Dec 2017
Ms Rinehart almost doubled her 2016/17 financial year profits from Hancock Prospecting as well as boosting her own personal fortune.
Financial statements from Hancock obtained by news.com.au revealed that the company enjoyed a 142 per cent profit surge from AU$443 million to AU$1.07 billion in the most recent financial year.
In addition, the cost of iron ore rose by an average of 25 per cent in 2017, and Ms Rinehart was refunded a $190 million donation to a new Darwin hospital.
‘As the development of this hospital is no longer proceeding, the donation was refunded during the year,’ Hancock Prospecting’s financial statements say.
Hancock spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella added that they ‘couldn’t wait forever’.
Businessman and philanthropist Warren Buffet raked in AU$11 billion to place third on the list
Westfield founder Frank Lowy, the fifth-richest Australian, came in at 346th with AU$7.7 billion
Bill Gates, the richest person at the end of 2016, was knocked down to second place with a net worth of AU$115 billion, while business magnate and philanthropist Warren Buffet raked in AU$108 billion.
Three other Australians besides Ms Reinhart also made it onto the list of the world’s wealthiest; Westfield founder Frank Lowy, the fifth-richest Australian, came in at 346th with almost AU$7.7 billion.
But with the sale of Westfield shopping centre empire for more than AU$32 billion, the 87-year-old is predicted to rise through the ranks in 2018.
Ivan Glasenberg (left) and Anthony Pratt (right) are the second and third-richest Australians
Australian property developer Harry Triguboff almost made the Bloomberg Billionaire’s list
Also on the list from down under are property developer Harry Triguboff, commodities trader Ivan Glasenberg and packaging tycoon Anthony Pratt, who placed second, third and fourth on the list respectively.
Rupert Murdoch, who is Australian-born despite renouncing his citizenship in 1985, earned AU$18.5 billion, putting him just a few places below Ms Rinehart.
The list revealed that the world’s 500 wealthiest people became AU$1.3 trillion richer in 2017, ‘ignoring economic, social and political divisions to reach all-time highs’.
Rupert Murdoch (left), who is Australian-born but renounced his citizenship, earned AU$18.5 billion which puts him only just below Gina Rinehart on the 2017 Bloomberg Billionaires Index