Uber-wealthy, super elite rake in multi-billions in 2020
The multi-billion-dollar fortune of enigmatic Tesla boss Elon Musk has multiplied almost five times in just nine months, topping A$188 billion.
The eye-watering wealth of the 10 richest Americans has ballooned by $527.2 billion between February and December this year.
Of the US super elite, Mr Musk is the biggest winner, with a 480 per cent boost in his wealth over the pandemic pushing him into second-place on the world's rich list.
Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk gives autographs as he visits the Tesla Gigafactory construction site in Gruenheide near Berlin. AP / Patrick Pleul
With $242 billion, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos remains the richest person in the world, according to Forbes.
Mr Bezos amassed a huge amount wealth while the US was locked down and millions suffered financially.
The Amazon mastermind's fortune rose by $93 billion in nine months.
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After Mr Musk, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's increase in wealth was the next biggest proportionally.
Between February and December, Mr Zuckerberg's personal fortune nearly doubled, and now tips $138 billion.
Mark Zuckerberg is now one of the world's most powerful people, thanks to the incredible rise of Facebook. AP / Mark Lennihan
The collective wealth of America's 651 billionaires jumped by over US$1 trillion since roughly the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to a total of $4 trillion in early December, according to a US tax watchdog group.
A new report by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) laid out what it claimed was a "disturbing" updraft of wealth to the billionaire class while millions faced eviction, destitution and loss.
"Never before has America seen such an accumulation of wealth in so few hands," Frank Clemente, ATF executive director, said.
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"Their pandemic profits are so immense that America's billionaires could pay for a major COVID relief bill and still not lose a dime of their pre-virus riches."
ATF claimed the billionaires' wealth growth was so great that they alone could provide a US$3000 stimulus payment to every man, woman and child in the country, and still be richer than they were nine months ago.
The top 10 US billionaires (wealth in US dollars):
Jeff Bezos $184.4 billion
Elon Musk $143.1 billion
Bill Gates $118.7 billion
Mark Zuckerberg $104.8 billion
Warren Buffet $86.5 billion
Larry Ellison $82.0 billion
Larry Page $79.8 billion
Sergey Brin $77.6 billion
Steve Ballmer $72.9 billion
Alice Walton $69.0 billion
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