According to a study by UBS and PwC, there were 1,397 billionaires in the world in 2015, as 210 people became new billionaires while 160 fell to the ranks of the multi, multimillionaires. 

But all was not grand for the world’s megarich, as their collective wealth sagged by $300 billion from 2014 and their fortunes failed to even match the performance of global stock markets.  Total billionaire wealth fell to $5.1 trillion last year from $5.4 trillion in 2014 - the 1^st drop since the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2011. Average wealth among the 10-digit class was down $300 million to $3.7 billion. The biggest drops were for those whose fortunes are in the materials, industry and retail sectors.

Tthe U.S. billionaire population grew by only 5 last year, to 538, while Asia was “creating one billionaire every three days,” led by China.

Of the 210 new billionaires, 113 came from Asia and 150 were “self-made,” the report said. The other 60 who became billionaires by inheriting the money were mostly in Europe, which has the most multi-generational billionaires.