As we kick off the new year, Bloomberg has placed three South African billionaires on their “top 500” index. The chart details the richest people in the world, from a diverse background of business and investment.

In what will be a surprise to very few people, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos begins the year as the wealthiest person on the planet. His personal fortune of $125 billion – or R1.75 trillion – is comfortably higher than the worth of his nearest competitor, Bill Gates: The Microsoft founder has just over $90 billion to his name.

Richest people in the world – top 10:

1. Jeff Bezos – $125 billion (technology).

2. Bill Gates – $90.4 billion (technology).

3. Warren Buffett – $83.8B (multiple investments).

4. Bernard Arnault – $68.6B (consumer goods).

5. Amancio Ortega – $58.6B (retail).

6. Carlos Slim – $54.8 (multiple investments).

7. Mark Zuckerberg – $52.0B (technology).

8. Larry Page – $51.3B (technology).

9. Sergey Brin – $49.9B (technology).

10. Larry Ellison – $49.3B (technology).

Who are the richest people from South Africa?

To find our South African trio, you have to zip down to number 212 on the list. Nicky Oppenheimer – heir to his family’s immense fortune – is officially the richest South African on the planet.

Then we’ve got Johann Rupert sitting in 232nd place thanks to his diverse portfolio of investments and business ventures. Nathan “ Natie ” Kirsch completes our contingent at 256. A titan of the food and beverage industry, he also has private equity investments and property on four continents.

South African billionaires on the Bloomberg Index

Nicky Oppenheimer: Net worth and businesses

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Age: 73

Net worth: $6.6 billion / R92 billion

Source of wealth: Sold his family’s 40% stake in De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond producer, to mining company Anglo American in 2012 for $5.2 billion. Also holds private equity investments.

2018 Performance: Oppenheimer’s net worth peaked at $7.5 billion in January, before a turbulent year saw $1 billion wiped off his personal value.

Johann Rupert: Net worth and businesses

Johann Rupert / Image via POWER 98.7 @Powerfm987

Age: 68

Net worth: $6.03 billion / R84 billion

Source of wealth: Rupert controls the world’s largest luxury watchmaker, Cie. Financiere Richemont, through a family trust. His Stellenbosch-based investment vehicle Remgro also brings home the bacon.

2018 Performance: He started the year as a man worth $8.6 billion, but the last 12 months have not been too kind to him. A 25% loss of wealth saw him drop down the index.

Natie Kirsch: Net worth and businesses

Gerard Moss, Linda Mirels, Natie Kirsch (far right) and Frances Kirsch attend Metropolitan Opera Opening Night Gala at Lincoln Center on September 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Age: 86

Net worth: $5.7 billion / R79 billion

Source of wealth: Kirsh controls Kirsh Group, a closely held conglomerate with a 75% stake in food supply business Jetro Holdings. Private equity investments also keeps the cash stacked.

2018 performance: The third of our South African billionaires on this list enjoyed a peak value of $6.6 billion in both January and May, but Kirsch ends the year some way off the pace. Still, it must be nice to lose a billion dollars and not even feel it, right?