This is exactly how long it takes the world’s top billionaires to earn your salary

There were a record 2,208 billionaires in the world as of March this year, according to Forbes. Together, they’re worth a jaw-dropping US$9.1 trillion.

At the top of the uber-rich list are names like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Bernard Arnault and Mark Zuckerberg – and the five of them have a collective net worth of more than US$563 billion.

While Bezos is currently spearheading the ‘centibillionare’ era (someone with a net worth of US$100 billion or higher), Arnault and the others are nipping at his heels.

So how exactly does this wealth compare to your own?

The experts at RS Components wondered the same thing, so they created the ‘You Vs a Billionaire’ calculator.

By knowing how much the wealth of the top five billionaires on the Forbes rich list has increased over the past year, the calculator is able to determine exactly how quickly these billionaires bring home the average person’s salary.

Prepare to be amazed… and a little disheartened.

1. Jeff Bezos, CEO and Founder, Amazon

   Net worth: $112 Billion

   Last year Jeff Bezos earned:

   • $39,200,000,000 per year
   • $3,266,666,667 per month
   • $107,397,260 per day
   • $4,474,886 per hour
   • $74,581 per minute
   • $1,243 per second

2. Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft and Co-founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

   Net worth: $90 Billion

   Last year Bill Gates earned:

   • $4,000,000,000 per year
   • $333,333,333 per month
   • $10,958,904 per day
   • $456,621 per hour
   • $7,610 per minute
   • $127 per second

3. Warren Buffett, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

   Net worth: $84 Billion

   Last year Warren Buffett earned:

   • $8,400,000,000 per year
   • $700,000,000 per month
   • $23,013,699 per day
   • $958,904 per hour
   • $15,982 per minute
   • $266 per second

4. Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO, LVMH

   Net worth: $72 Billion

   Last year Bernard Arnault earned:

   • $30,500,000,000 per year
   • $2,541,666,667 per month
   • $83,561,644 per day
   • $3,481,735 per hour
   • $58,029 per minute
   • $967 per second

5. Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Facebook

Net worth: $71 Billion

Last year Mark Zuckerberg earned:

• $15,000,000,000 per year
• $1,250,000,000 per month
• $41,095,890 per day
• $1,712,329 per hour
• $28,539 per minute
• $476 per second

Currently, the median household income in the US sits at US$56,516. It takes Bezos 46 seconds to earn that amount, 59 seconds for Arnault, and just over a minute for Gates, Zuckerberg and Buffett to see their net worth increase by the same figure.

For CEOs in the US, the median salary leaps to $754,713 and Bezos earns that in just 10 minutes and eight seconds.

Bezos is the richest man in the world and saw his wealth increase the most last year – by a not-so-insignificant US$39.2 billion. According to the calculator, it takes him 23 seconds to earn the median annual salary he pays his employees (US$28,000).

Take a look at how your salary compares

• If you make US$100,000 a year:
  It takes Jeff Bezos 1 minute, 21 seconds to earn your salary.
• If you make US$250,000 a year:
  It takes Warren Buffett 15 minutes, 35 seconds to earn your salary.
• If you make US$500,000 a year:
  It takes Mark Zuckerberg 17 minutes, 28 seconds to earn your salary.
• If you make US$1,000,000 a year:
  It takes Bernard Arnault 17 minutes, 11 seconds to earn your salary.