Bill Gates is to divorce wife Melinda, but just how rich is he? More than the entire British royal family – or the combined GDP of Luxembourg, Estonia and Bolivia
- Gates is richer than the richest person in Asia, Mukesh Ambani, and the richest person in China, Zhong Shanshan – combined
- When Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie Scott divorced in 2019, she got 25 per cent of their Amazon stock while he kept The Washington Post and Blue Origin
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” their joint statement said. “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.”
The announcement raises questions about how the couple will divide their massive fortune. Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is the world’s fourth-richest person with an estimated net worth of US$145 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Gates live in Washington state, where all assets acquired through a marriage are split 50/50 unless otherwise specified in a prenuptial agreement. A spokesperson for Bill Gates declined to comment on whether the couple had signed such an agreement.
