While there’s no straightforward and sure path to success, it doesn’t hurt to see what the rich and successful people of the world did to get where they are now.
In America, getting a college degree is a great indicator of how much you might be able to earn, and research has proven that college graduates have higher income on average, compared to non-grads.
Below is a comprehensive list of the (undergraduate) degrees held by the richest person of (almost) every country in the world. There is a diverse range of degrees held by these individuals, but a lot of them studied in similar fields and made their fortune from similar sources.
There are some unique instances in this list (such as Graeme Hartof New Zealand who attained a Master's degree without an undergrad degree first), in which case it is mentioned whether the person has no degree or didn’t complete their degree. In the case of whole families being named the richest, the infographic mentions that the person has multiple degrees.
If you want some inspiration with your decision regarding your higher education, maybe this list will help you.
There are some unique instances in this list (such as Graeme Hartof New Zealand who attained a Master's degree without an undergrad degree first), in which case it is mentioned whether the person has no degree or didn’t complete their degree. In the case of whole families being named the richest, the infographic mentions that the person has multiple degrees.
If you want some inspiration with your decision regarding your higher education, maybe this list will help you.
North America
Jeff Bezos from the USA is leading as the world’s richest person, with over $100 billion dollars in assets. He briefly lost his position to Bill Gates after his divorce, but he’s back on top. Both Bezos and his ex-wife studied at Princeton, in vastly different fields. And as is popular about Bill Gates, he ended up dropping out of Harvard before he finished his degree.
Asia
Asia has the largest number of billionaires with no undergraduate degree. But that doesn’t mean that most of these people earned their wealth without some academic experience.
Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person, studied Chemical Engineering, but didn’t stick to just one thing. He understands the importance of branching out. Recently, his company opened a 4G service.
Europe
Vasil Bojkov, the richest person from Bulgaria, had an interesting and diverse education, all of which helped him in different ways. He first earned a degree in Applied Mathematics and Labor Economics from the National High School of Mathematics, and later went on to get a BA in History of Art from Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Africa
Africa is a diverse continent, and its economic disparity is just as high. While Nigeria’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, has an $8.8 billion dollar fortune (in US dollars), Liberia’s Benoni Urey, the richest person in the country, has a total fortune of $32 million USD, less than 20 times than the former.
South Africa’s richest person (who shares the title with his family) has no degree. His huge wealth is an indicator of the economic disparity in South Africa, which was named the most economically unequal country in the world by the World Bank.
Africa is a diverse continent, and its economic disparity is just as high. While Nigeria’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, has an $8.8 billion dollar fortune (in US dollars), Liberia’s Benoni Urey, the richest person in the country, has a total fortune of $32 million USD, less than 20 times than the former.
South Africa’s richest person (who shares the title with his family) has no degree. His huge wealth is an indicator of the economic disparity in South Africa, which was named the most economically unequal country in the world by the World Bank.
South America
Iris Fontbona is the only woman from amongst the richest people in every country in South America, and she has no university education under her belt, either.
Ms. Fontbona inherited a sum of her wealth from her late husband in 2005, and worked hard to create an empire that far exceeded her husband’s business. She diversified her portfolio by investing in Canal 13, a local TV channel, while expanding the brewery and mining businesses she owned.
The richest person (overall) in South America is also a brewer. Brazil’s Jorge Paulo Lemann owns a significant portion of the world’s largest brewer, but he began his climb as the founder of investment firm 3G Capital. He also has an impressive Economics degree from Harvard under his belt.
Oceania
There aren’t many rich teachers in the world, but Papua New Guinea’s ex-Prime Minister and current richest person proves that there are no boundaries you can’t push down if you aim to do it.
Australia’s Gina Rinehart decided to drop out of her degree to learn the trade that her father led, and it turned out to be right path for her. When her father died, the family-owned business was going bankrupt, but Gina’s years of learning helped her turn the company’s fortune around, and made her the richest woman in the country.
Infographic by: https://resume.io/
