Contest: Guess how many billionaires in the World in 2006??

I’ve thought of a more scientific way to approach this: by elimination.

Assuming 6 000 000 000 people in the world:
I can exclude: me, my brothers (2), sister, mum, dad, my girlfried, her two girls and their boyfriends. So that’s at least 11 who aren’t.

That leaves a potential 5 999 999 989 billionaires

Can anyone else eliminate a few known examples of non-billionaires from this total? We should be able to get the total down quite a long way, as I’m pretty sure most of my work colleagues and mates aren’t billionaires either, so non-billionairedom seems (anecdotally) to be quite a popular lifestyle choice.

Population of Africa - 4

You guys need a little MORE help??? :smiley:

I stick with my guess of 768.

Is that your final answer?

anyone with a xanga, or livejournal or any other third party blogging site, cause no billionar will really have one, but you must factor in how many people have more then one site, and you could also take bill gates off that list cause we know he is a billionare, and then we know we have one, unless he doesnt count cause all his money is in stocks

I’m going to go with 864.

In what currency?

I’m a $$$Billionaire in Laos Kips :sunglasses:

My estimate is 752. This is completely unscientific and based upon the sole fact that there are more than last year. :stuck_out_tongue:

We also have 768 and 864…

I think we’re in the ball park now

And what’s your guess, Billy? The Forbes site still has last year’s numbers as reported March 10, 2005. So unless you have some inside track or prescience the rest of us lack, seems only fair that you should take a stab at this too.

You beat me to it!

Me too… but would you keep your money in that currency?

For those of you who don’t get it, this $ sign stands for USA dollars.

OK, Raphael. It WAS 691. It didn’t increase THAT much from 2004 to 2005, did it? You don’t share your thinking on factors might create more billionaires this past year. I wish you would.

But the Iraq invasion was really a jackpot for many investors, along with oil profits, etc, so maybe 864 is possible. I’m just thinking out loud like they do on that TV show. Still, I’m thinking 864 is too high a jump. It’s way higher than the other guesses. I wanted to make the highest guess, based on my thinking, but 864 is hard to believe.

I’ll say 800!

Billy

I’m glad to see you’ve stepped up.

My logic was this: The increase from 2004 to 2005 was 17%. I’m guessing that the rate of increase has itself increased and so I went with 25%. 173 is 25% of 691 for a total of 864.

My initial thought, perhaps colored by my excessive reading of left wing material and listening to left wing radio was that income disparity is widening worldwide and at an alarming rate. I first went with a 30% increase in billionaires, but then scaled it back. Perhaps a 25% increase is still too high. We shall see in a few days.

Your number of 800, by the way, assumes a decrease in the rate of increase in the number of billionaires.

All the bilionares gave their money to me, and now I am the only billionare…

You’ve got a LOT more on the ball than I do! Good thoughts. I Think both 30% and 25% are too high, but you’ve got your ear to the ground. 'm thinking more of a 21.5% increase, but without my calculator, my guess is to add about 158, making 749?

Right wing radio CELEBRATES the fact that income disparity is widening worldwide and at an alarming rate! More for them! It’s in the plan. It’s the very measure of their success.

Bush put more people into poverty, that’s a natural consequence of the rich getting richer, the way they play it.

That would be 849. We’re pretty much in the same ballpark though.

Good thing you limited your statement to Bush et al. and “the way they play it.”

In most of your previous posts, you mention how shareholders profit, as if it’s bad for a company to try to make a profit. So what, it’s not a problem. Most of what you have said seems to be based on there being a limited amount of money… the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The rich getting richer really is not a problem… as the amount of money really is not limited to a certain amount. It’s increasing, hopefully. If I take some raw goods and turn it into something useful to us, I just increased the amount of “money” available. So the rich getting richer is not a problem… it’s just how the rich get richer that could be a problem, as may be the case with those manipulating the US government or other governments. Income disparity, in itself, is not a problem either. The problem isn’t companies, like your favorite, Walmart. They are just playing within the laws of where they do business and they are going to do whatever they can to have a competitve advantage. The problems are with government and the laws that allow companies to do what they do.

In a civilized and modern community, hopefully everyone is provided with the bare essentials to live on. Is given the “help” needed to succeed. The US could do that for it’s people, but it doesn’t right now, at least not enough. This would include guidance to make sure one is productive and self-sufficient in society. If they would want something more than just the essentials (which really is quite small), then they need to work for it and afford themself that. The opportunity is there for everyone in a free country (which the US is, even though that is at a huge threat right now).

Wow! I’m surprised to hear you say that! You sound LIBERAL!

From your perspective, who/what are the potential threats?

Maybe it would be more fair if WalMart didn’t have a hand in making the rules/laws…

And c’mon, Gilby, while you’re here, join the game and make a guess!