The richest people on the planet got even richer in 2012, adding $241 billion to their collective net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 100 wealthiest individuals.

The aggregate net worth of the world’s top moguls stood at $1.9 trillion at the market close on Dec. 31, according to the index. Retail and telecommunications fortunes surged about 20 percent on average during the year. Of the 100 people who appeared on the final ranking of 2012, only 16 registered a net loss for the 12-month period.
Enlarge image Billionaires Worth $1.9 Trillion Seek 2013 Global Advantage

Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., right, and Bill Gates, chairman and co-founder of Microsoft Corp., participate in a newspaper toss event at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 5, 2012. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Enlarge image Billionaires Worth $1.9 Trillion Seek 2013 Global Advantage

Amancio Ortega, chairman Inditex SA. Source: Inditex via Bloomberg

‘Last year was a great one for the world’s billionaires,