Print this article

Bill and Melinda Gates world's wealthiest couple

July 22, 2015 17:43 IST

Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.

Image: Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. Photograph: Reuters

Bill and Melinda Gates are the world's wealthiest couple with a combined net worth of $85.7 billion, a report said on Wednesday.

Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft in 1975, married Melinda, a Microsoft employee, in 1994.

Amancio Ortega

Image: Amancio Ortega Gaona. Photograph: Rediff Archives

In 2000, they set up the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at agricultural development, health, educational and other social causes.

"In 2010, the couple joined billionaire investor Warren Buffett to form the Giving Pledge -- a campaign to spur the world's wealthiest individuals to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy," as per Wealth-X, the global wealth intelligence and prospecting company.

Warren Buffett with his wife Astrid Menks at the White House in Washington, DC.

Image: Warren Buffett with his wife Astrid Menks at the White House in Washington, DC. Photograph: Benjamin Myers/Reuters

Spanish retail tycoon Amancio Ortega Gaona and his second wife, Flora Perez, took the number two spot on the Wealth-X list with a combined net worth of $70.7 billion.

Ortega married Flora in 2001, and she currently serves as the vice president of the Amancio Ortega Foundation.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg walks with his wife Priscilla Chan at the annual Allen and Co. conference at the Sun Valley, Idaho Resort.

Image: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg walks with his wife Priscilla Chan at the annual Allen and Co. conference at the Sun Valley, Idaho Resort. Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters

The youngest couple on the Wealth-X list was 31-year old Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and 30-year old Priscilla Chan, who were ranked 9th on the list.

David Koch

Image: David Koch, executive vice president of Koch Industries, applauds during an Economic Club of New York event in New York. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

"They boast a combined net worth of $38.5 billion.

“The couple met at Harvard in 2004 and were married in a low-key, simple wedding ceremony in their Palo Alto home in 2012," the report added.

Wang Jianlin

Image: Wang Jianlin. Photograph: Kind courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Others on the list include Warren Buffett and Astrid Menks at the 3rd place with a combined net worth of $65 billion, followed by David and Julia Koch (4th, $47.5 billion), Charles and Elizabeth Koch (5th, $47.4 billion).

Jeff Bezos with wife Mackenzie in New York.

Image: Jeff Bezos with wife Mackenzie in New York. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Wang Jianlin and Lin Ning were placed at the 6th place with a combined net worth of $40.7 billion, followed by Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos (7th, $39.8 billion), Bernard Arnault and Helene Mercier (8th, $38.7 billion) and James and Lynne Walton (10th, $36.2 billion).

Wealth-X provides insight into the ultra-wealthy with the world's largest collection of curated research on ultra high net worth individuals.