Billionaires are getting richer by the day, according to Forbes′ annual ranking of the planet’s wealthiest people, as the group is now worth a collective $US14.2 trillion ($21.8 trillion).

There are now a record 2781 people with fortunes above $US1 billion, according to the US publisher, which has produced an annual list of the world’s billionaires since 1987.

The Telegraph London