- 2018 was a bad year for the world's billionaires, with China losing 49 billionaires over the course of the year.
- The country's richest people faced a combination of a slowing economy and a turbulent stock market, which was the worst performing major market in the world over the course of the year.
- Despite those struggles, China still has 324 people with a net worth of $1 billion or more. In total, 21 Chinese citizens feature in the top 200 richest people in the world, Forbes' annual billionaires ranking showed.
2018 was a bad year for the world's billionaires.
At the start of the year, according to Forbes' annual ranking of the world's super wealthy, there were 2,208 billionaires in the world. By the end of the year, there were 55 fewer, just 2,153.
Without doubt the worst hit country was China, which lost almost 50 billionaires over the course of the year as the country's richest people faced a combination of a slowing economy and a turbulent stock market, which was the worst performing major market in the world over the course of the year.
Despite those struggles, China still has 324 people with a net worth of $1 billion or more, and 13 worth more than $10 billion. In total, 21 Chinese citizens feature in the top 200 richest people in the world, Forbes' ranking showed.
Spanning CEOs of household names in the west like Alibaba and Xiaomi, all the way to the bosses of soy sauce producers and property developers, check out the 21 richest people in China below:
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21. Ma Jianrong and family
Net worth: $7.8 billion
Source of wealth: Chair of Shenzhou International Group Holdings, China's biggest producer and exporter of clothing. Major clients include Nike.
Age: 54
T19. Zong Qinghou
Net worth: $8.4 billion
Source of wealth: Leads Hangzhou Wahaha, one of China's biggest beverage companies.
Age: 73
T19. Sun Piaoyang and family
Net worth: $8.4 billion
Source of wealth: Head of pharmaceuticals firm Jiangsu Hengrui.
Age: 60
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