COVID-19 saw some of the richest people get poorer by the millions, while others only got richer during the hardest of times. These billionaires overcame the pandemic and emerged richer than last year.

5. Bill Gates

The co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, was estimated in 2020 to have $120 billion in fortune. Since March, his value is said to have increased by around $20 billion, putting him in the list of this year's top billionaires.

Gates is the world's fourth richest person, and is one of the leading names in the technology industry. After stepping down from his responsibilities at Microsoft, Gates has since focused on philanthropy.

Gates and his wife have also invested and committed billions to the study and production of safe coronavirus vaccines.

4. Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg saw his value exceed the $100-billion mark this year, despite getting dragged into the European big tech crackdown.

Zuckerberg is estimated to now have a fortune of $105 billion, making him the fifth richest person in the world. The new figure was rounded up after Facebook shares jumped by 39% this year.

While Zuckerberg has become richer in 2020, the title does not come with its challenges as tech regulatory boards continue to seek breaking up Facebook. Aside from problems with the UK tech regulations, the company is also being haunted back home as the White House showed no signs of letting up on its big tech battle.

 3. Bernard Arnault

Chair of luxury goods chain LVMH, Bernard Arnault, is estimated to have grown his net worth by $35 billion this year.

At the beginning of the pandemic, LVMH shares went tumbling down as governments around the world ordered locked downs. Brick-and-mortar stores suffered and as with other conglomerates in the fashion industry, popular LVMH brands were hard to sell.

However, brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior have since started pulling LVMH shares up. The said brands are expected to help drive sales up for the fourth quarter of 2020.

2. Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos experienced his glory days during the pandemic as people turned to e-commerce for their daily needs.

Since March, Bezos is estimated to have blown up his fortunes by around $67.5 billion, driving his net worth to around $182 billion. Industry experts said the stay-at-home situation of many consumers ultimately pushed up sales on Amazon.

Bezos remains the richest person in the world, but his 2020 earnings were overtaken by the top 1 billionaire on this list.

1. Elon Musk

Now the second-richest person in the world, Tesla founder Elon Musk saw his fortunes increase dramatically from around $26 billion to $146.3 billion since the third month of 2020.

Just last week, Musk added almost $10 billion to his fortunes after Tesla stocks climbed by almost 8% during the week of Dec. 11 to Dec. 18.

Aside from Musk adding billions to his net worth, Tesla also saw a lot of success this year as its shares went up by more than 660% this year, making its market capitalization reach up to $650 billion.