Kim Kardashian West joins exclusive global billionaire list

Kim Kardashian West has joined the likes of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bill Gates and has officially been revealed as the latest Kardashian to achieve billionaire status.

Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires List released overnight saw Kardashian West’s name appear in the list for the very first time, with her net worth at a round US$1 billion ($1.3 billion).

The 40-year-old mother of four saw her personal wealth surge thanks to her cosmetics and fragrance brand KKW Beauty as well as her and shapewear line Skims, as well as revenue from reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, where she launched her career.

“Social media queen Kardashian West has parlayed reality TV into an actual fortune, selling a mobile game, cosmetics and, now, shapewear,” Forbes stated.

Skims grew in popularity during the pandemic as people who were forced home due to the lockdown were more interested in comfortable clothing, leading Kardashian West to launch loungewear under the brand.

The businesswoman and criminal justice advocate has more than 200 million followers on Instagram, nearly 70 million followers on Twitter, and 33 million followers on Facebook.

She ranks 2,674 on Forbes’ List, but 24th on the list of America’s Self-Made Women.

Kardashian West appears on the list as her half-sister Kylie Jenner, who was named as the youngest self-made billionaire at 21 years old, actually lost her billionaire status.

Kardashian West's wealth trails that of soon-to-be-ex-husband Kanye West, whose net worth is said to be US$1.8 billion ($2.35 billion) thanks to his annual royalties from Adidas, the maker of his designer Yeezy sneakers.

Kardashian West filed for divorce from West earlier this year after seven years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

Forbes also announced that COVID-19 sparked a "wealth surge", with the world's richest people now US$5 trillion – or $6.52 trillion – richer than they were a year ago.

–with AAP

Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, and subscribe to the free Fully Briefed daily newsletter.