19-year-old Brazilian student Livia Voigt is the world's youngest billionaire

Livia Voigt is a 19-year-old student and the world's youngest billionaire. (Image: @aotemmaD/X)

At just 19 years old, Brazilian student Livia Voigt has become the world's youngest billionaire, according to the latest Forbes’ World’s Billionaires list.

A scion of the Voigt dynasty, she inherits her wealth from her family company. Her late grandfather, Werner Ricardo Voigt, co-founded WEG, an electrical equipment producer in Brazil that serves as the cornerstone of her burgeoning empire. She has a staggering wealth of $1.1 billion thanks to her minority stake in the corporation.

With this feat, Voigt has surpassed last year’s youngest billionaire Clement Del Vecchio, heir to EssilorLuxottica, who is only two months older than her.

Voigt attends university in Brazil and does not hold a seat on the board or executive position at WEG, despite her billionaire status.

Her sister Dora Voigt de Assis, 26, also gets a spot on the top 25 billionaires list.

This year's cohort boasts the 25 youngest billionaires, all under the age of 33, collectively commanding a staggering $110 billion in wealth. Among them are self-made tycoons, such as Evan Spiegel, 33, the man behind Snap, Ben Francis, 31, the entrepreneur propelling Gymshark, and Palmer Luckey, 31, the mind behind Oculus VR.

Contrary to the prevalent narrative of bootstrap entrepreneurship, the vast majority of these young billionaires have inherited their wealth. A significant departure from previous years, every billionaire under 30 on the list has acquired their fortune through inheritance.

WEG, a multinational company with a presence in over 10 countries, recorded revenues exceeding $6 billion in 2022.