The latest Hurun Global Rich List reveals that 1,453 people worldwide have a personal wealth of US$1 billion or more as of January 17, 2013. The U.S. and China share half of the world's billionaires, with 408 and 357 respectively, followed by Russia, Germany and India.

In terms of cities, Moscow is home to the greatest number of billionaires with 76, followed by New York (70), Hong Kong (52), Beijing (41) and London (40).

"For every billionaire that Hurun Report has found, I estimate we have missed at least two, meaning that today there are probably 4,000 billionaires in the world," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, a Shanghai-based publishing group that tracks China's wealthy.