Among those to feature in the world's top 20 billionaires under the age of 35 are the brilliant young entrepreneurs responsible for start ups such as Snapchat, Airbnb and Facebook.

However, many others have inherited old money - companies, fortunes and vast real estate empires passed down from their parents, and in some cases, their grandparents.

Dwarfing the fortunes of all others on the list is Zuckerberg, 31, who founded Facebook in 2004, and is now worth an estimated $41.6bn.

His nearest competitor on the list is his 31-year-old co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who, like Zuckerberg, is self made, but has only earned a comparatively paltry $9.3bn.

The figures, compiled by Wealthx.com, offer remarkable insight into those who earned their fortunes through their own enterprise, while others inherited the reins of massive multinationals. 

Only six women feature on the list - one of which is Tatiana Casiraghi. An American-born socialite who is married to the fourth in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco.

Worth an estimated $2.2bn, the 31-year-old is the recipient of a South American family conglomerate that once controlled more than 100 countries.

Real estate mogul Yang Huiyan - who placed third on the list - is one of the richest women in Asia and has an estimated $6.3bn fortune. 

Although the 33-year-old's riches were made after she reportedly received 70 per cent of the shares of her father's firm Country Garden in 2007 - she works on the company board and is considered a powerful businesswoman in her own right.

In sixth place sits Elizabeth Homes - an American entrepreneur who founded blood-test company Theranos when she was 19.

1. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg tops the list with a fortune more than four times that of any other. Controlling a massive $41.6bn, at the age of 31 he easily remains the world's richest young billionaire.

2. Following Zuckerberg is Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who is worth $9.3bn thanks to his retention of a set of Facebook shares. Aged 31, he has since left Facebook to found start up Asana.

3. In third place sits Huiyan Yang. Heir to her father's massive mainland China real estate empire, she boasts a $5.9bn fortune and as a member of the governance board of Country Garden, is a fierce businesswoman in her own right. 

4. In fourth place is Eduardo Saverin - whose legal battle and personal falling out with Zuckerberg was documented in the film The Social Network. He is worth $5.3bn and is aged 33. 

5. Coming fifth is Scott Duncan - the heir to a family fortune who received vast wealth after his father's death in the form of Enterprise Products - an oil and gas pipeline company. However, as a investor, he has increased his wealth substantially in recent years.

6. In sixth place sits Elizabeth Holmes - the world's second richest woman under 35. The entrepreneur created Theranos at the age of 19 and went on to revolutionise her industry by standardising blood tests.

7, 8, 9: Following Holmes are the brains behind Airbnb. The website's meteoric rise has changed the landscape of accommodation providers, earning 32 and 33-year-old founders Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia a cool $3bn each.

10: Tom Persson, aged 30, is the youngest heir to clothing company H&M. Worth $2.7bn, he came 10th in the list and works in the film industry.

Worth a massive $4.5bn, the 31-year-old revolutionised the industry by standardizing blood test processes.

Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, 33, whose court battle and personal falling out with Zuckerberg was documented in the Hollywood film The Social Network, is worth $5.3bn following the completion of his out of court settlement.

The list reveals the continually growing influence of the new wave of tech founders - several hugely successful technology companies feature prominently alongside more traditional heads of industry.

Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, all from accommodation provider Airbnb, each boast a fortune of $3bn.

Further behind them are the hugely wealthy young creators of Snapchat. Evan Spiegel, who is also the youngest on the list at 25, is worth $1.9billion, and his co-founder Bobby Murphy, 26, is worth the same.

They sit slightly above Norwegian siblings Carl Erik Hagen, Caroline Hagen Kjos and Nina Camilla Hagen Sorli - all of whom are the beneficiaries of family company Canica and worth $1.5bn each.

Run by their father Stein Erik Hagen, Canica holds large stakes in several companies, including investment conglomerate Orkla, of which Hagen is also chairman.

11. Fuli Zong, a 33-year-old businesswoman from China, controls a majority stake alongside her parents in the company Hangzhou Wahaha Group. Worth $2.7bn, she operates as the purchasing manager for what is the largest beverage producer in China.

12. She is followed closely on the list by Chinese businessman Xiang Sun - who is the 33-year-old president of Sinogiant Group - an organisation that specialises in finance and trading.

13, 14: In thirteenth and fourteenth places are Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr, 30, and Tatiana Casiraghi, 31 - heirs to Santo Domingo Group, a massive conglomerate of more than 100 companies created by their Colombian businessman father. They are each worth $2.2bn.

15, 16: Snapchat creators Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy also make the list for the massively popular app which enables users to send videos and pictures to one another. Aged 25 and 26 respectively, the app has handed them each a fortune of $1.9bn.

17, 18, 19: Norwegian siblings Carl Erik Hagen, Caroline Hagen Kjos and Nina Camilla Hagen Sorli - all of whom are the beneficiaries of family company Canica and worth $1.5bn each - make the lower end of the list. Run by their father Stein Erik Hagen, Canica holds large stakes in several companies, including investment conglomerate Orkla, of which Hagen is also chairman.

20: Adrian Cheng, the 32-year-old grandson of Hong Kong businessman of Cheng Yu-tung, is heir to a vast fortune originally generated by his grandfather's jewellery business. He comes in 20th place and is worth $1.4bn.

(dailymail.co.uk)