Slim adds €15bn to top world’s richest league
The number of people on Forbes’ list climbed to 1,210 billionaires, setting a record with combined wealth of $4.5 trillion, up from $3.6tn a year ago.
While the biggest slice of that wealth, $1.5tn, is controlled by people in the US, the publication said more than half of the new billionaires came from Brazil, Russia, India and China.
In China, there are now 115 billionaires; the richest among them is Robin Li, who is worth $9bn, while Russia had 101 billionaires.
For the first time in more than a decade, the number of billionaires in Asia (332) was more than Europe (300), while the US continued to have the most billionaires, with 413.
Moscow was home to more billionaires than any other city in the world, with 79 of the world’s wealthiest people choosing to live in the Russian capital.
At the top of the list for the second year in a row is Mexican telecom magnate Mr Slim, whose fortune climbed to $74bn on strength in the Mexican stock market, a stronger peso and successful business spin-offs, Forbes said.
The majority of his net worth comes from his holdings in America Movil, Latin America’s largest phone service provider.
While Carlos Slim may have widened his lead this year, the list has revealed a new legion of social networking entrepreneurs snapping at the heels of the old guard.
Mark Pincus, 45, founder of San Francisco-based Zynga, creator of Facebook games such as the popular FarmVille and Mafia Wars, made his first appearance on the list.
Zynga already generates millions of dollars in revenue and has an implied valuation of $5.8bn, all based on the time-killing games enjoyed by millions of Facebook users who log in daily to make “mafia money” or buy and harvest virtual items such as crops, livestock, cars and machinery.
Mark Zuckerberg, the 26-year-old chief executive of Facebook jumped to 52nd place this year from 212th last year and made the largest percentage gain of any billionaire in terms of net worth, more than tripling to $13.5bn from $4bn. However, he was displaced as the youngest billionaire by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz (also aged 26), who has $1.4bn.
There were six “Facebook billionaires” on the global list. Along with Zuckerberg and Moskovitz were Eduardo Saverin, Napster entrepreneur Sean Parker, Peter Thiel and Yuri Milner.
Second on the list is Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and now a full-time philanthropist, who has a net worth of $56bn.
Forbes noted that Gates, once the world’s wealthiest man, has given $30bn to his charity, the Gates Foundation.
The rebound in the stock market helped investor Warren Buffett’s wealth increase to $50bn. The return of people’s appetite for luxury goods pushed LVMH chief executive officer Bernard Arnault up to fourth on the list from seventh, with a net worth of $41bn.
Europe’s richest person was Frenchman Bernard Arnault, of luxury brand group LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton), who moved into fourth spot overall with a fortune of $41bn.
There were 300 European billionaires, 50 more than last year, with 72% self-made.
And although most managed to increase their wealth last year, not everybody did.
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad was the year’s biggest loser, dropping 151 places to 162 with his fortune plunging from $23bn to $6bn.
, 71, rose from $20.5bn (€14.8bn) to $74bn.
Slim’s America Movil is the biggest mobile-phone company in the Americas, with 225 million wireless subscribers.
The company also controls Mexico’s largest landline phone carrier, Telefonos de Mexico, and the largest TV and long-distance operators in Brazil, as well as phone and video carriers in Colombia, Peru and other South American countries.
, 55, chairman of Microsoft, was second again as his net worth rose $3bn to $56bn.
Gates founded Microsoft in 1975 after dropping out of Harvard University and, since then, the company has become the world’s largest software maker.
Gates’s holdings include about 581 million shares of Microsoft, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stock lost 0.5% during the past year as of February 14, the date the rankings are based on.
, 80, chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, based in Omaha, Nebraska, held on to third place with $50bn.
Buffett holds about $45bn, or about 90% of his net worth, in Berkshire Hathaway A shares, which gained 12% over the past year.
Buffett has taken a salary of $100,000 for each of the past 30 years, according to a spokeswoman.
, 62, the wealthiest European, is chairman and chief executive of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest maker of luxury goods.
Arnault jumped to fourth from seventh as his net worth increased $13.5bn to $41bn. LVMH announced last Monday that it would acquire a controlling stake in Bulgari, the world’s third-largest jeweller.
, 66, chief executive of Oracle, rose to fifth this year from sixth last year. Ellison’s net worth increased $11.5bn to $39.5bn as shares of his firm returned 43% as of February 14.
Oracle is the world’s second-largest software maker.
, 60, the Indian is the richest person in Asia, chief executive of the world’s largest steelmaker, Arcelor Mittal, fell to sixth from fifth as his net worth increased $2.4bn to $31.1bn.
, the Spanish founder of Inditex, the world’s largest clothing retailer which includes Zara, with $31bn is in seventh position.
, 53, the wealthiest Brazilian on the list , remained at eighth in 2011 as his net worth grew $3bn to $30bn. Batista has interests in multiple natural resources companies including Rio de Janiero-based OGX Petroleo and & Gas Participacoes.
, 53, has $27bn to sit in ninth place.
His oil and gas conglomerate Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company, just forged a partnership with BP, selling 30% stake in 23 oil blocks in India for $7.2bn and forming a marketing joint venture. He and wife Nita host parties at their recently completed 27-story sky palace in Mumbai, but have still to move in permanently.
, of the family that controls supermarket giant Wal-Mart, was 10th with $26.5bn.
81, construction magnate.
Worth: $8.8 billion (up $3.2bn since the end of the Celtic Tiger in 2007).
Forbes rich list: 103rd.
The aptly named Mr Mistry is resident in Mumbai, India. He made his riches through the construction sector and personal inheritance.
52, telecommunications and publishing.
Worth: $4.2bn.
Forbes rich list: 254th.
Mr O’Brien operates his telecommunications empire in Honduras, Haiti, Fiji, Tonga and Papua New Guinea. In 2010, the Cork-born owner of the Digicel Group bought out sister company Digicel Pacific for $825m.
67, Campbell’s Soup and inheritance.
Wealth: $2.4bn.
Forbes rich list: 488th.
The married namesake of the Campbell Soup founder lives quietly in south Dublin after cashing out of the family business. In the mid-1990s, Mr Dorrance sold off the majority of his 10.5% stake in the food firm for $1.5bn.
71, heating equipment.
Wealth: US$1.9bn.
Forbes rich list: 651st.
The media-shy aeronautical engineer is the head of Glen Dimplex, the world’s largest manufacturer of electrical heating appliances.
He founded the major supplier of stoves, and electrical fireplaces, Glen Electric in 1973, before acquiring the rival Dimplex company four years later.
60, finance and self-made.
Wealth: $1.6bn.
Forbes rich list: 782nd.
A native of Macroom, went from selling football magazines outside Tolka Park as a teenager to become one of Ireland’s most long-standing billionaires.
Founder of NCB Stockbrokers in 1981.
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