/ 7 March 2012

Gates misses top spot in Forbes’ richest

Gates Misses Top Spot In Forbes' Richest

Mexico telecoms czar Carlos Slim topped the Forbes annual world’s richest list on Wednesday, sporting a $69-billion fortune that, while down from last year, still outpaced the runner-up, Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Forbes said 1 226 tycoons made it onto its global list of billionaires this year but Slim held onto the top spot for the third straight year with $7-billion more than Gates.

In the third spot was US investment guru Warren Buffet, worth $44-billion; followed by France’s luxury king Bernard Arnault with $41-billion and a newcomer to the top five; and Spain’s Amancio Ortega, whose net worth surged by $6.5-billion despite his country’s financial straits to hit $37.5-billion.

“In a year of churn and burn, 128-billionaires are new to the list … while 117 dropped off,” said Forbes.

“A record 1 226 billionaires [up from 1 210 in 2011] made the list, with an average net worth of $3.7-billion,” the same as last year.

Below are the top 10:

  • Carlos Slim (72) and family, Mexico, $69-billion
  • Bill Gates (56) United States, $61-billion
  • Warren Buffett (81) United States, $44-billion
  • Bernard Arnault (63) France, $41-billion
  • Amancio Ortega (75) Spain, $37.5-billion
  • Larry Ellison (67) United States, $36-billion
  • Eike Batista (55) Brazil, $30-billion
  • Stefan Persson (64) Sweden, $26-billion
  • Li Ka-shing (83) Hong Kong, $25.5-billion
  • Karl Albrecht (92) Germany, $25.4-billion
  • For a full list click here. — Sapa, AFP, Reuters