Bill Gates is the world's richest man for the 13th year in a row and his pal Warren Buffett is second once again, but Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu is quickly gaining ground on both men and may be poised to take the crown next year. Helu gained an amazing $19 billion last year and now sits only $7 billion below Gates and $3 billion below Buffett.
After a 20-year reign, Japan is no longer Asia's top spot for billionaires: India has 36, worth a total of $191 billion, followed by Japan with 24, worth a combined $64 billion. India's rich are also marching toward the top of our rankings. Brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani, who split up their family's conglomerate in 2005, join Lakshmi Mittal, who heads the world's biggest steel company, Arcelor Mittal, among the world's 20 wealthiest. India now has three in the upper echelons, second only to the U.S.
Ingenuity, not industry, is the common characteristic; these folks made money in everything from media and real estate to coffee, dumplings and ethanol. Two-thirds of last year's billionaires are richer. Only 17% are poorer, including 32 who fell below the billion-dollar mark. The billionaires' combined net worth climbed by $900 billion to $3.5 trillion. That equates to $3.6 billion apiece.
The average billionaire is 62 years old, two years younger than in 2005. This year's new billionaires are seven years younger than that. Of list members' fortunes, 60% made theirs from scratch.
Forbes pinned down a record 946 billionaires. There were 178 newcomers, including 19 Russians, 14 Indians, 13 Chinese and 10 Spaniards, as well as the first billionaires from Cyprus, Oman, Romania and Serbia.
Warren Buffett passed this good friend Bill Gates and Mexican telecom monopolist Carlos Slim Helu to become the world's richest person with $62 billion in wealth.
