An ‘old guard’ remain the richest people on earth
John Hall
A record number of new entries appear on the 2013 Forbes Billionaires list, but an old guard including Carlos Slim and Bill Gates remain the richest people on earth.
There are now 1,426 billionaires of the list, including 210 new entries from 42 countries, with the average wealth of those involved rising from $3.7 billion to $3.8 billion.
But despite a raft of new names appearing on the run-down, familiar figures such as Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Carlos Slim are still top of the pile.
Click here for a gallery of Forbes’ richest people on earth
73-year-old Slim, a telecom mogul from Mexico, retains his spot as the richest person on earth for the fourth year in a row, with a total net worth of $73 billion – up $4 billion from last year thanks to surging stock prices on his assets.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates remains at number two, with his personal wealth rising $6 billion over the last 12 months to $67 billion.
The world’s third richest man, Amancio Ortega is the years biggest riser, with his personal fortune growing by a staggering $19.5 billion to $57 billion. The 76-year-old Spaniard controls around 60 per cent of clothing retailer Inditex, which operates under brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius.
The 2013 list features four times as many wealth gainers as losers, compared to an even match last year, with resurgent asset prices the driving force behind the rising wealth.
The US contributed 442 of the list’s 1426 billionaires, with the Asia-Pacific area contributing 386, Europe totalling 366, the remaining Americas numbering 129, and the Middle East and Africa hitting 103.
Forbes said the total wealth of the world’s billionaires now totals $5.4 trillion, up from $4.6 trillion.
2013 Forbes Billionaires list: the top 10
1. Carlos Slim Helu (Telecoms) $73 billion
2. Bill Gates (Microsoft) $67 billion
3. Amancio Ortega (Zara) $57 billion
4. Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) $53.5 billion
5. Larry Ellison (Oracle) $43 billion
6. Charles Koch (Various) $34 billion
7. David Koch (Various) $34 billion
8. Li Ka-shing (Various) $31 billion
9. Lilianne Bettencourt and family (L’Oreal) $30 billion
10. Bernard Arnault (Louis Vuitton / Bulgari) $29 billion