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Forbes
The world's richest people
On the whole, the world's 691 billionaires are doing quite well, thank you, with more than half building their fortunes from scratch.
By Forbes
The rich had a very good year.
The collective net worth of the 691 billionaires we could find is $2.2 trillion, up $300 billion from the combined worth of the 587 people listed last year. Every region saw gains. The worlds richest moguls now hail from 47 countries, including, for the first time, Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and even Iceland. The newcomers include 69 Americans and 38 Europeans. More than half of them are entirely self-made.
American gas pipeline tycoon Daniel Duncan, who was raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was 7, debuts on the list as the wealthiest new billionaire, with a net worth of $5.1 billion. Wong Kwong Yu, 35, the youngest new self-made billionaire, runs a chain of 100-plus appliance stores catering to Chinas burgeoning middle class.
The most conspicuous new entrant: Martha Stewart, who was freed from jail earlier this month. Seventeen people found their way back onto the list, including Home Depot (HD, news, msgs) shareholder Kenneth Langone, who returns following a rebound in the retailers stock. .
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The gap between the worlds two richest people, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, narrowed further this year, though Gates hung on to his superlative title for the eleventh year.
Winners, losers
The third-richest person in the world, steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, is this years biggest gainer in dollars, adding $18.8 billion to his net worth. Russia delivered mixed results this year: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, imprisoned for 18 months and counting, saw his fortune fall $12.8 billion, making him the biggest loser. (Five of his former partners dropped off our list entirely.)
Controversy surrounds several billionaires, including Polands Jan Kulczyk, who is alleged to have ties with a Russian spy. Thirty people fell off the list, either because their net worth dropped below the minimum or because their fortunes were reclassified as belonging to families. Another 14 died, including Canadas french fry king Harrison McCain and Lebanons former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Our rankings represent a snapshot of wealth taken Feb. 11, the date we priced publicly held stocks. Thats why chemical maker Jon Huntsmans net worth does not reflect the 15% run-up in the stock since his company went public Feb. 14.
| The world's 10 richest people | | Name | Fortune | Profile | | William Gates III | $46.5 billion | Worlds richest man barely held on to top spot as Microsoft stock flatlines. | | Warren Buffett | $44 billion | Oracle of Omaha built his fortune on value investing. Now Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway is set to become the largest shareholder in Procter & Gamble when the consumer products giant merges with Gillette. | | Lakshmi Mittal | $25 billion | Steel titans net worth rose $18.8 billion in the past 12 months thanks to a blockbuster deal creating worlds largest steel company. | | Carlos Slim Helu | $23.8 billion | Latin Americas richest resident considered buying MCI until Verizon beat him to the punch. Slims not stewing. His telecom fortune rose $10 billion last year thanks to new business in Mexico. | | Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud | $23.7 billion | Booming Saudi stock market lifted his portfolio, which includes big stake in Citigroup. He even bought airtime on CNN to crow about it. | | Ingvar Kamprad | $23 billion | His Ikea stores furnish dorm rooms everywhere for the hip and cost-conscious. Cultlike following: store openings draw huge sometimes unruly crowds. | | Paul Allen | $21 billion | Microsoft co-founder was the major sponsor behind SpaceShipOne, first private-venture aircraft to be launched into space. | | Karl Albrecht | $18.5 billion | Turned his mothers corner grocery into supermarket giant Aldi. The fiercely private German spends time raising orchids. | | Lawrence Ellison | $18.4 billion | After an 18-month takeover battle, Oracle chief finally pulled off $10 billion merger with rival PeopleSoft, largest merger in software history. Hopes to win yachtings Americas Cup in 2007. | | S Robson Walton | $18.3 billion | Eldest son of Sam Walton is Wal-Mart chairman. After a dip in Wal-Marts share price, hes the only Walton to land among our 10 richest. |
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