View source for The World's Billionaires

'''The World's Billionaires''' is an annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people, compiled and published by the American business magazine ''[[Forbes]]'' in March. The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated, in [[United States dollar]]s, based on their assets and accounting for debt. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from the list.

The list has been published each year in March since 1987.<ref name=MW2014 /> [[Microsoft]] founder [[Bill Gates]] has topped the list 15 of the past 20 years, including the most recent 2014 edition. In 2014, there were 1,645 people on the list, including a record 172 women. Roughly two-thirds of the list were entirely self-made and only about 1 in 8 billionaires achieved their wealth through inheritance alone.

==Methodology==
Each year, ''Forbes'' employs a team of more than fifty reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world's wealthiest individuals.<ref name=methodology /> Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for make the list.  According to ''Forbes'', they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any questions.<ref name=rferl2010 />  Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets – land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet the figures and get a better idea of an individual's holdings. Finally, positions in publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication. Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing [[Price–revenues ratio|price-to-revenues]] or [[Price–earnings ratio|price-to-earnings]] ratios. Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual's estimated worth in [[United States dollar]]s. Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly, an individual's true wealth and ranking at the time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled.<ref name=methodology>{{cite news|last=Dolan |first=Kerry A. |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2012/03/07/methodology-how-we-crunch-the-numbers/ |title=Methodology: How We Crunch The Numbers |work=Forbes |date=March 7, 2012 |accessdate=January 4, 2013}}</ref>  

Family fortunes dispersed over a large number of individuals are included only if those individuals' holdings are worth more than a billion dollars. However, when a living individual has dispersed his or her wealth to immediate family members, it is included under a single listing provided that individual is still living.<ref name=methodology /> Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from the list.<ref name=AL2014 />

==Current rankings==
In additional to their yearly list, ''Forbes'' maintains a top 10 list that is updated daily based on market fluctuations.  As of November 2, 2014, the world's 10 wealthiest individuals were as follows:<ref>{{cite web|title=The World's Billionaires|work=Forbes|url=http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/|accessdate=July 13, 2014}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}}||{{sortname|Bill |Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$81.6&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|59||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}}|| style="text-align:center;" |$81.2&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|74||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$68.7&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|84||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$59.7&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|78||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$49.4&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|70||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}}||{{sortname|Charles|Koch|Charles G. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$42.7&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|79||United States||[[Koch Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}}||{{sortname|David|Koch|David H. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$42.7&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|74||United States||[[Koch Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}}||{{sortname|Christy|Walton}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$38&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|59||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$36.5&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|66||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}}||{{sortname|Michael|Bloomberg}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$35.8&nbsp;billion|| style="text-align:center;"|72||United States||[[Bloomberg_L.P.]]
|}

==Annual listings==
=== 2014 ===
{{main|The World's Billionaires 2014}}

[[Bill Gates]], founder of [[Microsoft]], added $9 billion to his fortune since 2013 and topped the 2014 billionaire list. He has topped the list 15 of the previous 20 years, but was last number one in 2009.<ref>{{cite news|title=Inside The 2014 Forbes Billionaires List: Facts And Figures|date=March 3, 2014|work=Forbes|author=Kerry A. Dolan|author2=Luisa Kroll|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2014/03/03/inside-the-2014-forbes-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/|accessdate=June 2, 2014}}</ref>  Mexican telecommunication mogul [[Carlos Slim]] came in second place after being number one the previous four years. [[Zara (retailer)|Zara]] founder [[Amancio Ortega]] placed third for the second consecutive year. American investor [[Warren Buffett]] was in the top five for the 20th consecutive year, placing fourth.<ref name=CSM2014>{{cite news|title=Forbes' richest people: number of billionaires up significantly|author=Elizabeth Barber|date=March 4, 2014|work=Christian Science Monitor|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2014/0303/Forbes-richest-people-number-of-billionaires-up-significantly-video|accessdate=March 4, 2014}}</ref> America's [[Christy Walton]] was the highest ranking female, placing ninth overall.<ref name=MW2014>{{cite news|title=Bill Gates back on top, WhatsApp founders and more women in Forbes’ billionaire rankings|work=Market Watch|publisher=''The Wall Street Journal''|date=March 4, 2014|author=Barbara Kollmeyer|url=http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2014/03/04/bill-gates-back-on-top-whatsapp-founders-and-more-women-in-forbes-billionaire-rankings/|accessdate=March 5, 2014}}</ref> [[Aliko Dangote]] of Nigeria became the first African ever to enter the top 25, with an estimated net worth of $25 billion.<ref name=AL2014>{{cite news|title=Youngest, oldest and one who can body slam you: More on Forbes list of the ultra-rich|author=Leada Gore|date=March 4, 2014|publisher=AL.com|url=http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/03/youngest_oldest_and_one_who_ca.html|accessdate=March 5, 2104}}</ref>

A total of 1,645 people made the 2014 billionaire list, representing combined wealth of $6.4 trillion.<ref name=CSM2014 /> Of those, a record 268 were newcomers, surpassing 2008's 226 newcomers.<ref name=MW2014 /> One hundred people listed in 2013 failed to make the list.<ref name=CSM2014 /> The number of women on the list rose to a record 172 in 2014.<ref name=MW2014 /> Approximately 66% of the list was self-made, 13% achieved their wealth through inheritance alone, and 21% through a mixture of the two.<ref name=AL2014 />  

The United States had 492 billionaires on the list, the most of any country.<ref name=CSM2014 /> The country also had the most newcomers with 50, and women with 54.<ref name=MW2014 /> China had the second most billionaires with 152, while Russia was third with 111.<ref name=CSM2014 /> Algeria, Lithuania, Tanzania, and Uganda were all represented on the list for the first time. Turkey saw the most people drop off the list, 19, due to high inflation in the country.<ref name=AL2014 />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;" |$76.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{Profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|58||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$72.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|74||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$64.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|77||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$58.2&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|83||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$48.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|69||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Charles|Koch|Charles G. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$40.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|78||United States||[[Koch Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|David|Koch|David H. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$40.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|73||United States||Koch Industries
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Sheldon|Adelson}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$38.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|80||United States||[[Las Vegas Sands]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Christy|Walton}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$36.7&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|58-59||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$34.7&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|65||United States||Wal-Mart
|-
|}

=== 2013 ===
{{main|The World's Billionaires 2013}}
Carlos Slim topped the 2013 billionaire list, marking his fourth consecutive year at the top. Bill Gates remained in second, while Amancio Ortega moved up to third. Oretega's gain of $19.5 billion was the largest of anyone on the list.<ref name=Ind2013 /> Warren Buffett failed to make the top three for the first time since 2000, placing fourth. [[Diesel (brand)|Diesel]] founder [[Renzo Rosso]] was among the top newcomers, debuting with an estimate net worth of $3 billion.<ref name=MW2013 /> 

A global rise in asset prices, led ''Forbes'' editor Randall Lane to declare "It [was] a very good year to be a billionaire". However, it was not a good year to be [[Eike Batista]] who fell from seventh to 100th, suffering the largest net loss of anyone on the list.<ref name=Ind2013 /> Overall, net gainers outnumbered net losers by 4:1.<ref name=MW2013>{{cite news|title=Forbes billionaire list 2013: Mr. Slim wins it again|date=March 4, 2013|work=Market Watch|publisher=Wall Street Journal|author=Barbara Kollmeyer|url=http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/03/04/forbes-billionaire-list-2013-mr-slim-wins-it-again/|accessdate=March 5, 2014}}</ref>

A record total of 1,426 people made the 2013 list, representing $5.4 trillion of assets.<ref name=Reuters2013 /> Of those, 442 billionaires hailed from the United States.<ref name=Ind2013>{{cite news|title=2013 Forbes Billionaires list: Record number of new entries appear on rich list, but Carlos Slim and Bill Gates still top the charts|work=The Independent|date=March 4, 2013|author=Martin Hickman|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/2013-forbes-billionaires-list-record-number-of-new-entries-appear-on-rich-list-but-carlos-slim-and-bill-gates-still-top-the-charts-8519568.html|accessdate=March 5, 2014}}</ref> The Asian-Pacific region had 386 billionaires and Europe 366. The list also featured a record number of newcomers, 210, representing 42 different countries. Sixty people from the 2012 list fell below a billion dollar of assets in 2013 and eight others from the 2012 list died. The Asia-Pacific region had the most drop offs, with 29, followed by the United States with 16. The 2013 list featured 138 women, of which 50 came from the United States. A majority of the list (961 individuals, 67%) was entirely self-made; 184 (13%) inherited their wealth, and 281 (20%) achieved their fortune through a combination of inheritance and business acumen.<ref name=Reuters2013>{{cite news|title=Factbox: Record number of billionaires make Forbes 2013 list|date=March 4, 2013|agency=Reuters|author=Patricia Reaney|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/04/us-billionaires-list-factbox-idUSBRE9230EJ20130304|accessdate=March 5, 2014}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}} & family|| style="text-align:center;" |$73.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{Profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|73||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$67.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|57||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$57.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|76||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$53.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|82||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$43.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|68||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Charles|Koch|Charles G. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$34.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|77||United States||[[Koch Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|David|Koch|David H. Koch}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$34.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|72||United States||Koch Industries
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Li|Ka-shing}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$31.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|84||Hong Kong/Canada||[[Cheung Kong Holdings]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Liliane|Bettencourt}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$30.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|90||France||[[L'Oréal]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$29.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|63||France||[[LVMH|LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton]]
|-
|}

=== 2012 ===
{{main|The World's Billionaires 2012}}

Carlos Slim topped the 2012 list, marking this third consecutive year at the top. Bill Gates placed second, but narrowed the gap from 2011 as Slim's fortune fell $5 billion while Gates' rose $5 billion. Warren Buffett remained in third place. [[Bernard Arnault]] of France was the top-ranking European on the list, placing fourth.<ref name=Telegraph2012 /> [[Ricardo Salinas Pliego]] was the greatest gainer in terms of dollars, adding $9.2 billion to his fortune and moving up to number 37 overall.<ref name=Telegraph2012 /> Making her debut on the list at age 27, [[Spanx]] founder [[Sara Blakely]] became the youngest self-made female billionaire ever.<ref>{{cite news|title=Spanx creator Sara Blakely becomes youngest woman on Forbes Billionaires List|publisher=Fox News|date=March 8, 2012|url=http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/03/08/spanx-creator-sara-blakely-becomes-youngest-woman-on-forbes-billionaires-list/|accessdate=March 8, 2014}}</ref> Colombia's [[Alejandro Santo Domingo]] was the highest ranked newcomer, inheriting a $9.5 billion stake in [[Santo Domingo Group]] from his father.<ref name=Telegraph2012>{{cite news|title=Forbes rich list 2012: Carlos Slim tops rich list for third year|work=The Telegraph|date=March 8, 2012|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9130301/Forbes-rich-list-2012-Carlos-Slim-tops-rich-list-for-third-year.html|accessdate=March 8, 2014}}</ref> India's [[Lakshmi Mittal]] was the largest loser as his fortune dropped from $31.1 billion to $20.7 billion as the price of steel maker [[ArcelorMittal]] fell sharply.<ref name=Telegraph2012 /> As a result, he failed to make the top 10 for the first time since 2004 and lost his title of richest Asian to Hong Kong’s [[Li Ka-shing]].<ref name=Forbes2012 />

A record total of 1,226 people made the 2012 list, representing 58 different countries. Of those, 126 were newcomers to the list and 104 were women. The United States had the greatest number of billionaires with 425. Russia had 96 people on the list, while China had 95.<ref name=Telegraph2012 /> Georgia, Morocco, and Peru were newly represented on the list. Falling stock prices in Asia contributed to 117 former billionaires falling from the list world-wide. Twelve others listed in 2011 died. Overall, net gainers (460) barely outnumbered net losers (441).<ref name=Forbes2012>{{cite news|title=Forbes World's Billionaires 2012|work=Forbes|author=Luisa Kroll|date=March 7, 2014|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/03/07/forbes-worlds-billionaires-2012/|accessdate=March 8, 2014}}</ref>

To coincide with the release of the 2012 list, Forbes announced a new "Billionaire Real-Time Ticker" updating the wealth of the world's top fifty billionaires in real time.<ref name=Telegraph2012 />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$69.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|72||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$61.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|56||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$44.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|81||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$41.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|63||France||[[LVMH|LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$37.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|75||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$36.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|67||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Eike|Batista}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$30.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|55||Brazil||[[EBX Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||[[Stefan Persson (magnate)|Stefan Persson]]|| style="text-align:center;"|$26.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|64||Sweden||[[H&M]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Li|Ka-shing}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$25.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|83||Hong Kong/Canada||[[Cheung Kong Holdings]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Karl|Albrecht}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$25.4&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|92||Germany||[[Aldi]]
|}

=== 2011 ===
{{main|The World's Billionaires 2011}}

Carlos Slim added $20.5 billion to his fortune, the most of anyone, and retained his number one ranking with a total fortune of $74 billion. Bill Gates remained in second place with $56 billion, while Warren Buffett was third with $50 billion. The top 10 had a combined wealth of $406 billion, up from $342 billion in 2010.<ref name=DailyMail2011 /> According to Forbes editor Kerry Dolan, "media and technology billionaires definitely benefited from a stronger stock market and a growing enthusiasm for all things social" since the 2010 list.<ref name=Hollywood2011 /> However, Nigerian commodity mogul Aliko Dangote was the greatest gainer on a percentage basis as his fortune increased 557% to $13.5 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was one of seven Facebook-related billionaires on the list, as he $9.5 billion to his fortune to move up to 52nd. Facebook co-founder [[Dustin Moskovitz]] was the youngest person on the list. Aged 26, eight days younger than Zuckerburg, he debuted at number 420 with an estimated fortune of $2.7 billion. [[Ikea]] founder [[Ingvar Kamprad]] was the largest loser as he saw his fortune plummet from $23 billion to $6 billion, dropping him from 11th to 162nd overall.<ref name=DailyMail2011>{{cite news|title=Facebook's fortunes skyrocket on Forbes billionaires list... but no one can beat Carlos Slim|author=Daniel Bates|work=Daily Mail|date=March 11, 2011|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1364749/Forbes-Rich-List-2011-Carlos-Slim-worlds-richest-man-Facebooks-Mark-Zuckerberg-52.html|accessdate=March 13, 2014}}</ref>  

A record 1,210 billionaires made the 2011 list, representing a combined wealth of $4.5 trillion, up from $3.6 trillion the previous year.<ref name=Syracuse2011>{{cite news|title=Forbes' 2011 list of 'World's Billionaires' is biggest ever|work=Syracuse Post-Standard|author=Geoff Herbert|date=March 10, 2011|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/03/forbes_2011_list_of_worlds_bil.html|accessdate=March 15, 2014}}</ref> One third of the world's billionaires, 413, came from the United States. China had the second most billionaires with 115, while Russia was third with 101. Asia moved up to 332 billionaires, passing Europe as a region for the first time since the 1990s.<ref name=DailyMail2011 /> The 2011 list included 214 newcomers and the average net worth of those on it increased to $3.7 billion.<ref name=Hollywood2011>{{cite news|title=Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey Drop in Forbes Billionaire Ranking|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 9, 2011|author=Georg Szalai|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-oprah-winfrey-drop-166128|accessdate=March 15, 2014}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$74.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|71||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$56.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$50.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|80||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$41.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|62||France||[[LVMH|LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$39.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|66||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$31.1&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|60||India||[[Arcelor Mittal]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$31.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|74||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Eike|Batista}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$30.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|53<!--Forbes shows 53, Wikipedia bio shows 52-->||Brazil||[[EBX Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Mukesh|Ambani}}|| style="text-align:center;" |$27.0&nbsp;billion {{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|57||India||[[Reliance Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Christy|Walton}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$26.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Walmart]] 
|}

=== 2010 ===
{{Main|The World's Billionaires 2010}}
Carlos Slim narrowly eclipsed Bill Gates to top the billionaire list for the first time.  Slim saw his estimated worth surge $18.5 billion to $53.5 billion as shares of [[America Movil]] rose 35%.  Gates' estimated wealth rose $13 billion to $53 billion, placing him second. Warren Buffett was third with $47 billion.<ref name=Forbes2010>{{cite news|title=Bill Gates No Longer World's Richest Man|author=Matthew Miller|author2=Luisa Kroll |date=March 10, 2010|work=Forbes|url=http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/worlds-richest-people-slim-gates-buffett-billionaires-2010-intro.html|accessdate=March 25, 2014}}</ref>  [[Christy Walton]] was the highest ranking women, placing 12th overall, with an inherited fortune of $22.5 billion.<ref name=ChinaDaily2010>{{cite news|title=China ranks No 2 on Forbes billionaires list|date=March 11, 2010|agency=China Daily|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2010-03/11/content_9575101.htm|accessdate=March 17, 2014}}</ref>  At age 25, Mark Zuckerberg was the world's youngest billionaire.<ref name=rferl2010 />  American [[Isaac Perlmutter]] was among the top newcomers with an estimated fortunate $4 billion acquired in his sale of [[Marvel Entertainment]] to [[Disney]].<ref name=Forbes2010 />

A total of 1,011 people made the 2010.  The United States accounted for 403 billionaires, followed by China with 89 and Russia with 62.<ref name=ChinaDaily2010 />  It was the first time China, which includes Hong Kong, placed second.<ref name=Forbes2010 />  A total of 55 countries were represented on the 2010 list, including Finland and Pakistan which claimed their first billionaires.<ref name=ChinaDaily2010 /> Eighty-nine women made the list, but only 14 of them were self-made.<ref name=ChinaDaily2010 />  The combined net worth of the list was $3.6 trillion, up 50% from 2009's $2.4 trillion, while the average net worth was $3.5 billion.<ref name=rferl2010>{{cite news|title=Forbes' Rich List: Number Of New Billionaires Reflects Global Recovery|work=Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty|author=Nikola Krastev|date=March 11, 2010|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Forbes_Rich_List_Number_Of_New_Billionaires_Reflects_Global_Recovery/1980413.html|accessdate=March 25, 2014}}</ref>

The 2010 list featured 164 re-entries and 97 true newcomers.<ref name=rferl2010 />  Asia accounted for more than 100 of the new entrants.  Overall, just 12% of the list lost wealth since 2009, and 30 people fell off the list.  Thirteen others died.<ref name=Forbes2010 />  Of the 89 women, 12 were newcomers in 2010.  [[Steve Forbes]] said the growing number of billionaires was clear sign that the world's economy was recovering from 2009's global financial crisis.<ref name=rferl2010 />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
 
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}} & family|| style="text-align:center;"|$53.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|70||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$53.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|54||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$47.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|79||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Mukesh|Ambani}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$29.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|53||India||[[Reliance Industries]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$28.7&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|60||India||[[Arcelor Mittal]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$28.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|66||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$27.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|61||France||[[LVMH|LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Eike|Batista}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$27.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|53<!--Forbes shows 53, Wikipedia bio shows 52-->||Brazil||[[EBX Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$25.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|74||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Karl|Albrecht}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$23.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|90||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|}

=== 2009 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]])
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|1}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}||align="center"|$40.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|53||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|2}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett}}||align="center"|$37.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|78||United States|||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|3}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}}||align="center"|$35.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|69||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}||align="center"|$22.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|64||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Ingvar|Kamprad}}||align="center"|$22.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|83||Sweden||[[IKEA]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Karl|Albrecht}}||align="center"|$21.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|89||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|7}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Mukesh|Ambani}}||align="center"|$19.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|57||India||[[Reliance Industries]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|8}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal}}||align="center"|$19.3&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|58||India||[[Arcelor Mittal]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Theo|Albrecht}}||align="center"|$18.8&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|87<!-- not 87 check birthdate-->||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Nord]], [[Trader Joe's]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega}}||align="center"|$18.3&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|73||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
|}

=== 2008 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|- 
|align="center"|{{nts|1}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Warren |Buffett}}||align="center"|$62.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|77||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|2}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim}}||align="center"|$60.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|68||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|3}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates}}||align="center"|$58.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|52||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal}}||align="center"|$45.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|57||India||[[Arcelor Mittal]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Mukesh|Ambani}}||align="center"|$43.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|50||India||[[Reliance Industries]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Anil|Ambani}}||align="center"|$42.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|48||India||[[Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|7}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Ingvar|Kamprad}}||align="center"|$31.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}||align="center"|81||Sweden||[[IKEA]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Kushal|Pal Singh}}||align="center"|$30.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|76||India||[[DLF Group]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Oleg|Deripaska}}||align="center"|$28.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|40||Russia||[[Rusal]]
|-
|align="center"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname| Karl  |Albrecht}}||align="center"|$18.3&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||align="center"|88||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|}

=== 2007 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$56.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|51||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$52.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|76 ||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim|Carlos Slim}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$49.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|67||Mexico||[[Telmex]], [[América Móvil]], [[Grupo Carso]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||[[Ingvar Kamprad]]|| style="text-align:center;"|$33.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|80||Sweden||[[IKEA]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal|Lakshmi Mittal}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$32.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|56||India||[[Arcelor Mittal]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Sheldon|Adelson|Sheldon Adelson}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$26.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|73 ||United States||[[Las Vegas Sands]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault|Bernard Arnault}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$26.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|58||France||[[LVMH]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Amancio|Ortega|Amancio Ortega}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$24.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|71||Spain||[[Inditex Group]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Li|Ka-shing|Li Ka-shing}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$23.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|78||Hong Kong/Canada||[[Cheung Kong Holdings]], [[Hutchison Whampoa]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{loss}}||[[David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet|David Thomson]]|| style="text-align:center;"|$22.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|49||Canada||[[Thomson Corporation]]
|-
|}

=== 2006 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$52.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|50||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$42.0&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|75||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim|Carlos Slim}}||style="text-align:center;"|$30.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|66||Mexico||[[Telmex]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Ingvar|Kamprad|Ingvar Kamprad}}||style="text-align:center;"|$28.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|79||Sweden||[[IKEA]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal|Lakshmi Mittal}}||style="text-align:center;"|$23.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|55||India||[[Mittal Steel Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$22.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|53||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Bernard|Arnault|Bernard Arnault}}||style="text-align:center;"|$21.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|57||France||[[LVMH|LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|49||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Kenneth|Thomson|Kenneth Thomson}}||style="text-align:center;"|$19.6&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|82||Canada||[[The Thomson Corporation]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Li Ka|Shing|Li Ka Shing}}||style="text-align:center;"|$18.8&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|77||Hong Kong/Canada||[[Cheung Kong Group]], [[Hutchison Whampoa]] 
|-
|}

=== 2005 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$46.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|49||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$44.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|74||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Lakshmi|Mittal|Lakshmi Mittal}}||style="text-align:center;"|$25.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|54||India||[[Mittal Steel Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Carlos|Slim|Carlos Slim}}||style="text-align:center;"|$23.8&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|65||Mexico||[[Telmex]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$23.7&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|49||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Ingvar|Kamprad|Ingvar Kamprad}}||style="text-align:center;"|$23.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|79||Sweden||[[IKEA]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$21.0&nbsp;billion {{steady}}||style="text-align:center;"|52||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Karl|Albrecht}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$18.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|85||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$18.4&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|60||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$18.3&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|61||United States||[[Walmart]] 
|-
|}

=== 2004 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$46.6&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|48||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$42.9&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|73||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Karl|Albrecht}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$23.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|84||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$21.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|47||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$21.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|51||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Alice|Walton|Alice Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Helen|Walton|Helen Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|84||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton|Jim Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|56||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|John|Walton|John T. Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|58||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton|S. Robson Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|60||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|}

* Each hold an essentially equal share in [[Wal-Mart]]. Had he been alive in 2004, [[Sam Walton]] would have been the world's wealthiest person.

=== 2003 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$40.7&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|47||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$30.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|72||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||[[Karl Albrecht|Karl]] and [[Theo Albrecht]] || style="text-align:center;"|$25.6&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|83||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$20.1&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|50||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$17.7&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|46||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$16.6&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|58||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Alice|Walton|Alice Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$16.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|54||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Helen|Walton|Helen Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$16.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|83||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton|Jim Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$16.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|John|Walton|John T. Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$16.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|57||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton|S. Robson Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$16.5&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|59||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|}

* Each hold an essentially equal share in [[Wal-Mart]]. Had he been alive in 2004, [[Sam Walton]] would have been the world's wealthiest person.

=== 2002 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$52.8&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|46||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$35.0&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|71||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{profit}}||[[Karl Albrecht|Karl]] and [[Theo Albrecht]] || style="text-align:center;"|$26.8&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|82||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$25.2&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|49||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$23.5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|57||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton|Jim Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.8&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|54||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|John|Walton|John T. Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.7&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|56||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Alice|Walton|Alice Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|53||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton|S. Robson Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|58||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Helen|Walton|Helen Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$20.4&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|82||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|}

* Each hold an essentially equal share in [[Wal-Mart]]. Had he been alive in 2004, [[Sam Walton]] would have been the world's wealthiest person.

=== 2001 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$58.7&nbsp;billion {{loss}}||style="text-align:center;"|45||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$32.3&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|70||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}|| style="text-align:center;" |$30.4&nbsp;billion {{profit}} ||style="text-align:center;"|48||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}} {{loss}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$26.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{loss}}|| style="text-align:center;"|56||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}} {{steady}}||[[Karl Albrecht|Karl]] and [[Theo Albrecht]]|| style="text-align:center;"|$25.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;{{profit}}|| style="text-align:center;"|81||Germany||[[Aldi]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}} {{steady}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion {{steady}}||style="text-align:center;"|44||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Jim|Walton|Jim Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$18.8&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|53||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|John|Walton|John T. Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$18.7&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton|S. Robson Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$18.6&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|57||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Alice|Walton|Alice Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$18.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|52||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}} {{profit}}||{{sortname|Helen|Walton|Helen Walton}}*||style="text-align:center;"|$18.5&nbsp;billion {{profit}}||style="text-align:center;"|81||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|}

* Each hold an essentially equal share in [[Wal-Mart]]. Had he been alive in 2004, [[Sam Walton]] would have been the world's wealthiest person.

=== 2000 Top 10 ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! No.
! Name
! [[Net worth]] ([[USD]]) 
! Age
! [[Citizenship]]
! Source(s) of wealth
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|1}}||{{sortname|Bill|Gates|Bill Gates}}||style="text-align:center;"|$60.0&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|44||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|2}}||{{sortname|Larry|Ellison}}|| style="text-align:center;"|$47.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;|| style="text-align:center;"|55||United States||[[Oracle Corporation]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|3}}||{{sortname|Paul|Allen|Paul Allen}}||style="text-align:center;"|$28.0&nbsp;billion||style="text-align:center;"|47||United States||[[Microsoft]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|4}}||{{sortname|Warren|Buffett|Warren Buffett}}||style="text-align:center;"|$25.6&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|69||United States||[[Berkshire Hathaway]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|5}}||[[Karl Albrecht|Karl]] and [[Theo Albrecht]] || style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion&nbsp;|| style="text-align:center;"|80||Germany||[[Aldi|Aldi Süd]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|6}}||{{sortname|Prince|Al-Waleed|Prince Al-Waleed}}||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|43||Saudi Arabia||[[Kingdom Holding Company]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|7}}||{{sortname|S. Robson|Walton|S. Robson Walton}}||style="text-align:center;"|$20.0&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|57||United States||[[Wal-Mart]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|8}}||{{sortname|Masayoshi|Son|Masayoshi Son}}||style="text-align:center;"|$19.4&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|43||Japan||[[Softbank Capital]], [[SoftBank Mobile]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|9}}||{{sortname|Michael|Dell|Michael Dell}}||style="text-align:center;"|$19.1&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|46||United States||[[Dell]]
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{nts|10}}||{{sortname|Kenneth|Thomson|Kenneth Thomson}}||style="text-align:center;"|$16.1&nbsp;billion ||style="text-align:center;"|77||Canada||[[The Thomson Corporation]]
|-
|}

===Legend===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Icon
! Description
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{steady}}
| Has not changed from the previous ranking.
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{profit}}
| Has increased from the previous ranking.
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|{{loss}}
| Has decreased from the previous ranking.
|}

== Statistics ==
{{expand section|date=March 2012}}

The [[Dot-com bubble|Internet bubble]] created the most [[paper wealth]] for some billionaires. However, once the dotcom bubble burst the new rich saw their fortunes disappear.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/654053 Special Report on The New Rich], ''[[The Economist]]'', 14 June 2001.</ref> Billionaires' fortunes have been hit even harder by the [[Late-2000s financial crisis|global financial crisis]]. 2009 was the first time in five years that the world had a net loss in the number of billionaires.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/13356686 Special Report on The Rich], ''[[The Economist]]'', 4 April 2009.</ref> The strong performance of the [[financial market]]s and global economic recovery have erased [[financial asset]]s losses. Most of the richest people on the planet have seen their fortunes soar in the past few years.<ref name="Global Wealth Report">[http://www.dasinvestment.com/fileadmin/images/pictures/0907/BCG_2011_0106_Global_Wealth_Report_client_version_May2011.pdf Global Wealth Report 2011], ''[[The Boston Consulting Group]]'', 31 May 2011.</ref><ref name="World Wealth Report">[http://www.ml.com/media/114235.pdf World Wealth Report 2011], ''[[Capgemini]]'' and ''[[Merrill Lynch]]'', 22 June 2011.</ref>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Number of billionaires
! Group's combined net worth
|-
|align="center"|2014
|align="center"|1,645
|align="center"|$6.4 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2013
|align="center"|1,426
|align="center"|$5.4 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2012
|align="center"|1,226
|align="center"|$4.6 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2011
|align="center"|1,210
|align="center"|$4.5 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2010
|align="center"|1,011
|align="center"|$3.6 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|793
|align="center"|$2.4 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2008
|align="center"|1,125
|align="center"|$4.4 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|946
|align="center"|$3.5 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2006
|align="center"|793
|align="center"|$2.6 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2005
|align="center"|691
|align="center"|$2.2 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2004
|align="center"|587
|align="center"|$1.9 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2003
|align="center"|476
|align="center"|$1.4 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2002
|align="center"|497
|align="center"|$1.5 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2001
|align="center"|538
|align="center"|$1.8 trillion
|-
|align="center"|2000
|align="center"|470
|align="center"|{{hs|$0.9 trillion}}$898 billion
|}

Source: ''[[Forbes]]''.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2012/billionaires-25th-anniversary-timeline.html The World's Billionaires 25th Anniversary Timeline.]</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Luisa |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2013/03/04/inside-the-2013-billionaires-list-facts-and-figures/ |title=Inside The 2013 Billionaires List: Facts and Figures |work=Forbes |date=March 4, 2013}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of wealthiest historical figures]]
* [[Billionaire]]

==References==
;General
*2000-2010 top 10s: Rogers, Simon (March 11, 2010). [http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/mar/11/forbes-rich-list-top-ten-carlos-slim "Forbes rich list: ten years of top tens"]. ''The Guardian''.
*2011 top 10: {{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/10/billionaires_2011.html |title=The World's Billionaires 2011 |work=Forbes}}
*2012 top 10:{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9130322/Forbes-rich-list-2012-top-50.html |title=Forbes rich list 2012: top 50 |work=The Telegraph |date=March 8, 2012}}
*2013 top 10: {{cite web |last=Durgy |first=Edwin |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwindurgy/2013/03/04/the-worlds-richest-billionaires-full-list-of-the-top-500/ |title=The World's Richest Billionaires: Full List Of The Top 500 |work=Forbes |date=March 4, 2013}}
*2014 top 10: {{cite news|title=Forbes Releases 28th Annual World's Billionaires Issue|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2014/03/03/forbes-releases-28th-annual-worlds-billionaires-issue/|accessdate=3 March 2014|newspaper=Forbes|date=3 March 2014}}

;Specific
{{reflist|33em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/ ''Forbes'': The World's Billionaires]

{{Forbes Magazine Lists}}
{{Lists of billionaires}}

[[Category:Lists of people by wealth]]
[[Category:Forbes lists|Billionaires]]
[[Category:Lists of people by magazine appearance]]