world billionaires 2011 forbes

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Worlds Billionaires 2011BRIC countries surge; Carlos Slim widens lead atop l ist.

Page 1 of 3Worlds Billionaires 2011 - Yahoo! Singapore Finance

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Luisa Kroll and Kerry A. Dolan, On Thursday 10 March 2011, 9:18 SGT

This 25th year of tracking global wealth was one to remember. The 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: total number of l istees (1,210)

and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion). This horde surpasses the gross domestic product of Germany, one of only six nations to have fewer

billionaires this year. BRICs led the way: Brazil, Russia, India and China produced 108 of the 214 new names. These four nations are home to

one in four members, up from one in 10 five years ago. Before this year only the U.S. had ever produced more than 100 billionaires. China now

has 115 and Russia 101.

Atop the heap is Mexico's Carlos Slim Hel, who added $20.5 billion to his fortune, more than any other billionaire. The telecom mogul, whogets 62% of his fortune from America Movil (NYSE: AMX - News), is now worth $74 billion and has pulled far ahead of his two closest

rivals. Bill Gates, No. 2, and Warren Buffett, No. 3, both added a more modest $3 billion to their piles and are now worth $56 billion and $50

billion, respectively. Gates, who now gets 70% of his fortune from investments outside of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News), has actually

been investing in the Mexican stock market and has holdings in Mexican Coke bottler Femsa and Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV - News).

While nearly all emerging markets showed solid gains, wealth creation is moving at an especially breakneck speed in Asia-Pacific. The region

now has a record 332 billionaires, up from 234 a year ago and 130 at the depth of the financial crisis in 2009. Sizzling stock markets are behind

the surge. Three-fourths of Asia's 105 newcomers get the bulk of their fortunes from stakes in publicly traded companies, 25 of which have

been public only since the start of 2010.

America's wealthiest still dominate the global ranks, but the U.S. is losing its grip. One in three billionaires is an American, down from nearly

one out of two a decade ago. It has 10 more than last year but 56 fewer than its 2008 peak. The U.S. is adding new billionaires at a much slower

pace; just 6% of its 413 billionaires are new this year compared with 47% of China's and 30% of Russia's.

Still there are plenty of inspiring newcomers who figured out clever ways to get rich. The most obvious example is the success of Facebook,

whose soaring valuation over the past couple of years based on the most recent institut ional round the company is worth $50 billion has

spawned six billionaires. Leading the group is Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped 238% to $13.5 billion in the past

year. Also joining him in the world ranks are his cofounders Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz, its first president Sean Parker (played by

Justin Timberlake in "The Social Network") and the Russian Internet investor Yuri Milner. Moskovitz, 26, is eight days younger than his

former college roommate Zuckerberg, making him the world's youngest billionaire.

The frenzy among big investors for all things social pushed up private market values of online gaming outfit Zynga and online group-buying

site Groupon, creating two more new billionaires, Mark Pincus (who taught people to farm on Facebook) and Eric Lefkofsky (who was

Groupon's lead investor).

Other notable American newcomers include Do Won and Jin Sook Chang, the cofounders of Forever21, and Chris Cline, who owns 3 billion

tons of coal reserves, mostly in Illinois.

Why do we spend so much time counting other people's money? Because these moguls have the power to shape our world. Telecom billionaire

turned prime minister Najib Mikati is keeping Lebanon's government together. Ernesto Bertarelli, who lost the America's Cup to Larry Ellison

last year, is now focusing on saving the oceans from mass extinction. Gates and Buffett have already traveled to three continents working to

change giving practices among the ultra-rich.

Where their inspiration leads, we will follow.

A note on methodology: More than 50 reporters in 13 countries worked on compiling the list this year, valuing individuals' public holdings,

private companies, real estate, yachts, art and cash. Net worths were locked in using stock prices and exchange rates from Feb. 14.

The Top 10 Billionaires in the World

No. 1 Carlos Slim Hel & family

Net Worth: $74 billion

Source: Telecom

Citizenship: Mexico

' '

Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images


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