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The World's Billionaires

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The richest people in the world have gotten poorer, just like the rest of us. This year the world's billionaires have an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months. The world now has 793 billionaires, down from 1,125 a year ago.



After slipping in recent years, the U.S. is regaining its dominance as a repository of wealth. Americans account for 44% of the money and 45% of the list's slots, up seven and three percentage points from last year, respectively. Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world's richest man. Warren Buffett, last year's No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion.



More ...



Billionaire Bust

Last year the world had 1,125 billionaires. Today there are 793. How $1.4 trillion vanished.



In Pictures: The World's Billionaires



Complete Methodology

IN PICTURES
New Billionaires Who Made Billions More
Notable Drop-offs Biggest Losers
Homes Of The Billionaires Celebrity Billionaires
Women We Admire Top Billionaire Cities
The Cost Of Living Large Billionaire Toys For Sale
Eligible Billionaires Richest Europeans
Russian Drop-offs Chinese Drop-offs
Japanese Drop-offs Indian Drop-offs
Obituaries
SEARCH LIST
Name:

SORT LIST BY
Rank Name Citizenship
Age Net Worth Residence
FEATURED

I Just Can't Wait to Be King

Kerry A. Dolan

Royal obsession: Alwaleed minds his portfolio, even at his desert retreat.



Last Man Standing

Anita Raghavan

Two years after being all but written off, metals mogul Mikhail D. Prokhorov is back--as the richest man in Russia.



Une Affaire de Famille

Joshua Levine

The unhappy fallout between Europe's richest woman and her daughter--and the man in the middle.



Billionaire Acrobatics

Matthew Miller

How Cirque du Soleil's fire-breathing billionaire Guy Laliberte actually got richer in 2008.



Cocaine King

Jesse Bogan

Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, is one of 38 new billionaires.



Where The (Still) Rich And Single Mingle

Maureen Farrell

From Monaco in May to Dubai in December, this is where the party keeps rocking.



The Gulf's Newest Billionaire

Devon Pendleton

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahayan of Abu Dhabi is spreading his wealth in the U.K., gaining fans--and a few foes.



Battle Of The Billionaires

Daniel Fisher

The next race for the America's Cup could be decided a long way from the water.



Campus Politics

Megha Bahree

If the protests die down and the bureaucracy speeds up, India might just get a giant new university. Mining magnate Anil Agarwal is putting $1 billion into this dream.

THE BILLIONAIRES
  1. William Gates III
  2. Warren Buffett
  3. Carlos Slim Helú
  4. Lawrence Ellison
  5. Ingvar Kamprad
  6. Karl Albrecht
  7. Mukesh Ambani
  8. Lakshmi Mittal
  9. Theo Albrecht
  10. Amancio Ortega
  11. Jim Walton
  12. Alice Walton
  13. Christy Walton
  14. S Robson Walton
  15. Bernard Arnault
  16. Li Ka-shing
  17. Michael Bloomberg
  18. Stefan Persson
  19. Charles Koch
  20. David Koch
  21. View The Complete List
VIDEO

Top Billionaire: Bill Gates

The financial crisis wiped out much wealth, but Gates, Buffett and Slim are still on top.



Celebrity Billionaires

Oprah, Donald Trump and Richard Branson's billion-dollar star power.



Times Square Billionaire

Leon Charney on real estate fortune and where to invest now.



Prince Alwaleed's Royal Future

Saudi billionaire opens up about his investments and the possibility of becoming king.



Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberte

MAP

Surveying the Damage

Wealth has vanished all over the world. This map depicts the change in the number of billionaires in each country over the past 12 months.



Edited by Luisa Kroll, Matthew Miller and Tatiana Serafin.



Reported by: Steven Bertoni, Andrew Farrell, Erin Gell, Duncan Greenberg, Claire Obusan, Devon Pendleton, Keren Blankfeld Schultz, Cristina von Zeppelin, Russell Flannery, Naazneen Karmali, Nilgün Balci Cavdar, Kerry A.Dolan, Maha Atal, Jesse Bogan, Forbes Turkey, Forbes Russia, Asher Hawkins, Nikolai Mazurin, Maxim Kashulinsky, Ozer Turan.



Photos and graphics: Michele Hadlow, Gail Toivanen, Stephen Aviano and David Lada



Additional Reporting by: Susan Adams, Monte Burke, Laurie Burkitt, Heidi Brown, Danni Cao, Maggie Chen, Bernard Condon, Helen Coster, Stephane Fitch, Forbes Poland, Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Christopher Helman, Evan Hessel, Soyoung Ho, Clarita Jones, C.N. Krishnakumar, Emily Lambert, Suzanne Nam, Lan Anh Nguyen, Jacek Pochlopien, Susan Radlauer, Lucinda Schmidt, Tim Treadgold, Chaniga Vorasarun, Rodman Williams, Jiang Yan.



Database Management: Mitchel Rand.



Online: Michael Noer (Editor); Jane Colihan, David M. Ewalt, Kai Hecker, Merrilee Santoro