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 world’s 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 China’s 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 shareholder Kenneth Langone, who returns following a rebound in the retailer’s stock.
The gap between the world’s two richest people, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, narrowed further this year, though Gates hung on to his superlative title for the eleventh year.
The third-richest person in the world, steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, is this year’s 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 Poland’s 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 Canada’s french fry king Harrison McCain and Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Our rankings represent a snapshot of wealth taken on Feb. 11, the date we priced publicly held stocks. That’s why chemical maker Jon Huntsman’s net worth does not reflect the 15 percent run-up in the stock since his company went public on Feb. 14.
