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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is
still the richest man in the world, but his lead over other
entrepreneurs is narrowing, according to Forbes magazine’s list of
billionaires published Thursday.
Despite Gates
leading the rich list for a 13th straight year with a tidy nest egg
of $56 billion, US investment guru Warren Buffett’s personal
fortune climbed to $52 billion, halving the software mogul’s lead.
There were now
a record 946 billionaires in the world, up more than 150 from last
year, with Forbes attributing the increase to a commodities boom,
the march of technology and the relative weakness of the US dollar.
There were
three Filipinos on Forbes’ list. Jaime Zobel de Ayala of the Ayala
group of companies and shopping mall tycoon Henry Sy tied for No.
349, with $2.6 billion each.
Taipan Lucio
Tan was No. 407 with $2.3 billion.
The list’s
total net worth grew 35 percent from last year to a staggering $3.5
trillion, with Mexican telecoms mogul Carlos Slim Helu jumping into
third place with a massive $19-billion increase in his net worth.
“This growth
in the billionaires list is a mere reflection of a dynamic global
economy. More people are better off on this Earth than ever
before,” said Steve Forbes, the magazine’s editor in chief,
unveiling the list.
“This boom
goes beyond commodities. One of the things that has facilitated this
global boom, bringing hundreds of millions of people into the global
economy is, of course, technology,” he added.
“This is the
richest year in human history.”
While the 20th
annual list was dominated as usual by US businessmen, Russian
oligarchs and Asian entrepreneurs—especially those from India and
China—were increasingly making their presence felt.
Some 36 Indian
billionaires led by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal now featured on the
list boasting a total wealth of $191 billion between them, knocking
out Japan after two decades as the leading Asian power on the list.
(See related story on Page B4)
In Europe, the
most excitement came from Russia and Spain, Kroll explained, with 10
new Spanish names on the list and 19 Russian newcomers.
“The
Russians are, on average, 46 years old. That’s 16 years younger
than the average 62-year-old billionaires,” she said.
Forbes,
however, urged some caution, saying some of the fortunes in the
former Soviet Union did not appear sustainable in the long term.
“If there is
a fall-off of commodity prices . . . does it have the breadth and
depth to take up the slack?” he asked of the Russian economy.
Oil kingpin
and Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich remained the top
dog in Russia with $18.7 billion, with his 52 billionaire countrymen
owing their fortunes mainly to oil, steel, mining and metals.
The richest
woman on the list was Liliane Bettencourt, 84, of France, the
daughter of L’Oreal founder Eugene Schueller, who ranked at number
12 with $20.7 billion.
While the
average age for the richest was 62, the youngest billionaire was a
German, Albert von Thurn Und Taxis, only 23 years old, who inherited
his wealth that includes 30,000 hectares of woodland. He still lives
with his mother and older sisters, in a family castle in Regensburg.
Another of the
youngest billionaires was entirely self-made, China’s William
Ding, 36, who started his company, NetEase, as an Internet portal
and then shifted the focus to online gaming.
In the Middle
East, Turkey emerged with the most billionaires, beating Saudi
Arabia into second place and Israel into third.
Howard Schultz
of Starbucks was a new entrant to the list. Former Disney chief
Michael Eisner also made his debut, thanks mostly to his rising
stock in the company
Other familiar
faces were Google executives Larry Page and Sergey Brin, now worth
$16.6 billion each, Dell founder Michael Dell worth $15.8 billion
and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi with $11.8
billion.
Google’s
rise was emblematic of the rapid growth in fortunes of more than
just a handful of entrepreneurs in recent years. “In the last five
years . . . despite all the turmoil in the world, all the conflict
in the world, the global economy in real terms expanded over 25
percent. Never in history has there been such an advance,” said
Steve Forbes.
 --AFP
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