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Bloomberg’s 2012 List of the Top 50 Richest People in the World
They make flip-flops and pet food. They sell miniskirts and motorcars. They mine iron ore and distribute soda. Their net worth totals $2.7 trillion, about the size of the gross domestic product of France, the fifth-biggest economy on the planet.
Bloomberg Markets’ inaugural list of the world’s richest people, in the magazine’s December 2012 issue, showcases the billionaires who pull the levers on the global economy. We took a snapshot of Bloomberg’s exclusive daily wealth ranking, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, to identify the megarich and quantify their fortunes this year through Oct. 5.
The ranking shows who’s on top (America Movil SAB Chairman Emeritus Carlos Slim, with a net worth of $77.5 billion), who’s faltering (Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who’s down $6.8 billion since Jan. 1) and who’s just wealthy enough to make our top 200 (SAS Institute Inc. co-founder John Sall, who’s worth $5.8 billion).
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, both in the top five, are household names. Yet nobody racked up billions faster than relatively unknown No. 3, Amancio Ortega of Spain. The 76-year-old founded Inditex SA, the world’s largest clothing retailer, which is known for its more than 1,600 trendy Zara stores. He made more than $18 billion from the start of the year through Oct. 5 – or about $66 million a day. That windfall was more than enough for the Spanish tycoon to eclipse Buffett – who’s now No. 4, with $48.4 billion as of Oct. 5.
Ortega’s ascent coincides with an overall rise in retail stocks. Low cotton costs, cheap credit and demand for reasonably priced goods have driven shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Inditex to records. Nine of the world’s 25 wealthiest people are retail moguls. Among them are Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, four members of the Walton family that controls Wal-Mart and Stefan Persson, the largest shareholder in Swedish clothing giant Hennes & Mauritz AB.
Bloomberg News unmasked more than 30 hidden billionaires this year. Brazil’s Dirce Navarro de Camargo inherited her late husband’s industrial conglomerate, Camargo Correa SA, in 1994. Elaine Tettemer Marshall controls 15 percent of Koch Industries Inc., the second-largest closely held company in the U.S. With fortunes of about $12 billion each, both women remain billions shy of Gina Rinehart, the richest woman in the Asia-Pacific region. She’s squabbling with her children over the family’s $19.1 billion minerals empire.
Bloomberg News also revealed Zong Qinghou as mainland China’s richest man, who had a net worth of $20.1 billion on Oct. 5. The once poor soda seller today commands the Hangzhou Wahaha Group Co. beverage empire. With soft drinks producing hard cash, wealth creation is booming in China – and beyond.
Below is a list of Bloomberg’s Top 25 Richest People in the World:
Net worth: $77.5 billion
YTD change: + $15.6 billion / + 25.3%
Source of wealth: America Movil
Industry: Telecommunications
Citizenship: Mexico
Age: 72
Net worth: $64.4 billion
YTD change: + $8.7 billion / + 15.7%
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 57
Net worth: $53.6 billion
YTD change: + $18.4 billion / + 52.1%
Source of wealth: Inditex
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Spain
Age: 76
Net worth: $48.4 billion
YTD change: + $5.7 billion / + 13.2%
Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
Industry: Finance
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 82
Net worth: $41.8 billion
YTD change: + $5.0 billion / + 13.7%
Source of wealth: IKEA
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Sweden
Age: 86
Net worth: $38.6 billion
YTD change: + $4.8 billion / + 14.1%
Source of wealth: Koch Industries
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 77
Net worth: $38.6 billion
YTD change: + $4.8 billion / + 14.1%
Source of wealth: Koch Industries
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 72
Net worth: $37.2 billion
YTD change: $4.2 billion / + 12.8%
Source of wealth: Oracle
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 68
Net worth: $30.5 billion
YTD change: + $5.4 billion / + 21.4%
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart Stores
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 57
Net worth: $29.3 billion
YTD change: + $5.8 billion / + 24.7%
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart Stores
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 64
Net worth: $28.7 billion
YTD change: + $5.7 billion / + 24.7%
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart Stores
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 68
Net worth: $28.2 billion
YTD change: + $5.6 billion / + 25.0%
Source of wealth: Wal-Mart Stores
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 63
Net worth: $27.0 billion
YTD change: + $4.8 billion / + 21.8%
Source of wealth: Cheung Kong Holdings
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: Hong Kong
Age: 84
Net worth: $26.0 billion
YTD change: + $4.7 billion / + 21.8%
Source of wealth: Reliance Industries
Industry: Energy
Citizenship: India
Age: 55
Net worth: $24.7 billion
YTD change: + $4.5 billion / + 22.1%
Source of wealth: L’Oreal
Industry: Manufacturing
Citizenship: France
Age: 90
Net worth: $24.7 billion
YTD change: + $2.9 billion / + 13.1%
Source of wealth: Hennes & Mauritz
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Sweden
Age: 65
Net worth: $24.2 billion
YTD change: + $7.6 / + 45.5%
Source of wealth: Amazon.com
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 48
Net worth: $24.1 billion
YTD change: + $3.4 billion / + 16.4%
Source of wealth: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: France
Age: 63
Net worth: $23.0 billion
YTD change: + $3.1 billion / + 15.9%
Source of wealth: Google
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 39
20. Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud
Net worth: $22.9 billion
YTD change: + $5.6 billion / + 32.0%
Source of wealth: Kingdom Holding
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: Saudi Arabia
Age: 57
Net worth: $22.9 billion
YTD change: + $1.3 billion / + 5.8%
Source of wealth: Thomson Reuters
Industry: Media
Citizenship: Canada
Age: 55
Net worth: $22.8 billion
YTD change: + $3.1 / + 15.7%
Source of wealth: Google
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 39
Net worth: $22.7 billion
YTD change: + $6.1 billion / + 36.7%
Source of wealth: Henderson Land Development
Industry: Real Estate
Citizenship: Hong Kong
Age: 84
Net worth: $22.7 billion
YTD change: – $0.20 billion / – 0.9%
Source of wealth: Aldi
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Germany
Age: 92
Net worth: $22.5 billion
YTD change: + $1.4 billion / + 6.4%
Source of wealth: Ferrero
Industry: Food and Beverage
Citizenship: Italy
Age: 87
Net worth: $21.9 billion
YTD change: + $0.64 billion / + 3.0%
Source of wealth: Soros Fund Management
Industry: Finance
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 82
Net worth: $21.3 billion
YTD change: + $1.4 billion / + 6.9%
Source of wealth: Las Vegas Sands
Industry: Service
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 79
Net worth: $20.4 billion
YTD change: – $2.1 billion / – 9.3%
Source of wealth: OGX Petroleo & Gas Participacoes
Industry: Energy
Citizenship: Brazil
Age: 56
Net worth: $20.2 billion
YTD change: + $2.7 billion / + 15.8%
Source of wealth: Antofagasta
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: Chile
Age: n/a
Net worth: $20.1 billion
YTD change: + $0.90 billion / + 4.7%
Source of wealth: Hangzhou Wahaha Group
Industry: Food and Beverage
Citizenship: China
Age: 67
Net worth: $19.8 billion
YTD change: + $0.90 billion / + 4.8%
Source of wealth: Mars
Industry: Food and Beverage
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 77
Net worth: $19.8 billion
YTD change: + $0.90 billion / + 4.8%
Source of wealth: Mars
Industry: Food and Beverage
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 81
Net worth: $19.8 billion
YTD change: + $0.90 billion / + 4.8%
Source of wealth: Mars
Industry: Food and Beverage
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 72
34. Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez
Net worth: $19.5 billion
YTD change: + $2.4 billion / + 14.0%
Source of wealth: Industrias Peñoles
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: Mexico
Age: 81
Net worth: $19.3 billion
YTD change: – $0.72 billion / –3.6%
Source of wealth: Lidl
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Germany
Age: 73
Net worth: $19.1 billion
YTD change: – $1.1 billion / –5.4%
Source of wealth: Hancock Prospecting
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: Australia
Age: 58
Net worth: $19.1 billion
YTD change: + $6.8 billion / + 54.9%
Source of wealth: Anheuser-Busch InBev
Industry: Finance
Citizenship: Brazil
Age: 73
Net worth: $18.9 billion
YTD change: + $4.5 billion / + 31.5%
Source of wealth: Metinvest
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: Ukraine
Age: 46
Net worth: $18.7 billion
YTD change: – $1.5 billion / – 7.3%
Source of wealth: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group
Industry: Retail
Citizenship: Hong Kong
Age: 87
Net worth: $18.0 billion
YTD change: + $0.66 billion / + 3.8%
Source of wealth: Metalloinvest
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: Russia
Age: 59
41. Lakshmi Mittal
Net worth: $17.4 billion
YTD change: – $0.88 billion / – 4.8%
Source of wealth: ArcelorMittal
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: India
Age: 62
42. Leonid Mikhelson
Net worth: $16.9 billion
YTD change: + $0.11 billion / + 0.7%
Source of wealth: Novatek
Industry: Diversified
Citizenship: Russia
Age: 57
43. Viktor Vekselberg
Net worth: $16.8 billion
YTD change: + $2.8 billion / + 19.8%
Source of wealth: TNK-BP International
Industry: Energy
Citizenship: Russia
Age: 55
44. Vladimir Lisin
Net worth: $16.7 billion
YTD change: + $2.6 billion / + 18.5%
Source of wealth: Novolipetsk Steel
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: Russia
Age: 56
45. Luis Carlos Sarmiento
Net worth: $16.5 billion
YTD change: + $1.3 billion / + 8.8%
Source of wealth: Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores
Industry: Finance
Citizenship: Colombia
Age: 79
46. Carl Icahn
Net worth: $15.8 billion
YTD change: – $0.36 billion / – 2.2%
Source of wealth: Icahn Enterprises
Industry: Finance
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 76
47. Azim Premji
Net worth: $15.5 billion
YTD change: – $0.52 billion / –3.2%
Source of wealth: Wipro
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: India
Age: 67
48. Alexey Mordashov
Net worth: $15.0 billion
YTD change: + $4.0 billion / 36.6%
Source of wealth: Severstal
Industry: Metals and Mining
Citizenship: Russia
Age: 47
49. Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $15.0 billion
YTD change: + $1.6 billion / 11.6%
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Industry: Technology
Citizenship: U.S.
Age: 56
50. Ernesto Bertarelli
Net worth: $14.8 billion
YTD change: + $2.5 billion / + 20.7%
Source of wealth: Serono
Industry: Medical
Citizenship: Switzerland
Age: 47
Source: The World’s 200 Richest People (Bloomberg)
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2012-11-09 04:11:11
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