The Richest People in the World Today

Random Celebrity Article By Brian Warner on November 19, 2012

Who are the richest people in the world today? This list is accurate as of November 18th, 2012 and should be read while sitting down with a drool bucket close by. These men and women have so much money it might make you do something crazy, like punch a hole in the wall or start a software/mining/oil conglomerate. You'll recognize many of the names on this list of billionaires but there are a few who might raise your eyebrows. For example, did you know that the richest person in the world is not Bill Gates? The richest person in the world is not even from The United States or Europe. Perhaps even more astounding is the fact that four people on this list come from the same family and control a combined $100+ billion. Click the image below to launch our gallery or scroll down for the full list…

And if you find this list interesting, you should check out our articles on the 30 Richest Americans Of All Time – Inflation Adjusted and the 25 Richest People Of All Time – Inflation Adjusted. The richest American of all time had $340 billion, far more than the richest person alive today when inflation is adjusted.

The Richest People in the World 2012 Gallery:

Start Gallery

The Richest People in the World Full List:

1. Carlos Slim Helú $ 70.6 billion (Telecom, mining, Philip Morris, banking)
2. Bill Gates $ 60.4 billion (Microsoft)
3. Amancio Ortega $ 51.7 billion (Zara)
4. Warren Buffett $ 46.2 billion (Berkshire Hathaway)
5. Ingvar Kamprad $ 39.9 billion (Ikea)
6. Charles Koch $ 39.4 billion (Oil)
7. David Koch $ 39.4 billion (Oil)
8. Larry Ellison $ 35.5 billion (Oracle)
9. Christy Walton $ 28.0 billion (Walmart)
10. Jim Walton $ 26.7 billion (Walmart)
11. Rob Walton $ 26.2 billion (Walmart)
12. Li Ka-Shing $ 26.0 billion (Energy, mobile, ports, hotels)
13. Alice Walton $ 25.7 billion (Walmart)
14. Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud $ 24.8 billion (Diversified investments)
15. Bernard Arnault $ 24.5 billion (LVMH – Louis Vuitton, Moet, Hennessy)
16. Liliane Bettencourt $ 24.4 billion (L'Oreal)
17. Lee Shau Kee $ 22.3 billion (Hong Kong real estate)
18. David Thomson $ 22.1 billion (Thomson Reuters news agency)
19. Mukesh Ambani $ 22.1 billion (Oil, natural gas)
20. Stefan Persson $ 22.1 billion (H&M clothing stores)
21. Karl Albrecht $ 21.6 billion (Aldi and Trader Joes super markets)
22. George Soros $ 21.5 billion (Investments)
23. Jeff Bezos $ 21.3 billion (Amazon.com)
24. Michele Ferrero $ 21.0 billion (Chocolate)
25. Sheldon Adelson $ 19.9 billion (Las Vegas Sands casino)
26. Rinat Akhmetov $ 19.9 billion (Ukrainian steel and mining)
27. Larry Page $ 19.8 billion (Google)
28. Sergey Brin $ 19.7 billion (Google)
29. John Mars $ 19.3 billion (Mars candy company)
30. Forrest Mars Jr. $ 19.3 billion (Mars candy company)
31. Jacqueline Mars $ 19.3 billion (Mars candy company)
32. Zong Qinghou $ 19.2 billion (Chinese consumer goods)
33. Dieter Schwarz $ 19.1 billion (Grocery stores in Europe)
34. Eike Batista $ 19.0 billion (Oil, gold, real estate in Brazil)
35. Iris Fontbona $ 18.7 billion (Chilean copper and banks)
36. Alberto Bailleres $ 18.7 billion (Mining, insurance, oil)
37. Gina Rinehart $ 18.5 billion (Mining)
38. Jorge Lemann $ 17.8 billion (Anheuser-Busch InBev)
39. Cheng Yu Tung $ 17.7 billion (Jewelry, Hong Kong real estate)
40. Alisher Usmanov $ 17.0 billion (Mining, Facebook, Twitter, Arsenal football club)

Brian Warner

Prior to launching Celebrity Net Worth, Brian spent seven years as the Managing Editor of one of the largest entertainment portals on the internet. Before that, Brian attended Georgetown University where he double majored in finance and marketing. A native of Northern California, Brian currently resides in Los Angeles. Follow him on Google+.

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