Mexican business tycoon Carlos Slim still remains the richest person on the planet, and has topped the Forbes Rich List 2012, taking the coveted position for the third consecutive year.
Carlos Slim Helu from Mexico has once again topped the list of the richest people in the world. His businesses range from telecommunications to construction, and are at present worth $69 bn. Bills Gates takes the number two spot with a net worth of $61 bn, while Warren Buffet remains on third spot with a fortune of $44 bn. The same trio took the top three spots in the Forbes Rich List 2011.
When Forbes started the Billionaire Rich List around 25 years ago, there were 140 individuals who made it to the coveted list. As of today, there are 1,226 billionaires worldwide, with a combined net worth of $4.6 trillion. 128 made it to the list for the first time, 17 made a re-entry, 12 from the list of 2011 passed away, 117 got knocked off the list, 460 billionaires upped their net worth, 441 became poorer, and around 175 remained as rich as they were a year ago. The United States is home to the most number of billionaires, with 425.
Here are the top 10 richest people as of 2012.
| Rank | 2011 | Name | Age | Country | Net Worth in USD |
| 1 | 1 | Carlos Slim | 72 | Mexico | $69.0 bn |
| 2 | 2 | Bill Gates | 56 | USA | $61.0 bn |
| 3 | 3 | Warren Buffet | 81 | USA | $44.0 bn |
| 4 | 4 | Bernard Arnault | 63 | France | $41.0 bn |
| 5 | 7 | Amancio Ortega | 75 | Spain | $37.5 bn |
| 6 | 5 | Lawrence Ellison | 67 | USA | $36.0 bn |
| 7 | 8 | Eike Batista | 55 | Brazil | $30.0 bn |
| 8 | 13 | Stefan Persson | 64 | Sweden | $26.0 bn |
| 9 | 11 | Li Ka-shing | 83 | Hong Kong | $25.5 bn |
| 10 | 12 | Karl Albrecht | 92 | Germany | $25.4 bn |
Stefan Persson, Li Ka-shing, and Karl Albrecht move into the top 10 this year. Mukesh Ambani and Christy Walton have dropped out of the top 10 group. But one of the biggest fall in positions is that of India’s steel boss Lakshmi Mittal, who with a net worth of $20.7 bn, has fallen from last year’s sixth place to the twenty-first spot in the Forbes Rich List 2012. His net worth reduced by over $10 bn as a result of steeper costs of steel, combined with lower demand.
