The first Forbes ranking of billionaires in 1986 found 140 US-dollar billionaires around the world. The 2007 Forbes ranking counted a total of 946, whose total accumulated wealth measured US$3.5 trillion[2]. John D. Rockefeller was the first billionaire in 1916. (At the time The Aviator (film) came out, some sources gave this title to Howard Hughes, who became a billionaire decades later, but this is dubious.)
List of billionaires (2007)
This list of billionaires is based on an annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people compiled and published by Forbes magazine on March 8, 2007.[1] There are altogether 946 billionaires on this list, with 178 newcomers and 17 returning after some period of absence. The total net worth is an estimate measured in United States dollars, based on the closing stock prices and exchange rates on 9 February 2007.
On April 11, 2007, Forbes reported that telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helú had risen to become the world's second richest man.[2] Later, the Wall Street Journal on August 4, 2007 and Fortune Magazine on August 6, 2007 reported that Carlos Slim Helú had topped Bill Gates' position as the wealthiest person in the world.[3][4][5] Due to exchange rates, stock valuations, and the overall impossibility of selling all shares at an equal price, the top three placeholders are statistically indistinguishable.[citation needed] The combined net worth of the list is US$3.5 trillion, a US$900 billion increase from 2006.[6]
The world's wealthiest billionaires
Bill Gates
Warren Buffett
Carlos Slim Helú
Ingvar Kamprad
Lakshmi Mittal
Top billionaires
The following list is the ranking of the world's richest billionaires on February 9, 2007, and does not reflect changes since that date.
# Name Net Worth Citizenship Source
1 Bill Gates[7] US$56.0 billion United States Microsoft, investment
2 Warren Buffett[7] US$52.0 billion United States Berkshire Hathaway, investment
3 Carlos Slim Helú[7] US$49.0 billion Mexico Telmex, América Móvil, Grupo Carso, Comp USA
4 Ingvar Kamprad US$33.0 billion Sweden IKEA, IKANO, real estate
5 Lakshmi Mittal US$32.0 billion India Arcelor Mittal
6 Sheldon Adelson US$26.5 billion United States Las Vegas Sands
7 Bernard Arnault US$26.0 billion France LVMH
8 Amancio Ortega US$24.0 billion Spain Inditex Group, real estate
9 Li Ka-shing US$23.0 billion Hong Kong Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa
10 David Thomson and family US$22.0 billion Canada Thomson Corporation
11 Lawrence Ellison US$21.5 billion United States Oracle Corporation
12 Liliane Bettencourt US$20.7 billion France L'Oréal, Nestle
13 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud US$20.3 billion Saudi Arabia Kingdom Holding Company
14 Mukesh Ambani US$20.1 billion India Reliance Industries Ltd
15 Karl Albrecht US$20.0 billion Germany ALDI
16 Roman Abramovich US$18.7 billion Russia Millhouse Capital
17 Stefan Persson US$18.4 billion Sweden Hennes & Mauritz
18 Anil Ambani US$18.2 billion India Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group
19 Paul Allen US$18.0 billion United States Microsoft, Vulcan Ventures, investment
20 Theo Albrecht US$17.5 billion Germany ALDI, Trader Joes, Albertsons
21 Azim Premji US$17.1 billion India Wipro Technologies
22 Lee Shau Kee US$17.0 billion Hong Kong Henderson Land Development
23 Jim Walton US$16.8 billion United States Wal-Mart
24 Christy Walton and family US$16.7 billion United States Wal-Mart inheritance
24 S. Robson Walton US$16.7 billion United States Wal-Mart
26 Sergey Brin US$16.6 billion United States Google
26 Larry Page US$16.6 billion United States Google
26 Alice Walton US$16.6 billion United States Wal-Mart inheritance
29†[8] Helen Walton US$16.4 billion United States Wal-Mart inheritance
30 Michael Dell US$15.8 billion United States Dell, investment
31 Steven Ballmer US$15.0 billion United States Microsoft
31 Kirk Kerkorian US$15.0 billion United States Tracinda Corporation
31 Raymond, Thomas and Walter Kwok US$15.0 billion Hong Kong Sun Hung Kai & Company
34 François Pinault US$14.5 billion France PPR
35 Suleiman Kerimov US$14.4 billion Russia Gazprom, Sberbank
36 Vladimir Lisin US$14.3 billion Russia Novolipetsk Steel
37 Jack C. Taylor and family US$13.9 billion United States Enterprise Rent-A-Car
38 Vladimir Potanin US$13.5 billion Russia Interros
38 Mikhail Prokhorov US$13.5 billion Russia Interros
40 Oleg Deripaska US$13.3 billion Russia Rusal
40 Michael Otto and family US$13.3 billion Germany Otto GmbH
42 Carl Icahn US$13.0 billion United States TWA
42 Abigail Johnson US$13.0 billion United States Fidelity Investments
44 Adolf Merckle US$12.8 billion Germany Phoenix Pharmahandel
45 Barbara Cox Anthony US$12.6 billion United States Cox Enterprises
45 Anne Cox Chambers US$12.6 billion United States Cox Enterprises
45 Mikhail Fridman US$12.6 billion Russia Alfa Group
48 Vagit Alekperov US$12.4 billion Russia LUKoil
49 Charles Koch US$12.0 billion United States Koch Industries
49 David Koch US$12.0 billion United States Koch Industries
51 Silvio Berlusconi and family US$11.8 billion Italy Fininvest
52 Nasser Al-Kharafi and family US$11.5 billion Kuwait M. A. Kharafi & Sons
52 Leonardo Del Vecchio US$11.5 billion Italy Luxottica
54 Alexei Mordashov US$11.2 billion Russia Severstal
55 Duke of Westminster and family US$11.0 billion United Kingdom Grosvenor Group
55 Spiro Latsis and family US$11.0 billion Greece EFG Bank European Financial Group
55 Birgit Rausing and family US$11.0 billion Sweden Tetra Laval
58 Forrest Edward Mars, Jr. US$10.5 billion United States Mars, Incorporated
58 Jacqueline Mars US$10.5 billion United States Mars, Incorporated
58 John Mars US$10.5 billion United States Mars, Incorporated
61 Viktor Vekselberg US$10.4 billion Russia Renova Group
62 Serge Dassault and family US$10.0 billion France Dassault Group
62 Charles Ergen US$10.0 billion United States EchoStar Communications Corporation
62 Michele Ferrero and family US$10.0 billion Italy Ferrero SpA
62 Naguib Sawiris US$10.0 billion Egypt Orascom Telecom Holding
62 Kushal Pal Singh US$10.0 billion India DLF Group
62 Alain and Gerard Wertheimer US$10.0 billion France Chanel
68 Susanne Klatten US$9.6 billion Germany Altana, BMW
69 Philip Knight US$9.5 billion United States Nike Inc.
69 Sunil Mittal and family US$9.5 billion India Bharti Telecom
71 John Kluge US$9.1 billion United States Metromedia
71 Vladimir Yevtushenkov US$9.1 billion Russia Sistema
73 Rupert Murdoch US$9.0 billion United States News Corporation
73 Hans Rausing US$9.0 billion Sweden Tetra Laval
73 Reinhold Würth US$9.0 billion Germany Würth
76 Ernesto Bertarelli US$8.8 billion Switzerland Serono
76 Pierre Omidyar US$8.8 billion United States eBay
78 Maria-Elisabeth and Georg Schaeffler US$8.7 billion Germany Schaeffler Group
79 Rafael del Pino and family US$8.6 billion Spain Ferrovial
80 Donald Bren US$8.5 billion United States Irvine Company
80 George Kaiser US$8.5 billion United States BOK Financial Corporation
80 George Soros US$8.5 billion United States Soros Fund Management
83 Nikolai Tsvetkov US$8.4 billion Russia Nikoil Financial
83 August von Finck US$8.4 billion Germany Allianz
85 Dan Duncan US$8.2 billion United States Enterprise Products
86 Mohammed Al Amoudi US$8.0 billion Saudi Arabia Corral Petroleum Holdings
86 Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair and family US$8.0 billion United Arab Emirates MashreqBank
86 Kumar Birla US$8.0 billion India Aditya Birla Group
86 German Khan US$8.0 billion Russia Alfa Group
86 Iskander Makhmudov US$8.0 billion Russia Uralskaya Gorno-Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya
86 Sumner Redstone US$8.0 billion United States National Amusements
86 Shashi and Ravi Ruia US$8.0 billion India Essar
93 Philip Anschutz US$7.9 billion United States The Anschutz Corporation
93 Galen Weston and family US$7.9 billion Canada Associated British Foods
95 Enrique Bañuelos US$7.7 billion Spain Astroc
96 Stefan Quandt US$7.6 billion Germany BMW
97 Maan Al-Sanea US$7.5 billion Saudi Arabia Saad Group
97 Edward Johnson III US$7.5 billion United States Fidelity Investments
99 Sulaiman Al Rajhi US$7.4 billion Saudi Arabia Al-Rajhi Bank
100 Donald Newhouse US$7.3 billion United States Condé Nast Publications
100 Samuel Newhouse Jr US$7.3 billion United States Condé Nast Publications
