Bill Gates Becomes the Richest Man in the World Again

In addition to being the richest citizen of the United States for the past twenty years, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has regained the title of the richest man in the world this year. The latest Forbes list of the 300 richest shows that Gates, with a wealth of $72 billion, is back on top.

Gates reclaimed the position from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who held this title for the past few years, but fell from the top spot due to the economic crisis and business problems.

In second place is Warren Buffett, who is also traditionally at the top of the Forbes list, currently worth $58.5 billion. In third place is Oracle founder Larry Ellison with $41 billion.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is among the biggest winners, with a personal fortune of $19 billion, placing him among the top twenty after previously slipping from the ranks of the richest. This summer, the value of Facebook’s stock surged, practically doubling, which is the main reason for such a good result.

Together with Zuckerberg, there are a total of 20 American billionaires under the age of 45 on the list this year, with the youngest being 29-year-old Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who has $5.3 billion. This wealth was achieved with only a 5 percent stake in Facebook.

The list includes 48 women, with the richest American being Christy Walton, owner of the world’s largest retail chain Walmart, who is in 6th place with $35.4 billion. Right next to her, in 7th and 8th place, are her brothers-in-law Jim and Alice Walton, both worth $33 billion.

The richest politician is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is worth $31 billion, securing him the 10th position.

After Gates, two of Microsoft’s major co-owners left the list of the 20 richest this year, although they remain at the top – Paul Allen is now in 26th place, while current Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer, who announced his upcoming departure, fell from 19th place last year to 21st position.

List of the 10 Richest (wealth, company, increase):

1. Bill Gates ($72 billion, Microsoft, + $6 billion)
2. Warren Buffett ($58.5 billion, Berkshire Hathaway, + $12.5 billion)
3. Larry Ellison ($41 billion, Oracle Even, no increase)
4. Charles Koch ($36 billion, Diversified, + $5 billion)
4. David Koch ($36 billion, Diversified, + $5 billion)
6. Christy Walton and family ($35.4 billion, Wal-Mart, + $7.5 billion)
7. Jim Walton ($33.8 billion, Wal-Mart, + $6.7 billion)
8. Alice Walton ($33.5 billion Wal-Mart + $7.2 billion)
9. S. Robson Walton ($33.3 billion, Wal-Mart, + $7.2 billion)
10. Michael Bloomberg ($31 billion, Bloomberg LP, + $6 billion)