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106-445: Carlos Slim Helú ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos esˈlin eˈlu; - esˈlim -] ; born 28 January 1940) is a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. From 2010 to 2013, Slim was ranked as the richest person in the world by Forbes business magazine. He derived his fortune from his extensive holdings in a considerable number of Mexican companies through his conglomerate , Grupo Carso . As of December 2023,
212-496: A syndicate holding structure the Austrian state holding company OIAG's 28% are combined with Slim's 27% ownership. América Móvil will spend as much as US$ 2 billion to buy out minority shareholders in a mandatory public offer and invest up to 1 billion euros ( US$ 1.38 billion ) into the company, which it sees as "platform for expansion into central and eastern Europe". Labor representatives boycotted attending
318-843: A $ 15 billion listing of América Móvil SA on the New York Stock Exchange. Telmex has taken numerous stakes of various international cellular telephone operators outside of Mexico, including the Brazilian ATL and Telecom Americas concerns, Techtel in Argentina , and others in Guatemala and Ecuador . In subsequent years, the company made further investments across Latin America, with companies in Colombia , Nicaragua , Peru , Chile , Honduras , and El Salvador , well as
424-483: A Mexican chemical maker. Slim realized windfall profits in the early 1990s when the Mexican government began privatizing its telecom industry. Capitalizing on the bevy of potential business opportunities that could crop up and be exploited through this political change motivated Slim and his conglomerate Grupo Carso to acquire Telmex, a landline telecommunications operator from the Mexican government. In 1990, Grupo Carso
530-762: A Mexican real estate agency and holding company. Companies in the Mexican construction, soft drink, printing, real estate, bottling and mining industries were the initial focus of Slim's burgeoning business career. He later expanded his business operations and commercial activities by venturing into numerous industries across the Mexican economy including auto parts, aluminum, airlines, chemicals, tobacco, cable and wire manufacturing, paper and packaging, copper and mineral extraction, tires, cement, retail, hotels, beverage distributors, telecommunications and financial services (Slim's Grupo Financiero Inbursa sells insurance and manages mutual funds and pension plans for millions of ordinary Mexicans). By 1972, he had established or acquired
636-509: A billionaire, Thor Bjorgolfsson , in the list after a gap of five years. Guatemala had a billionaire, Mario Lopez Estrada , for the first time in its history. Gates added $ 9 billion to his fortune since 2013 and topped the Forbes 2014 billionaire list. He had topped the list in 15 of the previous 20 years, but his previous number one ranking was in 2009. Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim came in second place after being number one
742-467: A competitive edge in the business world, especially when analyzing the financial statements of prospective companies while making his business decisions as well as evaluating potential investment acquisitions and stock purchases. After graduating from university in 1961, Slim launched his business career by starting off as a stock trader in Mexico, often working 14-hour days to make a name for himself in
848-521: A cover story profiling Slim. The article said, "While the market value of his stake in publicly traded companies could decline at any time, at the moment he is probably wealthier than Bill Gates ". According to The Wall Street Journal , Slim credits part of his ability to "discover investment opportunities" early to the writings of his friend, futurist author Alvin Toffler . On 8 August 2007, Fortune magazine reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as
954-613: A further seven businesses in these industry categories, which included the acquisition of a construction equipment rental company. In 1980, he consolidated his business interests by forming Grupo Galas as the parent company of a conglomerate that had interests in industrial manufacturing , construction , mining , retail , food, and tobacco . In 1982, the Mexican economy contracted rapidly . As many banks were struggling and foreign investors were cutting back on investing and scurrying, Slim began investing heavily and acquired shares in
1060-475: A growing enthusiasm for all things social" since the 2010 list. However, Nigerian commodity mogul Aliko Dangote was the greatest gainer on a percentage basis as his fortune increased 557 percent to $ 13.5 billion. Mark Zuckerberg was one of seven Facebook-related billionaires on the list, as he added $ 9.5 billion to his net worth to move up to 52nd. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz was the youngest person on
1166-459: A hotel chain and in 1993, he increased his stakes in General Tire , an American tiremaker and a distributor of aluminum profiles and aluminum concern Grupo Aluminio to the point where he had a majority interest in the company. In 1996, Slim split Grupo Carso into three separate constituent companies: Carso Global Telecom, Grupo Carso, and Invercorporación. In the following year, Slim bought
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#17327825407301272-729: A joint venture with the American software house, Microsoft called Tlmsn, a Spanish-language web portal. In 2005, Slim invested in Volaris , a Mexican airline and founded Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina SAB de CV (using the acronym "IDEAL"—roughly translated as "Promoter of Development and Employment in Latin America"), a Mexican construction and civil engineering company primarily engaged in not-for-profit infrastructure development. Since 2006, IDEAL won three infrastructure contracts yet it faces stiff competition from
1378-559: A majority stake in Mixup, Mexico's most successful retail music store that comprises a chain of 117-store Mexican retailers Mixup also generated more than US$ 320 million in revenue in 2014. In March 2015, Slim made his presence known in the Spanish business scene by buying stakes in various troubled Spanish companies while perusing potential acquisitions across Europe. Slim's investment company, Inmobiliaria Carso, announced it will buy
1484-492: A manifold of stakes across a wide range of industries, thereby making the overall conglomerate nearly recession-proof in the event that one or more industry sectors of the Mexican economy underperform. Amidst the Mexican economic downturn before its gradual recovery in 1985, Slim invested heavily by snapping up numerous Mexican flagship companies for pennies on the dollar. He purchased all or a sizeable percentage of numerous Mexican businesses outright at significant discounts. Among
1590-406: A mixture of the two. The United States had 492 billionaires on the list, the most of any country. It also had the most newcomers with 50, and women with 54. China had the second most billionaires with 152, while Russia was third with 111. Algeria , Lithuania , Tanzania , and Uganda were all represented on the list for the first time. Turkey saw the most people drop off the list, 19, due to
1696-460: A non-profit subsidiary construction and engineering firm within Grupo Carso. During the same year, Slim underwent heart surgery and subsequently passed on much of his day-to-day corporate involvement to his children and their spouses. América Telecom, the holding company for América Móvil, was incorporated in 2000. Concurrently, Telmex also spun off its international cellular phone division for
1802-575: A number of major US retailers such as Barnes & Noble , OfficeMax , Office Depot , Circuit City , Borders , and CompUSA . Much of the rationale behind Slim's international commercial expansion beyond Mexico was due to a running joke in Mexican business circles that "there was nothing left to acquire in Mexico." He set up a Telmex USA branch and also acquired a stake in Tracfone , an American cellular telephone operator. Concurrently, Slim established Carso Infraestructura y Construcción, S. A. (CICSA) as
1908-518: A number of other Mexican and Spanish construction companies. In 2007, after having amassed a 50.1% stake in the Cigatam tobacco manufacturer, Slim sold a large portion of his equity to Philip Morris for US$ 1.1 billion. During the same year, Slim sold off his entire stake of Porcelanite for US$ 800 million, a Mexican tile-maker that he acquired back in 1990. He also licensed the Saks name and opened
2014-408: A period of high inflation in the country. Carlos Slim topped the 2013 billionaire list, marking his fourth consecutive year at the top. Gates remained in second, while Amancio Ortega moved up to third. Ortega's gain of $ 19.5 billion was the largest of anyone on the list. Warren Buffett failed to make the top three for the first time since 2000, placing fourth. Diesel founder Renzo Rosso was among
2120-505: A plethora of Mexican flagship businesses outright at depressed valuations. Much of Slim's business dealings involved a simple strategy, which entails buying a business and retaining it for its cash flow , or eventually selling the stake at a greater profit in future, thereby netting the capital gains as well as reinvesting the initial principal into a new business. In addition, the complexity of Grupo Carso's corporate conglomerate structural labyrinth web of companies allows Slim to purchase
2226-464: A prominent American newspaper publisher. Slim increased his stake to 8% by 2012. Slim's stake in the Times increased again to 16.8% of the company's Class A shares on 20 January 2015 when he exercised stock options to purchase 15.9 million shares, making him the largest shareholder in the company. The New York Times Company's Class A shares are available for purchase by the public and offer less control over
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#17327825407302332-535: A prominent businessman and wealthy investor who remained a reputable pillar within the Lebanese Mexican community, Julian was known for his shrewd business acumen and his astute knack when making investments during bad economic cycles (which occurred frequently in Mexico). Julián was known for his business savvy, strong work ethic, and commitment to traditional Lebanese moral values. In February 2011, Julian,
2438-459: A record 1,826 billionaires were named with an aggregated net worth of $ 7.1 trillion compared to $ 6.4 trillion in the previous year. 46 of the billionaires in this list were under the age of 40. A record number of 290 people joined the list for the first time, of whom 25 percent hailed from China, which produced a world-leading 71 newcomers. The United States came in second, with 57; followed by India, with 28; and Germany, with 23. The United States had
2544-454: A result, he failed to make the top 10 for the first time since 2004 and lost his title of richest Asian to Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing . A record total of 1,226 people made the 2012 list, representing 58 countries. Of those, 126 were newcomers to the list and 104 were women. The United States had the greatest number of billionaires with 425. Russia had 96 people on the list, while China had 95. Georgia, Morocco , and Peru were newly represented on
2650-405: A stake in the Spanish bank, Bankia , which couples with Slim's other purchase of Realia, a Spanish real estate company, where Slim is the second largest shareholder holding a 25% equity stake, behind Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas , a Spanish construction company where Slim is also an active minor shareholder. On April 15, 2015, Slim formed the oil company Carso Oil & Gas. A report that
2756-506: A technology startup that ranks the world's hedge funds creating in-depth behavioral profiles and business analytics. Limited partners pay US$ 30,000 per subscription while hedge fund managers pay half the price and also sign up for a free version of the products the company offers. On June 12, 2024, Slim acquired a 3% stake in British telecommunications company BT worth approximately £400million. Slim's father, Khalil Salim Haddad Aglamaz,
2862-501: A vast array of various cash flow-producing assets that included large swathes incoming-producing investment-grade real estate, a multifarious assemblage of privately-controlled businesses, and stocks. In August 1926, Julián Slim married Linda Helú Atta. Linda, of Lebanese ancestry, was born in Parral, Chihuahua . Her parents had immigrated to Mexico from Lebanon in the late 19th century. Upon immigrating to Mexico, her parents founded one of
2968-423: Is 405. Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes ' annual list of the world's billionaires. This was the 16th time that the founder of Microsoft claimed the top spot. Carlos Slim came in second for the second consecutive time. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway placed third, while Amancio Ortega of Spain, slipped down a position from the previous year to number four. Larry Ellison ,
3074-637: Is made with fruit flavors and cane sugar, and is less carbonated than many popular soft drinks . It is made in Mexico. Many Jarritos varieties are naturally flavored. The word jarrito means "little jug" in Spanish and refers to the Mexican tradition of storing drinks in clay pottery jugs. Produced in Mexico, they are sold throughout the Americas . Jarritos comes in 370 mL (12.5 US fl oz) and 600 mL (20 US fl oz) glass and plastic, as well as 1.5-liter bottles . The original Jarritos
3180-462: Is not able to be completely ascertained. In 2018, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was ranked at the top for the first time and became the first centibillionaire included in the ranking, surpassing Microsoft founder Bill Gates , who had topped the list 18 of the previous 24 years. In 2022, after topping the list for four years, Bezos was surpassed by Elon Musk . In 2023, Musk was in turn surpassed by French businessman Bernard Arnault , after topping
3286-472: Is over a $ 1 billion (his or her net worth will not be combined with family members'). Royal families and dictators that have their wealth contingent on a position are always excluded from these lists. The rankings are published annually in March, so the net worths listed are snapshots taken at that time. These lists only show the top 10 wealthiest billionaires for each year. The 38th annual Forbes list of
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3392-460: Is the 17th time that the founder of Microsoft had claimed the top spot. Amancio Ortega rose from last year's position of number four to second. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway came in third for the second consecutive time, while Mexican telecommunication mogul Carlos Slim slipped from last year's second position to fourth. Jeff Bezos of Amazon , Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Michael Bloomberg of Bloomberg L.P. , appeared for
3498-621: The Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranked him as the 11th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $ 105 billion or about 7% of Mexico's GDP, making him the richest person in Latin America . Slim's corporate conglomerate spans numerous industries across the Mexican economy, including education, health care, industrial manufacturing, transportation, real estate, mass media, mining, energy, entertainment, technology, retail, sports and financial services. However,
3604-547: The Grupo Financiero Inbursa , a Mexican financial services provider. Many of these corporate acquisitions were financed by the income-generating revenues and cash flows derived from Cigatam, a Mexican tobacco distributor that he purchased in the economic downturn that hit Mexico during the early 1980s. In 1988, Slim bought Nacobre, a Mexican copper manufacturer that manufactured, marketed and distributed copper and copper alloy products, along with Química Fluor,
3710-455: The real estate bubble created a total of nearly $ 5 trillion in 2005, contributing to economic growth worldwide. The net worth of 2005's 691 billionaires was $ 2.2 trillion. More than half of them had self-made fortunes. The founders of Google , Sergey Brin and Larry Page , became billionaires at age 30. * Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart . Oprah Winfrey became
3816-444: The 2010 list, including Finland and Pakistan which claimed their first billionaires. Eighty-nine women made the list, but only 14 of them were self-made. The combined net worth of the list was $ 3.6 trillion, up 50 percent from 2009's $ 2.4 trillion, while the average net worth was $ 3.5 billion. The 2010 list featured 164 re-entries and 97 true newcomers. Asia accounted for more than 100 of the new entrants. Overall, just 12 percent of
3922-466: The 2012 list, marking this third consecutive year at the top. Gates placed second but narrowed the gap from 2011 as Slim's fortune fell $ 5 billion while Gates' rose $ 5 billion. Warren Buffett remained in third place. Bernard Arnault of France was the top-ranking European on the list, placing fourth. Ricardo Salinas Pliego was the greatest gainer in terms of dollars, adding $ 9.2 billion to his fortune and moving up to number 37 overall. Making her debut on
4028-469: The 2013 list, representing $ 5.4 trillion of assets. Of those, 442 billionaires hailed from the United States. The Asian-Pacific region had 386 billionaires and Europe 366. The list also featured a record number of newcomers, 210, representing 42 countries. 60 people from the 2012 list fell below a billion dollars of assets in 2013, and eight others from the 2012 list died. The Asia-Pacific region had
4134-400: The 2014 billionaire list, representing a combined wealth of $ 6.4 trillion. Of those, a record 268 were newcomers, surpassing 2008's 226 newcomers. 100 people listed in 2013 failed to make the list. The number of women on the list rose to a record 172 in 2014. Approximately 66 percent of the list were self-made, 13 percent achieved their wealth through inheritance alone, and 21 percent through
4240-478: The 34th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,095 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 8 trillion, down 58 members and $ 700 billion from 2019; 51% of these billionaires had less wealth than they possessed last year. The list was finalized as of 18 March, thus was already partially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic . In the 33rd annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires,
4346-416: The 36th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,668 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 12.7 trillion, down 97 members from 2021. In the 35th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,755 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 13.1 trillion, up 660 members from 2020; 86% of these billionaires had more wealth than they possessed last year. In
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4452-415: The 37th annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the list included 2,640 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 12.2 trillion, down 28 members and $ 500 billion from 2022. Over half of the list is less wealthy compared to the previous year, including Elon Musk , who fell from No. 1 to No. 2. The list also marks for the first time a French citizen was in the top position as well as a non-American for
4558-543: The American business magazine Forbes . The list was first published in March 1987. The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated and is cited in United States dollars , based on their documented assets and accounting for debt and other factors. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists. This ranking is an index of the wealthiest documented individuals, excluding any ranking of those with wealth that
4664-490: The American telco Southwestern Bell Corporation to purchase the landline telecommunications service provider from the Mexican government, when the opportunity for Slim to purchase the telco presented itself and materialized when Mexico began privatizing its national industries at the turn of the 1980s. Slim was an early investment backer in Telmex, where the concomitant income-producing cash flows and revenue-generating profits of
4770-1041: The Internet through UNO TV, offered by Telmex. Slim has been involved with broadcasting sports outside Mexico to larger markets such as the United States. In March 2012, América Móvil acquired the broadcast rights for the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 and the Brazil 2016 for Latin America. In March 2012, Slim, along with American television host Larry King , established Ora TV , an on-demand digital television network that produces and distributes television shows including Larry King Now , Politicking with Larry King , Recessionista, and Jesse Ventura Uncensored . In September 2012, Slim bought 30% stakes in Pachuca and León , two Mexican soccer teams through his telecommunications company América Móvil. In December 2012, he bought all
4876-566: The Israeli startup Mobli , a company that deals with connections between people and communities corralled according to different interests. In December 2013, Slim's private equity fund, Sinca Inbursa, sold its stake in the Mexican pharmaceutical company Landsteiner Scientific. Slim acquired a 27.51% stake in the company in June 2008, which represented 6.6% of Sinca's investment portfolio. The private equity fund's investments are mainly concentrated in
4982-470: The Mexican arm of Saks Fifth Avenue retailer in Santa Fe , Mexico. Also in 2007, the estimated value of all of Slim's companies totaled US$ 150 billion. On December 8, 2007, Grupo Carso announced that the remaining 103 CompUSA retail stores would be either liquidated or sold, bringing an end to the struggling company, although the information technology division of CompUSA continued operating under
5088-456: The Mexican arm of Sears Roebuck. In 1999, Slim began expanding his business interests beyond Latin America. Though the bulk of his business holdings remained in Mexico, he began setting his sights on exploring the United States as a target destination to exploit potential foreign investment acquisitions and new emerging business opportunities. Slim made headlines within the American business scene in 2003 when he began purchasing large stakes in
5194-437: The Mexican business world. In 1965, profits from Slim's private business and investment ventures reached US$ 400,000 , enabling him to start the stock brokerage house Inversora Bursátil. He also began laying the financial groundwork for his eventual conglomerate, Grupo Carso. In 1965, he also acquired Jarritos del Sur, a Mexican bottling and soft drink company. In 1966, worth US$ 40 million , he established Inmuebles Carso,
5300-514: The OIAG supervisory board meeting for 12 hours criticizing the lack of explicit job guarantees. In January 2015, Grupo Carso publicly launched Claro Musica, an online music service that is a Latin American equivalent of iTunes and Spotify . Slim, along with his son, increased their corporate presence in Mexico's music industry, particularly in the retail music sector since 2013. Sanborn's, the Mexican retail department store chain owned by Slim controls
5406-417: The U.S.; there were 56 people under 40 and it had a record of 227 women. The number of billionaires increased 13% to 2,043 from 1,810 in 2016; this was the biggest change in over 30 years of tracking billionaires globally. Added together, the total net worth for 2017's billionaires was US$ 7.67 trillion , up from US$ 7.1 trillion in 2015. This was the first time after 12 years that Carlos Slim
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#17327825407305512-432: The absence of accurate wealth estimations as a result of the 2017–19 Saudi Arabian purge . On the 30th anniversary of the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, for the fourth year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world. In 2017, there was a record of 2,043 people on the list, which is the first time over 2,000 people were listed. This included 195 newcomers of whom 76 were from China and 25 from
5618-505: The age of 12, he made his first stock investment, by buying shares outright of a Mexican bank. By the age of 15, Slim had become a shareholder in Mexico's largest bank. At the age of 17, he earned 200 pesos a week working for his father's company. He went on to study civil engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico , where he also concurrently taught algebra and linear programming . Though Slim
5724-431: The billionaire list for the first time. Slim saw his estimated worth surge $ 18.5 billion to $ 53.5 billion as shares of America Movil rose 35 percent. Gates' estimated wealth rose $ 13 billion to $ 53 billion, placing him second. Warren Buffett was third with $ 47 billion. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking woman, placing 12th overall, with an inherited fortune of $ 22.5 billion. At age 25, Mark Zuckerberg continued to be
5830-455: The companies controlled by Slim where most are involved in the day-to-day running of Slim's business empire. Slim underwent heart surgery in 1999. In high school, Slim's favorite subjects were history, cosmography , and mathematics. Slim and his wife had a very happy marriage, and he indicated that he does not intend to remarry. In his office, Slim does not have a computer, and instead keeps all his financial data in hand-written notebooks. Due to
5936-506: The company than Class B shares, which are privately held. According to the company's 2016 annual filings, Slim owned 17.4% of the company's Class A shares, and none of the company's Class B shares. In 2012, Slim sold the broadcast rights for the Leon games to the American terrestrial television network, Telemundo , the cable channel Fox Sports in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, and the website mediotiempo.com. The games are also broadcast on
6042-587: The core of his fortune derives from telecommunications, where he owns América Móvil (with operations throughout Latin America) and the Mexican carrier Telcel and ISP Telmex , a state-run-gone-private company which maintained a virtual monopoly for many years after Slim's acquisition. He accounts for 40% of the listings on the Mexican Stock Exchange , while his net worth is equivalent to about 6% of Mexico's gross domestic product. As of 2016, he
6148-483: The figures and improve the estimate of an individual's holdings. Finally, positions in a publicly traded stock are priced to market on a date roughly a month before publication. Privately held companies are priced by the prevailing price-to-sales or price-to-earnings ratios. Known debt is subtracted from assets to get a final estimate of an individual's estimated worth in United States dollars. Since stock prices fluctuate rapidly, an individual's true wealth and ranking at
6254-478: The first Arabic-language magazines for the Lebanese-Mexican community, using a printing press they had brought with them. Julian and Linda had six children: Nour, Alma, Julián, José, Carlos, and Linda. Julián senior died in 1953, when Carlos was 13 years old. Julian's panoply of successful business ventures and investment undertakings became the source of considerable wealth for himself and his family. As
6360-602: The first female African-American billionaire. * Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart . As a result of the market crash caused by the Dot-com bubble , 83 billionaires dropped off the list from the previous year. * Each hold an essentially equal share in Walmart . In 2001, BET founder Robert L. Johnson became the first ever African-American billionaire. * Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal-Mart . Had he been alive in 2001, Sam Walton would have been
6466-501: The first time on the Forbes top 10 billionaires list, coming at fifth, sixth and eighth positions, respectively. Zuckerberg became the youngest top 10 billionaire this year at the age of 31. Larry Ellison , Charles Koch and David Koch also slipped from their previous year's positions, with Ellison dropping to seventh from fifth, and the Kochs falling to ninth position from sixth. In the 29th annual Forbes list of global billionaires,
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#17327825407306572-693: The first time since 2013 when the Mexican Carlos Slim Helu was the world's richest person. The list, like in 2022, counted 15 under 30 billionaires with the richest of them being Red Bull heir Mark Mateschitz with a net worth of $ 34.7 billion. The youngest of the lot were Clemente Del Vecchio, heir to the Luxottica fortune shared with his six siblings and stepmother, and Kim Jung-yang , whose fortune lies in Japanese-South Korean gaming giant Nexon , both under-20s. In
6678-440: The founder of Oracle , rounded off the top five. Christy Walton was the highest-ranking female at number eight. America's Evan Spiegel , co-founder of photo messaging app Snapchat , became the youngest billionaire this year at age 24. At age 99, David Rockefeller maintained his position as the oldest billionaire included in the list. Mark Zuckerberg , the founder of Facebook, rose to number 16 with $ 33.4 billion. Iceland had
6784-453: The largest number of billionaires with 526. Russia went down to 88 from 111 in 2014. Russia was placed behind China , Germany and India by the number of billionaires. Self-made billionaires made up the largest number of people on the list with 1,191 positions (over 65 percent), while just 230 (under 13 percent) had wealth through inheritance. The number of billionaires who inherited a portion but were still working to increase their fortunes
6890-421: The list at 23 to become the youngest self-made billionaire. Forbes recorded a then record of 946 billionaires. There were 178 newcomers, as well as the first billionaires from Cyprus, Oman, Romania and Serbia. Over 66% of the previous year's billionaires became richer. The billionaires' net worth increased in 2007 by $ 900 billion to $ 3.5 trillion. Free cash used by consumers from home equity extraction, known as
6996-488: The list at age 41, Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the youngest self-made female billionaire ever. Colombia's Alejandro Santo Domingo was the highest-ranked newcomer, inheriting a $ 9.5 billion stake in Santo Domingo Group from his father. India's Lakshmi Mittal was the largest loser as his fortune dropped from $ 31.1 billion to $ 20.7 billion as the price of steelmaker ArcelorMittal fell sharply. As
7102-704: The list for just a year. Arnault became the first French person to top the list. Each year, Forbes employs a team of over 50 reporters from a variety of countries to track the activity of the world's wealthiest individuals and sometimes groups or families – who share wealth. Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list. According to Forbes , they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any questions. Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets – land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet
7208-529: The list included 2,153 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 8.7 trillion, down 55 members and $ 400 billion from 2018. The U.S. continued to have the most billionaires in the world, with a record of 609, while China dropped to 324 (when not including Hong Kong , Macau and Taiwan ). In the 32nd annual Forbes list of the world's billionaires, the aggregate wealth of the top 20 richest people on Earth amounted to about 13 percent of all billionaires' fortunes combined. A record of 2,208 billionaires were in
7314-545: The list lost wealth since 2009, and 30 people fell off the list. 13 others died. Of the 89 women, 12 were newcomers in 2010. Steve Forbes said the growing number of billionaires was a clear sign that the world's economy was recovering from the Great Recession . In June 2010, Gates and Buffett announced the Giving Pledge , a promise to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes . As of 2017,
7420-401: The list. Aged 26, eight days younger than Zuckerberg, he debuted at number 420 with an estimated fortune of $ 2.7 billion. IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad was the largest loser as he saw his fortune plummet from $ 23 billion to $ 6 billion, dropping him from 11th to 162nd overall. A record 1,210 billionaires made the 2011 list, representing a combined wealth of $ 4.5 trillion, up from $ 3.6 trillion
7526-541: The list. Falling stock prices in Asia contributed to 117 former billionaires falling from the list worldwide. Twelve others listed in 2011 died. Overall, net gainers (460) barely outnumbered net losers (441). To coincide with the release of the 2012 list, Forbes announced a then-new "Billionaire Real-Time Ticker" updating the wealth of the world's top 50 billionaires in real time. In the 25th annual Forbes list of global billionaires, Slim added $ 20.5 billion to his fortune,
7632-424: The most paper wealth for some billionaires. However, once the dotcom bubble burst the new rich saw their fortunes disappear. Billionaires' fortunes were hit even harder by the Great Recession ; 2009 was the first time in five years that the world had a net loss in the number of billionaires. The strong performance of the financial markets and global economic recovery have erased financial assets losses. Most of
7738-483: The most drop-offs, with 29, followed by the United States with 16. The 2013 list featured 138 women, of which 50 came from the United States. A majority of the list (961 individuals, 67 percent) were entirely self-made; 184 (13 percent) inherited their wealth, and 281 (20 percent) achieved their fortune through a combination of inheritance and business acumen. Vietnam 's Phạm Nhật Vượng was the first person from that country to be included in this list. Carlos Slim topped
7844-402: The most of anyone, and retained his number one ranking with a total fortune of $ 74 billion. Gates remained in second place with $ 56 billion, while Warren Buffett was third with $ 50 billion. The top 10 had a combined wealth of $ 406 billion, up from $ 342 billion in 2010. According to Forbes editor Kerry Dolan, "media and technology billionaires definitely benefited from a stronger stock market and
7950-746: The name Telvista around various American cities such as Dallas , Texas (U.S. Corporate Office) and Danville, Virginia . Telvista also has five centers in Mexico (three in Tijuana, one center in Mexicali, and one in México City). After 28 years of corporate involvement, Slim became the Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the business. In 2008, Slim took a 6.4% stake valued at $ 27 million in the New York Times Company ,
8056-399: The oldest brother of Carlos, died aged 74. He was an active businessman and worked in one of Mexico's top intelligence agencies. Carlos Slim was married to Soumaya Domit from 1967 until her death in 1999. Among her interests were various philanthropic projects. Slim has six children: Carlos , Marco Antonio, Patrick, Soumaya, Vanessa, and Johanna. His three older sons serve in key positions in
8162-429: The panoply of acquisitions that Slim procured included Empresas Frisco, a mining concessionary and chemical maker, Industrias Nacobre, a copper manufacturer, Reynolds Aluminio, a Mexican aluminum concern, Compañía Hulera Euzkadi (Mexico's largest tire maker), and Bimex hotels, a hotel chain. He also became the majority shareholder of Sanborn Hermanos , a prominent Mexican food retailer, gift shop and restaurant chain, which
8268-409: The pledge had 158 signatories, but some of the signatories have since died. Most of the signers of the pledge are billionaires, and their pledges total over $ 365 billion. During the Great Recession , the world's billionaires lost $ 2 trillion in net worth and the list became 30% smaller than the previous year's list. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg , four years after starting the company, joined
8374-436: The previous four years. Zara founder Amancio Ortega placed third for the second consecutive year. American investor Warren Buffett was in the top five for the 20th consecutive year, placing fourth. America's Christy Walton was the highest ranking woman, placing ninth overall. Aliko Dangote of Nigeria became the first African to enter the top 25, with an estimated net worth of $ 25 billion. A total of 1,645 people made
8480-416: The previous year. One third of the world's billionaires, 413, came from the United States. China had the second most billionaires with 115, while Russia was third with 101. Asia moved up to 332 billionaires, passing Europe as a region for the first time since the 1990s. The 2011 list included 214 newcomers and the average net worth of those on it increased to $ 3.7 billion. Slim narrowly eclipsed Gates to top
8586-606: The ranking and the total wealth was $ 9.1 trillion, up 18% since 2017. For the first time, Jeff Bezos was listed as the top billionaire due to Amazon's rising stock price that resulted in one person's biggest one-year gain in wealth ($ 35 billion) since Forbes started tracking in 1987. The U.S. had the most billionaires in the world, with 585, while China was catching up with 476 when including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; it had 372 when excluding those three places. Forbes excluded Al-Walid bin Talal and all other Saudi billionaires due to
8692-498: The rest of Mexican soccer's first division. In July 2013, Slim's company América Móvil invested US$ 40 million in Shazam , a British commercial mobile phone-based music identification service for an undisclosed share of ownership. América Móvil partnered with the company to aid its growth into advertising and television and help the audio recognition service expand in Latin America. In November 2013, Slim invested US$ 60 million in
8798-542: The richest people in the world saw their fortunes soar in the early 2010s. Jarritos 19°29′8.4″N 99°11′1.6″W / 19.485667°N 99.183778°W / 19.485667; -99.183778 Jarritos is a brand of soft drink in Mexico , owned by Novamex , a large independent bottling conglomerate based in El Paso , Texas . Jarritos was founded in 1950 by Don Francisco "El Güero" Hill. Jarritos
8904-423: The second-richest person in the world, after Bill Gates. On July 15, 2014, Forbes announced that Slim had reclaimed the position of the wealthiest person in the world, with a fortune of US$ 79.6 billion . The World%27s Billionaires#2013 The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking of people who are billionaires , i.e., they are considered to have a net worth of US$ 1 billion or more, by
9010-444: The shares of the second division team Estudiantes Tecos . Slim has also completed business deals for the television rights to games of the Leon soccer team. His company América Móvil purchased 30 percent of the team along with transmission rights as Slim does not have the rights to transmit content by broadcast television or cable TV as well as putting him in competition with Televisa and TV Azteca, two television companies with rights to
9116-474: The telecommunications provider eventually formed the bulk of his private fortune. By 2006, Telmex controlled and operated 90 percent of the telephone lines in Mexico, and his wireless telecommunications company, Telcel , which was created out of the Radiomóvil Dipsa company, operated almost 80 percent of the entire country's cellphones. In 1991, he acquired Hoteles Calinda (now OSTAR Grupo Hotelero),
9222-571: The time of his arrival. In 1911, Julián established a dry goods retail store, La Estrella de Oriente (The Star of the Orient). By 1921, he had begun investing in real estate in the flourishing commercial district of Mexico City where Julián acquired prime Mexican real estate at fire sale prices and in the Zocalo District during the 1910–17 Mexican Revolution . By 1922, Julián's net worth reached $ 1,012,258 pesos , shrewdly diversified among
9328-469: The time of publication may vary from their situation when the list was compiled. When a living individual has dispersed his or her wealth to immediate family members it is included under a single listing (as a single "family fortune") provided that individual (the grantor) is still living. However, if a deceased billionaire's fortune has been dispersed, it will not appear as a single listing, and each recipient will only appear if his or her own total net worth
9434-429: The top newcomers, debuting with an estimate net worth of $ 3 billion. A global rise in asset prices led Forbes editor Randall Lane to declare "It [was] a very good year to be a billionaire". However, it was not a good year to be Eike Batista , who fell from seventh to 100th, suffering the largest net loss of anyone on the list. Overall, net gainers outnumbered net losers by 4:1. A record total of 1,426 people made
9540-456: The transportation and infrastructure sectors and the fund garnered a total market cap of 5.152 billion pesos at the end of 2012. On 23 April 2014, Slim took control of Telekom Austria , Austria's largest telecommunications company, which operates telcos in countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, and Belarus, under a 10-year agreement. It was Slim's first successful business acquisition in Europe. In
9646-511: The vast size of his business empire, he often jokes that he cannot keep track of all the companies he manages. Slim is a Maronite Catholic , and he is one of the prominent backers of Legion of Christ , a Roman Catholic religious institute . On 29 March 2007, Slim surpassed American investor Warren Buffett as the world's second richest person with an estimated net worth of US$ 53.1 billion compared with Buffett's US$ 52.4 billion . On 4 August 2007, The Wall Street Journal ran
9752-581: The wealthiest person in the world, with his fortune estimated at US$ 74 billion . In December 2012, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index , Carlos Slim Helú remained the world's richest person with an estimated net worth of US$ 75.5 billion . On 5 March 2013, Forbes stated that Slim was still maintaining his first-place position as the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$ 73 billion . On 16 May 2013, Bloomberg L.P. ranked Slim
9858-440: The world's billionaires found a record 2,781 billionaires with a total net wealth of $ 14.2 trillion. This is an increase of 141 members and $ 2 trillion from 2023, which held the previous record for the highest net worth gain on the list, surpassing the $ 900 billion record set in 2022. Two-thirds of the list members are wealthier compared to the previous year, including Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth increased by $ 112.6 billion. In
9964-585: The world's richest person, with a net worth of US$ 53.5 billion . At the time, Gates and Buffett had a net worth of US$ 53 billion and US$ 47 billion respectively. He was the first Mexican to top the list. It was the first time in 16 years that the person on top of the list was not from the United States. It was also the first time the person at the top of the list was from an emerging economy. Between 2008 and 2010, Slim more than doubled his net worth from $ 35 to $ 75 billion. In March 2011, Forbes stated that Slim had maintained his position as
10070-558: The world's richest person. Slim's estimated fortune soared to US$ 59 billion , based on the value of his public holdings at the end of July. Gates' net worth was estimated to be at least US$ 58 billion . On 5 March 2008, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's second-richest person, behind Warren Buffett and ahead of Bill Gates. On 11 March 2009, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's third-richest person, behind Gates and Buffett and ahead of Larry Ellison . On 10 March 2010, Forbes once again reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as
10176-428: The world's wealthiest person. Gates became the first American to take the top spot of the world's billionaires in 1995 with a net worth of $ 12.5 billion, and he remained there during the dot-com bubble 's height in 1999 when his fortune peaked at $ 90 billion. After the dot-com bubble started to collapse in 2000, his wealth dropped to $ 60 billion, although he remained at the top of the list. The dot-com bubble created
10282-464: The world's youngest self-made billionaire. American Isaac Perlmutter was among the newcomers with an estimated fortune of $ 4 billion largely acquired in his sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney . A total of 1,011 people made the 2010 list. The United States accounted for 403 billionaires, followed by China with 89 and Russia with 62. It was the first time China, while including Hong Kong, placed second. A total of 55 countries were represented on
10388-447: The young Carlos in the importance of keeping accurate financial records when doing business. At the age of 11, Slim invested in a government savings bond, which taught him about the concept of compound interest . Adhering to his father's emphasis on the importance of keeping accurate financial records, he eventually saved every financial and business transaction he ever made into a personal ledger book, which he still keeps to this day. At
10494-606: Was a coffee -flavored drink, before moving to fruit flavors. Shortly after launching the first Jarritos in Mexico City, Francisco Hill developed a process to remove tamarind juice extract to create the first tamarind-flavored soft drink in Mexico: Jarritos Tamarindo. Hill quickly followed with Mandarin, Lemon and Fruit Punch flavors, gaining greater market share. By 1960, Jarritos had secured distribution in 80 percent of Mexico’s 31 states. Exports to
10600-469: Was a civil engineering major, he also displayed an interest in economics. Broadening his academic interests outside his traditional area of study beyond civil engineering, he took economics courses in Chile when he completed his engineering degree. Graduating as a civil engineering major, Slim has stated that his mathematical ability and his background of linear programming was a key factor in helping him gain
10706-590: Was born on 17 July 1888 in Jezzine , Lebanon (then part of the Ottoman Empire ). In 1902, at the age of 14, Haddad emigrated to Mexico alone, and later changed his name to Julián Slim Haddad. It was not uncommon for Lebanese children to be sent abroad before they reached the age of 15 to avoid being conscripted into the Ottoman Army , and four of Haddad's older brothers were already living in Mexico at
10812-487: Was floated as a public company initially in Mexico and then worldwide. During the same year, Grupo Carso also acquired a majority ownership of Porcelanite, a Mexican tilemaker. To ultimately realize his further commercial business ambitions and reap the material benefits that would eventually transpire through the acquisition of Telmex , Slim acted in concert later in 1990 with the French telecom operator France Télécom and
10918-665: Was later incorporated as Grupo Carso's retailing arm. In 1984, Slim spent US$ 13 million to acquire Mexican insurance agency Seguros de México, and later subsumed the company into the firm, Seguros Inbursa. The value of his stake in Seguros eventually grew to being worth US$ 1.5 billion by 2007, after four spinoffs. Slim also acquired a 40% and 50% interest in the Mexican arms of British American Tobacco and The Hershey Company , respectively. He acquired large blocks of Denny's and Firestone Tires . From Seguros de México, Fianzas La Guardiana and Casa de Bolsa Inbursa, he formed
11024-415: Was not within the top five. The U.S. had the most billionaires in the world, with a record of 565. China had 319 (not including Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macau), Germany had 114, and India had the fourth most with 101; India reached over 100 billionaires for its first time. For the third year in a row, Bill Gates was named the richest man in the world by Forbes ' 2016 list of the world's billionaires. This
11130-500: Was released by the new company listed its assets at 3.5 billion pesos (approximately US$ 230 million ), placed within 17.7 million shares. Upon the formation of the company, Slim remained sanguine about the company's future potential and Mexico's burgeoning energy sector where the state monopoly ceased to exist. On July 25, 2015, Slim's investment group Control Empresarial de Capitales invested in IMatchative,
11236-750: Was the largest single shareholder of non-voting shares of the New York Times Company . In 2017, he sold half of his shares. Slim was born on 28 January 1940, in Mexico City , to Julián Slim Haddad (born Khalil Salim Haddad Aglamaz) and Linda Helú Atta, both Maronite Christians from Lebanon . He decided at a young age that he aspired to be a businessman as a future career in mind, and received business lessons from his father, who taught him basic financial, business management, and accounting principles by instructing him in how to analyze and interpret financial statements in addition to stressing
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