Top 10 Richest Men in the World [2011]

No matter what the economic situation is, the rich is getting richer and poor is getting poorer and a recent study by Jeffery Thompson and Elias Leight shows that rich getting richer makes poor poorer. Same has happened with the wealth of these richest men in the world, nine out of ten richest men in the world have gained their wealth compared to last year. The only person who saw a decrease is Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. Here are the ten richest men of the world in 2011.

1) Carlos Slim Helu

Net Worth: $74 Billion

The richest person in the world is Mexico based Carlos Slim Helu with as estimated wealth of $74 Billion. Carlos Slim is CEO and Chairman of América Móvil which account most of his wealth, around $49 Billion. He is also the chairman and CEO of Group Carso, the conglomerate having many companies. He was born in Mexico to Julian Slim (Yusef Salim), a Lebanese Christian in 1940. Slim holds an engineering degree from National Autonomous University of Mexico, interestingly he also taught algebra and linear programming at the same university. wall street in one of their article have mentioned that an average Mexican can’t help but have to deal with a business owned by this 71-year tycoon as his businesses range from telecommunications, banking, hotels, mining, construction and railways, bicycles, airlines to cigarettes, soft-drinks. He is a widower with six children.

2) Bill Gates

Net Worth: $56 Billion

Bill Gates, the former Chairman of Microsoft is the second richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $56 Billion. He held different positions at Microsoft including Chairman, CEO, chief software architect and is also the largest individual shareholder in Microsoft with more than 8% of the common stock. He remained the richest person in the world for 13 years in a row from 1995 to 2007 and then for another year in 2009. The self-made billionaire is known as Harvard’s most successful dropout. Mr.Gates who will turn 56 next month is now busy working for the Gates foundation, the largest private foundation in the world. He is married with Melinda Gates and has three children.

3) Warren Buffet

Net Worth: $50 Billion

With an estimated wealth of $50 Billion, the 81-year old Warren Buffet who is an American business tycoon, investor and philanthropist is the third richest man in the world. Warren Buffet is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the American conglomerate holding company which is the eighth largest public company in the world and owns many big companies including investments in American Express Company, BYD, The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods. He holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from Columbia Business School and is a self-made billionaire. He has been married twice and has three children.

4) Bernard Arnault

Net Worth: $41 Billion

The fourth richest man in the world is the French businessman Bernard Arnault with an estimated wealth of $41 Billion. He is the CEO and Chairman of LVMH, the French multinational luxury goods conglomerate that owns more than 60 famous brands and subsidiaries including Louis Vuitton, Moët et Chandon , Sephora, TAG Heuer and Fendi. He is also the Chairman of Christian Dior. Bernerd Arnault who holds a degree in engineering is currently the richest person in Europe. The 62-year old has been married twice and has five children.

5) Larry Ellison

Net Worth: $39.5 Billion

Larry Ellison, the 66-year old CEO and Co-founder fo Oracle Corporation has an estimated wealth of $39.5 Billion making him the fifth richest man in the world. Oracle is a computer technology corporation that is famous for developing enterprise software products, database management systems in particular. Ellison did not take the final exams and left University of Illinois during second year after the death of his adoptive mother. He also attended University of Chicago for a term where encountered with the computer design for the first time. Ellison who is a self made billionaire has been married and divorced four times.

6) Lakshmi Mittaldfd

Net Worth: $31.1 Billion

Lakshmi Mittal, the steel tycoon from India based in United Kingdom is the sixth richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $31.1 Billion. He is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, the largest steel producing company in the world headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Mr. Mittal who also serves as Director at Goldman Sachs was named Person of the Year by Financial Times in 2007. He started the business as international division of his family business but later branched out of it and started working independently. The 60-year old is a graduate of St.Xavier’s College, Calcutta and is married with two children.

7) Amancio Ortega

Net Worth: $31 Billion

The seventh richest man in the world with an estimated wealth of $31 Billion is Spain based Amancio Ortega. He is co-founder, chairman and holds 59.29% shares of the Inditex Group, a company that owns brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear, Bershka and more. Amancio Ortega is a self-made billionaire who is known for keeping a very low profile. He currently lives with his second wife and has three children. Mr.Ortega who did not have any formal higher education takes a very active part in the production and designing process of his company.

8) Eike Batista

Net Worth: $30 Billion

Eike Batista, the CEO of EBX Group has an estimated wealth of $30 Billion which makes him the eighth richest man in the world. EBX Group is a holding company in Brazil which operates many subsidiary companies in different business sectors, mainly in mining and oil. He is son of Eliezer Batista da Silva who remained head of a mining company Vale for a very long time. Eike Batista who is a self-made Billionaire is a dropout from RWTH Aachen University. He remained married with the famous Brazilian actress Luma de Oliveira for about thirteen years before getting divorce in 2004. The 54-year old has expressed his desire of becoming the richest person in different media interactions.

9) Mukesh Ambani

Net Worth: $27 Billion

Mukesh Ambani, the famous 53-year old Indian business tycoon is the ninth richest man in the world. Mukesh Amabni who is Managing Director and Chairman of Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India has an estimated personal wealth of $27 Billion. He dropped out of Stanford (MBA) to help his father Dhirubhai Ambani, the late founder of Reliance Industries in 1981. Mukesh Ambani became the richest person in the world in 2007 in result of a strong rally of Indian Stock Markets. He is currently the second richest person in Asia.

10) Li Ka-shing

Net Worth: $26 Billion

The tenth richest man in the world is Hong Kong based Li Ka-shing with an estimated wealth of $26 Billion. The 83-year old is a self-made businessman and is the chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa and Li Ka Shing Foundation. Mr.Li who is a high school dropout was named Asia’s Most Powerful Man in 2001 by Asiaweek. He is also known for his philanthropy and has donated $1.41 Billion till date.