Continuing our talk of money, this list brings you ten of the richest men in the world. They have amazing stories, details of which you can find online. One thing is for sure, hard work always pays off and anyone can literally do anything as long as you put your heart into it. Most of these people will be known to you however, some of these might be completely new. The estimates of their net worth have been provided by Forbes and we generally tend to believe them. The net worth has been based on the year 2011 and just for comparison, the values for the year 2010 have also been provided. People grow loads in a mere year. Read on and amaze thyself!
10. CHRISTY WALTON
His net worth in 2011 was $26.5 billion compared to a net worth of $22.5 billion in 2010. She was born in the year 1955 and her full name is Christy Ruth Walton. She was married to John T. Walton and he was one of the sons of Sam Walton who was the founder of Wal-Mart. She inherited the fortune of her husband after his death. She happens to be the sixth richest person in the United States. She is also the richest woman in the world for seven years in a row. It is reported that Gina Rinehart who is into mining and comes from Australia might have exceeded her wealth this May but we are not certain about that.
9. MUKESH AMBANI
His net worth in 2011 was $27 billion compared to a net worth of $29 billion in 2010. This guy was born on the 19th April of 1957 in Aden, Yemen. He is an Indian businessman and is the chairman of Reliance Industries. He is also the director of the Bank of America. He was named as one of the most powerful men in the world in the year 2010 by Forbess. He is the second richest man in all of Asia; the first one is also discussed in this list and he too is an Indian businessman. He is also the richest sports owner in the world. He is richer than the owners of Chelsea and AC Milan. His company owns Mumbai Indians.
8. EIKE BATISTA
His net worth in 2011 was $30 billion compared to a net worth of $27 billion in 2010. Eike Fuhrken Batista is a Brazilian businessman born on the 3rd November of 1956. His field is mining. He is the chairman of EBX Group that includes five companies; OGX (oil and gas), MPX (energy), MMX (mining), LLX (logistics) and OSX (offshore services and equipments). He is the richest man in Brazil.
7. AMANCIO ORTEGA
His net worth in 2011 was $31 billion compared to a net worth of $25 billion in 2010. Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on the 28th March in 1936 in Spain. He is the founding chairman of Inditex which is Spanish clothing merchandise. He is the richest man in Spain. He also happens to be the first richest man in Europe.
6. LAKSHMI MITTAL
His net worth in 2011 was $31.1 billion compared to a net worth of $28.7 billion in 2010. He was born on the 15th June in 1950. He is an Indian business man in the steel industry. He is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal; that just happens to be the world’s largest steel making company. Interestingly, he is into sports and owns a 34 percent stake in Queens Park Rangers F.C. Football team. He was born in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India and currently resides in London, England. He is known as the King of Steel.
5. LARRY ELLISON
His net worth in 2011 was $39.5 billion compared to a net worth of $28 billion in 2010. Lawrence Joseph Ellison was born on the 18th August in 1944 in The Bronx, New York City. He happens to be the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oracle Corporation and I am sure nobody needs an introduction to what Oracle is. It is one of the world’s leading enterprise software companies. He currently has a 22.5 percent stake in Oracle and that’s where a huge amount of his income comes from.
4. BERNARD ARNAULT
His net worth in 2011 was $41 billion compared to a net worth of $27.5 billion in 2010. He was born on the 5th March in 1949. He is a French businessman and is the richest person in all of Europe. He has been named ‘The Fashion Person of 2011’ by Forbes. I am sure you know of Christian Dior; yeah, it’s his!
3. WARREN BUFFET
His net worth in 2011 was $45 billion compared to a net worth of $47 billion in 2010. He was born on the 30th August in 1930 and is an American businessman. He is primarily an investor and a good one at that. He is considered as the most successful investor of the twentieth century and why shouldn’t he be; numbers don’t lie. He is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is also considered as one of the most influential people in the world. He is referred to as ‘Wizard of Omaha’, ‘Oracle of Omaha’ and ‘Sage of Omaha’.
2. BILL GATES
His net worth in 2011 was $56 billion compared to a net worth of $53 billion in 2010. This man needs no introduction. He is probably known to most of you as the richest person in the world but he comes in second. He was born on the 28th October in 1955. His real name is William Henry Gates III. He is the Co-founder and Chairman of Mircrosoft. He was born in Seattle and his software has been running the computers for generations. Mircosoft is a legend.
1. CARLOS SLIM HELU
His net worth in 2011 was $74 billion compared to a net worth of $53.5 billion in 2010. He was born on 28th January in 1940. He has been ranked the richest person in the world since the year 2010. He is from Mexico. He is the chairman and CEO of the companies Telmex and America Movil. He has a significant amount of holdings in several Mexican companies and that is where his wealth came from. He is currently 72 years old and also the Chairman and CEO of Grupo Carso.