Carlos Slim ranks as world's richest person for second year

NEW YORK: Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim Helu was the richest man in the world, but Asia, where big money is flowing today, Forbes magazine said in its 2011 list of billionaires in the world.
Slim, who is almost unknown to the general public outside of Mexico, weighed in at a staggering $ 74 billion in net thanks to the wealth of his empire telecommunications.
Already the winner of last year, he increased his fortune by $ 20.5 billion.
Currently familiar second place Microsoft's Bill Gates with $ 56 billion. Relatively modest rating reflects its great charity give-aways throughout the year, Forbes said.
Then there was the American investment guru Warren Buffett, Bernard Arnault from luxury goods group LVMH with a $ 50 billion and $ 41 billion, respectively.
But outside of this cozy club of billionaires, a tidal wave of money flowing across Asia, which helped lift the overall population of the world's billionaires in 1210 to a record high of 1,011 last year.
The United States still leads with just over 33 percent of the world's mega-rich, but it's compared with about half a decade ago. Surging forward the Asia-Pacific region, which has overtaken Europe in the first time.
"The world economy is recovering, but it does not apply across the board," said Steve Forbes, editor in chief of business magazine. "The list reflects the extraordinary changes occurring in the global economy."
Billionaire surge in China saw an increase from 69 to 115, Hong Kong from 25 to 36, India from 49 to 55, and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole from 234 to 332.
There are literally millions of people around the world who have the opportunity to be creative, "Forbes said.
European gains, led by the barons of Russian goods were mainly due to the Asian appetite for raw materials, or, in the case of LVMH, luxury items.
"China really set the tone for this year," said Forbes senior editor Luisa Kroll. "Asia for the first time has more billionaires than in Europe."
Kroll said the success of the dynamics of Asian stock markets were booming, and business-friendly governments.
"It's much easier to get rich today, if you live in Shanghai. If I was 22 years and an entrepreneur, and perhaps unable to speak Mandarin ... I would high tail it over there," she said.
Since most of the world is still feeling aftershocks of a deep recession, the annual list of billionaires ritual may seem at first sight of touch with reality.
But the editors of Forbes says that most of the names on the list were the people themselves who made good after overcoming difficulties and setbacks.
"These people, unlike the myth of Hollywood ... it is a very scrappy people are very focused individuals," Forbes said.
Kroll said that the people who became billionaires need luck and determination, but little more.
"This is a unique people. Sometimes I think they are a bit unusual," she said.

In this case, the top 25 richest billionaires in the country of nationality and the main company or other source of wealth, in accordance with the 2011 list, Forbes magazine:
1. Carlos Slim Helu. Mexico. Telecom. $ 74 billion.
2. Bill Gates. United States of America. Microsoft. $ 56 billion.
3. Warren Buffett. United States of America. Berkshire Hathaway. $ 50 billion.
4. Bernard Arnault. France. LVMH. $ 41 billion.
5. Larry Ellison. United States of America. Oracle. $ 39.5 billion.
6. Lakshmi Mittal. India. Steel. $ 31.1 billion.
7. Amancio Ortega. Spain. Zara. $ 31 billion.
8. Eike Batista. Brazil. Mining, oil. $ 30 billion.
9. Mukesh Ambani. India. Oil and gas. $ 27 billion.
10. Christy Walton and family. United States of America. Wal-Mart. $ 26.5 billion.
11. Li Ka-Shing. Hong Kong. Different. $ 26 billion.
12. Karl Albrecht. Germany. Aldi. $ 25.5 billion.
13. Stefan Persson. Sweden. H & M. $ 24.5 billion.
14. Vladimir Lisin. Russia. Steel. $ 24 billion.
15. Liliane Bettencourt. France. L'Oreal. 23.5 billion U.S. dollars.
16. Sheldon Adelson. United States of America. Casinos, hotels. 23.3 billion U.S. dollars.
17. David Thomson and family. Canada. Media. $ 23 billion.
18. Karl Koch. United States of America. Production, energy. $ 22 billion.
18. David Koch. United States of America. Production, energy. $ 22 billion.
20. Jim Walton. United States of America. Walmart. $ 21.3 billion.
21. Alice Walton. United States of America. Walmart. $ 21.2 billion.
22. S. Robson Walton. United States of America. Walmart $ 21 billion.
23. Thomas Kwok and Raymond and family. Hong Kong. Real Estate. $ 20 billion.
24. Sergey Brin. United States of America. Google. $ 19.8 billion.
25. Larry Page. United States of America. Google. $ 19.8 billion.
(AFP)