The World's Billionaires 2010
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
Key people | Steve Forbes (Editor) |
| Products | Magazines, Lists, Rankings |
| Website | www |
The World's Billionaires 2010 marked the 24th annual compilation by Forbes magazine, assessing the estimated net worth of the globe's wealthiest individuals (excluding monarchs and authoritarian leaders) as of February 12, 2010. Published online on March 10, 2010, this ranking was assembled by a team of 40 journalists operating in 13 countries. Carlos Slim and Bill Gates were featured on the cover.
Annual list
For the first time, Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim claimed the top spot on the billionaire ranking, with his fortune increasing by $18.5 billion to reach $53.5 billion, driven by a 35% rise in America Movil stock value. Close behind was Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose net worth climbed by $13 billion to $53 billion. Investor Warren Buffett secured third place with $47 billion, up from $37 billion the previous year. The highest-ranked woman was Christy Walton, positioned 12th with an inherited wealth of $22.5 billion. At just 25 years old, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg was the youngest billionaire on the list. American businessman Isaac Perlmutter debuted with an estimated $4 billion following the sale of Marvel Entertainment to Disney.
The roster featured 1,011 billionaires, an increase from 793 in 2009 but still below the all-time high of 1,125. The United States led with 403 billionaires, followed by China (including Hong Kong) with 89 and Russia with 62 — marking China's first appearance in second place. A total of 55 nations were represented, including debut entries from Finland and Pakistan. The number of billionaires doubled in China, India, South Korea, and Turkey. Of the 89 women listed, only 14 were self-made entrepreneurs, half of whom hailed from China.
Steve Forbes, editor of Forbes, pointed to the rising number of billionaires as evidence of global economic recovery after the 2008 financial crisis, emphasizing Asia's dominance and slower growth in U.S.-based billionaire wealth. The list included 164 returning members and 97 newcomers, with over 100 new entrants originating from Asia. Since 2009, only 12% experienced a decline in wealth; meanwhile, 30 individuals dropped off the list and 13 passed away. The combined net worth totaled $3.6 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion in 2009, averaging approximately $3.5 billion per billionaire. The U.S. share decreased to 38% from 44% the prior year.
Top 10
| No. | Name | Net worth (USD) | Age | Citizenshipy | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Nts Template:Loss | Template:Sortname | $53.0 billion  |
61 | United States | Microsoft |
| Template:Nts Template:Loss | Template:Sortname | $47.0 billion |
79 | United States | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $29.0 billion |
53 | India | Reliance Industries |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $28.7 billion |
60 | India | Arcelor Mittal |
| Template:Nts Template:Loss | Template:Sortname | $28.0 billion |
66 | United States | Oracle Corporation |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $27.5 billion |
61 | France | LVMH |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $27.0 billion |
53 | Brazil | EBX Group |
| Template:Nts |
Template:Sortname | $25.0 billion |
74 | Spain | Inditex Group |
| Template:Nts Template:Loss | Template:Sortname | $23.5 billion |
90 | Germany | Aldi Süd |
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
|
Unchanged compared to last year |
|
|
Increase compared to previous year |
| Template:Loss | Decrease compared to previous year |
Top 100
... (Note: Entries 12 through 97 are excluded here for brevity, retaining only the first and last entries) ... 100 100 100| No. | Name | Net Worth (USD billion) | Age | Nationality | Current Residence |
| 1 | Carlos Slim | 53.5 | 70 | Mexico | Mexico |
| 2 | William Gates III | 53.0 | 54 | United States | United States |
| 3 | Warren Buffett | 47.0 | 79 | United States | United States |
| 4 | Mukesh Ambani | 29.0 | 52 | India | India |
| 5 | Lakshmi Mittal | 28.7 | 59 | India | United Kingdom |
| 6 | Lawrence Ellison | 28.0 | 65 | United States | United States |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault | 27.5 | 61 | France | France |
| 8 | Eike Batista | 27.0 | 53 | Brazil | Brazil |
| 9 | Amancio Ortega | 25.0 | 74 | Spain | Spain |
| 10 | Karl Albrecht | 23.5 | 90 | Germany | Germany |
| 11 | 'Ingvar Kamprad & family' | '23.0' | '83' | 'Sweden' | 'Switzerland' |
| Lee Kun-Hee | 7.2 | 68 | South Korea | South Korea | |
| Alisher Usmanov | 7.2 | 56 | Russia | Russia | |
| Galen Weston & family | 7.2 | 69 | Canada | Canada |