Richest Men in the World 2011

1. Carlos Slim Helu (& family) - Mexico

[2010 Rank: 1]
Education: BA/BS, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico 
Fortune: $ 74 billion (up $20.5 billion)
Recent Headlines: Merged his fixed-line telecom company into America Movil, Latin America's largest wireless carrier; Opened a new museum which houses his vast art collection, named after his wife Soumaya.

2. William (Bill Gates) – United States

[2010 Rank: 2]
Education: Dropout from Harvard University
Fortune: $ 56 billion (up $3 billion)
Recent Headlines: Donated $30 billion of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which is working tirelessly towards eradication of tuberculosis and polio and poverty/hunger; Campaigning for "a higher sense of urgency" in AIDS vaccine development and also pushing for improved technology tools to rate teacher performance.

3. Warren Buffett – United States

[2010 Rank: 3]
Education: MS, Columbia University; BA/BS, University of Nebraska Lincoln 
Fortune: $50 billion (up $3 billion)
Recent Headlines: Investment in Chinese electric car startup BYD Co.; proposed investments in India; Partnered with Bill Gates to convince America's richest to pledge half their fortunes to charity.

4. Bernard Arnault – France

[2010 Rank: 7]
Education: BA/BS, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne 
Fortune: $41 billion (up $13.5 billion)
Recent Headlines: Spectacular performance of his luxury goods group LVMH; Acquisition by the Luis Vuitton group of stake in Hermes and Bulgari; Firing of Christian Dior designer John Galliano over his anti-Semitic remarks.

5. Larry Ellison – United States

[2010 Rank: 6]
Education: Dropout, University of Chicago and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Fortune: $39.5 billion (up 11.5 billion)
Recent Headlines: Win in the copyright infringement court battle against German software rival SAP worth $1.3 billion; Role in San Francisco’s successful bid to host the America's Cup regatta in 2013 (where Ellison is currently the defending champion); Intends to donate 95% of his wealth to charity.

6. Lakshmi Mittal - India

[2010 Rank: 5]
Education: BA/BS, St Xavier's College Calcutta, India
Fortune: $31.1 billion (up $2.4 billion)
Recent Headlines: Spectacular rise in net profits at his steel conglomeration Arcelor Mittal; Spin off of its stainless steel unit; acquisition of Canadian miner Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation; Funding of a 377-foot sculpture called ArcelorMittal Orbit in London's Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics; Plans to build a 30 million pound eco-mansion on the outskirts of London which designers claim will have zero carbon footprint.

7. Amancio Ortega - Spain

[2010 Rank: 9]
Education: Not Known; son of a railway worker, he is said to have started his career as a gofer in a shirt store
Fortune: $31 billion (up $6 billion)
Recent Headlines: Announced his retirement as chairman of Inditex, the $15.8 billion (sales) fashion firm in January; Controversy over Inditex copying bloggers’ fashion designs from the Internet.

8. Eike Batista - Brazil

[2010 Rank: 8]
Education: Dropout, RWTH Aachen University 
Fortune: $30 billion (up $3 billion)
Recent Headlines: Opened office in New York and expressed plans of listing some of his companies in the London Stock exchange; Acquisition of Canadian gold outfit Ventana; Rare setback through the not-so-great reception to the IPO of his ship-building venture.

9. Mukesh Ambani - India

[2010 Rank: 4]
Education: Dropout, Stanford University; BA/BS, University of Bombay 
Fortune: $27 billion (down $2 billion)
Recent Headlines: Recent partnership with BP worth $7.2 billion, which is being touted as the biggest foreign investment in India and will see a marketing joint venture; $3.3-billion investment in three American energy firms; much-hyped inauguration of a 27-story personal mansion in the heart of Mumbai.

10. Christy Ruth Walton ($22.5-billion)

Christy Walton, 56, is the wealthiest member of the family that runs the retailing giant Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT). She is the widow of John T. Walton, who was a son of Wal-Mart’s founder, Sam Walton. After John's death in June 2005, she inherited his fortune of $15.7 billion. 
The bulk of the current wealth comes from her ownership of shares in Wal-Mart, but also from owning stock in First Solar (NYSE: FSLR), which her late husband wisely invested in.
She lives in Jackson, Wyoming and is noted for her extraordinary charitable and philanthropic endeavors. 

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