TOP 10 RICHEST PERSONS IN THE WORLD

Top 10 Richest Person in the World - 2008

1) The American investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet is worth an estimated $62 billion, up $10 billion from a year ago thanks to surging prices of Berkshire Hathaway stock, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's billionaires.

2)Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu was named the world's second richest man, with a net worth of around $60 billion, up $11 billion since last March.

3) Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is now ranked as the world's third richest person. At $58 billion, his net worth is up $2 billion from a year ago.

4) Steel giant Lakshmi Mittal placed fourth with 45 billion dollars

5) Petrochemicals tycoon Mukesh Ambani placed fifth with 43 billion dollars

6) Anil Ambani at sixth position with 42 billion dollars

7) Ikea store chain owner Ingvar Kamprad was seventh at $31 billion

8) Property magnate K.P. Singh came in eighth on the list, with a fortune estimated at 30 billion dollars.

9) Aluminum giant Oleg Deripaska was ninth at $28 billion

10) Aldi store chain owner Karl Albrecht was 10th at $27 billion

The Top 50 World's Richest People

The Top 50 World's Richest People

Rank Name Age Worth ($bil) Country Of Citizenship Residence

1 William Gates III 48 46.6 United States United States , WA , Medina

2 Warren Buffett 73 42.9 United States United States , NE , Omaha

3 Karl Albrecht 84 23.0 Germany Germany , Donaueschingen

4 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud 47 21.5 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia , Riyadh

5 Paul Allen 51 21.0 United States United States , WA , Mercer Island

6 Alice Walton 55 20.0 United States United States , TX , Fort Worth

6 Helen Walton 84 20.0 United States United States , AR , Bentonville

6 Jim Walton 56 20.0 United States United States , AR , Bentonville

6 John Walton 58 20.0 United States United States , AR , Bentonville

6 S Robson Walton 60 20.0 United States United States , AR , Bentonville

11 Liliane Bettencourt 81 18.8 France France , Paris

12 Lawrence Ellison 59 18.7 United States United States , CA , Redwood Shores

13 Ingvar Kamprad 77 18.5 Sweden Switzerland , Lausanne

14 Theo Albrecht 81 18.1 Germany Germany , Foehr

15 Kenneth Thomson & family 80 17.2 Canada Canada , Toronto

16 Mikhail Khodorkovsky 40 15.0 Russia Russia , Moscow

17 Carlos Slim Helu 64 13.9 Mexico Mexico , Mexico City

18 Michael Dell 39 13.0 United States United States , TX , Round Rock

19 Steven Ballmer 47 12.4 United States United States , WA , Redmond

19 Li Ka-shing 75 12.4 Hong Kong Hong Kong , Hong Kong

21 Bernard Arnault 55 12.2 France France , Paris

22 Walter, Thomas & Raymond Kwok -- 11.4 Hong Kong Hong Kong , Hong Kong

23 Barbara Cox Anthony 80 11.2 United States United States , HI , Honolulu

23 Anne Cox Chambers 84 11.2 United States United States , GA , Atlanta

25 Roman Abramovich 37 10.6 Russia Russia , Anadyr

26 John Kluge 89 10.5 United States United States , FL , Palm Beach

27 Forrest Mars Jr 72 10.4 United States United States , VA , McLean

27 Jacqueline Mars 65 10.4 United States United States , NJ , Bedminster

27 John Mars 67 10.4 United States United States , VA , Arlington

30 Silvio Berlusconi 67 10.0 Italy Italy , North of Milan

31 Abigail Johnson 42 9.8 United States United States , MA , Boston

32 Birgit Rausing & family 80 9.3 Sweden Switzerland

33 Amancio Ortega 68 9.2 Spain Spain , La Coruna

34 Charles Ergen 51 9.1 United States United States , CO , Denver

35 Sumner Redstone 80 8.9 United States United States , CA , Beverly Hills

36 Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor 52 8.7 United Kingdom United Kingdom , Chester

37 Stefan Persson 56 8.6 Sweden Sweden , Stockholm

38 Pierre Omidyar 36 8.5 United States United States , NV , Henderson

39 Nasser Al-Kharafi & family 60 8.4 Kuwait Kuwait

40 Susanne Klatten 42 8.1 Germany Germany , Bad Homburg

41 Michael Otto & family 60 8.0 Germany Germany , Hamburg

41 Hans Rausing 77 8.0 Sweden United Kingdom , Wadhurst

43 Keith Murdoch 73 7.8 United States United States , NY , New York

44 Donald Newhouse 74 7.7 United States United States , NJ , Somerset County

44 Samuel Newhouse Jr 76 7.7 United States United States , NY , New York

44 Galen Weston & family 63 7.7 Canada Canada , Toronto

47 Carl Icahn 68 7.6 United States United States , NY , New York

47 Robert Pritzker 77 7.6 United States United States , IL , Chicago

47 Thomas Pritzker 53 7.6 United States United States , IL , Chicago

50 Rudolf August Oetker & family 87 7.5 Germany Germany , Bielefeld