The number of billionaires has soared in the past year, and dozens of people who lost that elite status in the credit crisis have won it back as stock markets and commodities prices have rebounded.If you want to know what a billion looks like: its this £1,000,000,000. That is one thousand millions.
The March edition of Forbes magazine, out today, has become essential reading for the world's super-rich. While many studiously try to protect their privacy and stay below the radar, others have hired public relations advisers to make sure they get on the list. The US still dominates the list of billionaires, which is 1,011 long this year. That is up from 793 of 2009, largely thanks to the rebound in commodities prices which has brought many Russians back into the elite club.
If you wonder how much money they have between them the number looks something like this:
£1,011,000,000,000 at the bare minimum. That number is over a trillion.
Get a load of this: The world's richest people:
1 Carlos Slim Helu (last year: 3) $53.5bn (last year: $35.0bn)
The cigar-puffing 70-year-old took control of Mexico's telecoms monopoly and now owns the largest mobile operator in Latin America.
Bill Gates (1) $53.0bn ($40.0bn)
Gates's wealth is still largely tied up in Microsoft, though he spends his time now on philanthropy.
3 Warren Buffett (2) $47.0bn ($37.0bn)
Close to his 80th birthday, the investment guru has begun giving his fortune away to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
4 Mukesh Ambani (7) $29.0bn ($19.5bn)
Won the lion's share of his father's Indian conglomerate, Reliance Industries, in a carve-up with his brother, Anil.
5 Lakshmi Mittal (8) $28.7bn ($19.3bn)
The Indian-born, London-based steel tycoon lost more than half his fortune in 2008, but since then commodities prices have bounced back.
6 Larry Ellison (4) $28.0bn ($22.5bn)
He founded and still runs the database software firm Oracle, but he is happiest these days sailing and won the America's Cup in February.
7 Bernard Arnault (15) $27.5bn ($16.5bn)
Europe's richest man built LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Moët et Chandon and Hennessey.
8 Eike Batista (61) $27.0bn ($7.5bn)
Born to a German mother and Brazilian father, he floated his oil and gas firm just when the oil price peaked.
