Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim has topped Forbes magazine’s billionaire’s list – the first time since 1994 that an American has not led the rankings.
Mr Slim’s fortune rose by $18.5bn (£12.4bn) last year to $53.5bn.
That beat Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($53bn) into second place, with US investor Warren Buffet ($43bn) third.
In 2009 332 names left the list after a tough year, but the total number of billionaires on this year’s list rose from 793 to 1,011, Forbes said.
The year’s biggest gainer, Brazilian mining tycoon Eike Batista, broke into the top 10 for the first time.
This looks more and more like the year of the under dogs!!
