World's Richest People | featured news

Mexico's Carlos Slim remains the world's richest man for the fourth year in a row, according to Forbes, while Warren Buffett dropped out of the top three for the first time since 2000. And Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg saw his ranking drop 31 spots as his net worth declined by $4.2 billion.

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim kept his title as the world’s richest person for the second year in a row in 2011 as the number of billionaires from emerging-market countries continues to soar.

They're worth a combined $45 billion, a new record. South Korea's economy is quickly recovering from the recession thanks to rebounding domestic demand and favorable export conditions. So, too, are its wealthiest citizens, who got a boost from a strong won, which is up 20% in the past year (their fortunes are measured in U.S. dollars). The nation's 40 Richest are worth a record $45 billion, up $18 billion from last year and $4 billion from the previous 2008 record.

Forbes magazine released its annual list of the world's richest people Wednesday, and for only the second time since 1995, Microsoft founder Bill Gates' name was not at the top.