Richest person (present day)

The richest person alive is Carlos Slim Helú (Mexico), with an estimated worth of $53.5 billion (£35.23 billion) to top the 2010 Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires.

Slim has amassed a self-made fortune that includes fixed-line telephone assets, a construction conglomerate, and stakes in financial group Inbursa, Bronco Drilling, Independent News & Media, Saks and New York Times Co. He increased his wealth by $18.5 billion in the previous year, helping knock Bill Gates off the top spot for just the second time since 1995. Donated $65 million to fund a research project in genomic medicine with American billionaire Eli Broad.