According to Forbes, there are a total of 1426 billionaires in the world in 2013 with a total combined net worth of $5.4 trillion. While in 2012, it was 1,226 with combined assets of $4.6 trillion. Love them or hate them, they are among the world’s most famous people. They are powerful individuals that shape economies. For that reason, it has become a norm to recognize them. With the Forbes list of billionaires out, new records have been broken and titles are retained. Figures released show that there are 210 additional ten-figure fortunes compared to last year. So, who among these wealthy persons made it to the top 10 list? Here are the big names according to Forbes rankings.

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#1) Carlos Slim Helu

Carlos Slim is the wealthiest man in Mexico (and in the world as of 2013). He retained this spot after having been named the number one billionaire last year. Most of his fortune comes from his investments in the telecom industry. However, Carlos also owns companies in the mining, real estate, financial and industrial sectors. At the age of 73, the net worth of Carlos Slim this year stands at a staggering $73 billion. It seems his 2012 investments in Mexico’s Leon and Pachuca clubs as well as Spain’s Real Oviedo have done quite well.

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#2) Bill Gates

William Henry “Bill” Gates III  holds the title of the second richest man in the world. He comes in a close second after Carlos Slim. His estimated net worth in 2013 was $67 billion. The Microsoft founder is still the chairman of his biggest company. Bill Gates has been involved in various philanthropic endeavors in the recent past. He has donated to date more than $28 million to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition, he has been very active in urging his fellow billionaires to donate to charity. In April, Gates pledged to secure $355 million to eradicate polio. Despite all these philanthropic endeavors, he comes in second place on the Forbes list of wealthiest individuals globally.

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#3) Amancio Ortega

Spain’s Amancio Ortega is best known for being the founding father of the Zara brand. He possesses more than 60% of the company’s shares. A good deal of his wealth though also comes from real estate investments. Ortega made capitalized on property ownership during the 2008 global financial downturn. He owns several buildings in Spain, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and London. This year, he is the biggest gainer with a net worth of $57 billion. He travels to third place among the world’s richest people.

#4) Warren Buffet

Warren has a net worth of $53 billion as of 2013. This has earned him a fourth place among the world’s wealthiest persons. This is despite having gone through expensive treatments for prostate cancer and donating $2 billion to the Gates Foundation in July. However, the 83-year-old has been doing some huge business deals. A subsidiary of his Berkshire Company is ready to buy Nevada’s NV Energy for $5.6 billion. In addition, Buffet bought the famous ketchup maker, H.J. Heinz, with 3G capital at a cost of $23.2 billion.

#5) Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison is the third richest man in the US and ranked as the fifth multi-millionaire in the world. The Oracle founder owns multiple residential properties on Malibu’s Carbon Beach. He also owns almost all of Hawaii’s Lanai Island. Larry Ellison’s net worth in 2013 was recorded at $43 billion.

#6) Charles Koch

Charles Koch comes in sixth place on the billionaire’s list. He is just one place ahead of his brother, David Koch. The two entrepreneurs head the biggest private company in the US. It is estimated that Koch industries generate up to $115 billion in gross revenue. Charles has a net worth of $34 billion as of 2013.

#7) David Koch

David Koch, brother to Charles Koch, comes in at the seventh position among the world’s wealthiest individuals this year. He also has a net worth of $34 billion. This duo is behind Koch Industries, which is involved in a refinery, financial trading, and chemical manufacturing, among other entrepreneurial ventures.

#8) Li Ka-Shing

Not only is Li Ka-Shing the eighth billionaire in the world, but he is also the wealthiest man in Asia as well. As the owner of Superman’s empire, he employs more than 200,000 employees across 52 countries. Li Ka-Shing is estimated to be worth $ 31 billion (by net worth) for this year. The Singaporean multi-millionaire had a great year, with shares from his largest holdings adding $5.5 billion to his fate. The 85-year-old also owns a tech investment company, which played an instrumental role in the development of Facebook, Skype, and Spotify.

#9) Liliane Bettencourt

She is not only the number one billionaire in France; she is officially the world’s richest woman as of 2013. However, Liliane has also been in the top ten lists of wealthy people back in 1999. Most of her fortune comes from the family-owned company, L’Oreal. However, the 90-year-old widow has been under the guidance of her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers. The family has been through many legal tussles over wealth in the past. Liliane Bettencourt and her family stand at a net worth of $30 billion as of 2013.

#10) Bernard Arnault

At the age of 92, Bernard Arnault is the tenth richest man on earth. He is the overall manager of a luxury company. Some of the big brands owned by Arnault include Thomas Pink and De Beers, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and Dom Perignon. He is also making plans to open a new FrankGehry-designed museum in Paris by 2014. This year, Bernard Arnault appointed his daughter to be the vice executive president of Louis Vuitton.

Interesting Facts

The year 2013 has recorded more than 1000 billionaires. Only one woman appears on the Forbes billionaire list, with the rest being men. It is interesting to note that the U.S dominates the charts with 442 names, followed by Asia at 386. The Middle East and Africa come in at fourth place just after the Americas, with both regions having 103 and 129 names on the list respectively.