| Richest
Billionaire in each Country...
(5
March 2008) ...
Wealth in USD$ |
| Citizenship |
Name |
Wealth |
Source |
Residence |
Personal |
| 1.
Argentina |
Gregorio
Perez Companc & family
(High
school drop out) |
$2.1
billion |
oil
& gas |
Argentina |
73yo
-
Married, 7 children |
| 2.
Australia |
Andrew
Forrest (nicknamed
Twiggy) |
$6.5
billion |
mining,
metals
|
Australia |
46yo
- Married, 3 children |
| 3.
Austria |
Karl
Wlaschek (former
jazz pianist) |
$4.9
billion |
department
stores |
Austria |
90yo
-
Widowed, 2 children |
| 4.
Belgium |
Patokh
Chodiev (native
of Uzbekistan) |
$3.3
billion |
mining,
metals |
Kazakhstan |
55yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 5.
Belize |
Huang
Maoru |
$1.4
billion |
retailing |
China |
na
-
Married |
| 6.
Brazil |
Antonio
Ermirio de Moraes & family |
$10.0
billion |
diversified |
Brazil |
79yo
-
na, 9 children |
| 7.
Canada |
David
Thomson & family (father,
Kenneth Thomson, 82, died June 2006) |
$18.9
billion |
inherited |
Canada |
50yo
-
Divorced, 3 children (Engaged to Kelly
Rowan, star of defunct TV show The O.C.) |
| 8.
Chile |
Iris
Fontbona
& family (Second
wife of billionaire Andronico Luksic, who died of cancer in
2005) |
$10.0
billion |
mining/lumber |
Chile |
na
-
Widowed, 3 children |
| 9.
China |
Yang
Huiyan (Her
father, Yeung Kwok Keung, gave her 58% stake in his company) |
$7.4
billion |
real
estate |
China |
26yo
-
Married |
| 10.
Colombia |
Luis Carlos Sarmiento (Once
Colombia's top builder) |
$5.5
billion |
banking |
Colombia |
75yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 11.
Cyprus |
John
Fredriksen (Born
in Norway ... World's leading oil tanker tycoon ) |
$8.0
billion |
shipping |
UK |
63yo
-
Widowed, 2 children |
| 12.
Czech Republic |
Petr
Kellner
(in 1992, used a $1 million loan he got through his small
office-supplies business to start an investment fund) |
$9.3
billion |
insurance |
Czech
Republic |
43yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 13.
Denmark |
Kjeld
Kirk Kristiansen (founder
of Danish toymaker Lego) |
$6.5
billion |
manufacturing |
Denmark |
60yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 14.
Egypt |
Naguib
Sawiris (Swiss-educated,
loves to tango.) |
$12.7
billion |
telecom |
Egypt |
53yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 15.
France |
Bernard
Arnault (skilled
pianist) |
$25.5
billion |
LVMH
(world's
largest luxury goods empire)
|
France |
59yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 16.
Germany |
Karl
Albrecht (Fiercely
private ... raises orchids and plays golf) |
$27.0
billion |
supermarkets
(over
8,000 Aldi stores) |
Germany |
88yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 17.
Greece |
Spiro
Latsis & family |
$11.0
billion |
banking |
Switzerland |
61yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 18.
Hong Kong |
Li
Ka-shing (High
School drop out) |
$26.5
billion |
diversified
(world's largest operator of container terminals, world's
largest health and beauty retailer) |
Hong
Kong |
79yo
-
Widowed, 2 children
|
| 19.
Iceland |
Bjorgolfur
Thor Bjorgolfsson |
$3.5
billion |
diversified |
UK |
41yo
-
Engaged, 1 child (long-time girlfriend
is a movie producer) |
| 20.
India |
Lakshmi
Mittal (Europe's
richest resident) |
$45.0
billion |
Mittal
Steel (world's largest steelmaker) |
UK |
57yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 21.
Indonesia |
Sukanto
Tanoto |
$1.4
billion |
paper,
palm oil |
Singapore |
58yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 22.
Ireland |
Sean
Quinn & family (High
school educ. ... doesn't use a cell phone!) |
$6.0
billion |
real
estate, insurance, cement, glassmaking, hotel |
Ireland |
61yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 23.
Israel |
Sammy
Ofer & family (Romanian-born
Israeli ... famously press-shy) |
$6.7
billion |
diversified
(shipping, banking, real estate) |
Monaco |
86yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 24.
Italy |
Michele
Ferrero & family (Tied
up in legal battle that pits Ferrero against a Chinese chocolate
maker that also makes a gold-wrapped candy. ) |
$11.0
billion |
Ferrero
chocolates
(also Nutella and Tic Tac) |
Monaco |
81yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 25.
Japan |
Akira
Mori & family (Hobbies:
golf, Japanese chess, and reading) |
$7.5
billion |
Mori
Trust (real estate) |
Japan
|
70yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 26.
Kazakhstan |
Vladimir
Kim |
$4.7
billion |
mining |
Kazakhstan
|
47yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 27.
Kuwait |
Nasser
Al-Kharafi & family (has
exclusive franchise rights in Middle East for brands like
Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, KFC and Wimpy) |
$14.0
billion |
construction
|
Kuwait
|
64yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 28.
Lebanon |
Najib
Mikati (Former
Lebanese Prime Minister - briefly in 2005) |
$2.6
billion |
telecom |
Lebanon
|
52yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 29.
Malaysia |
Robert
Kuok (Onetime
rice and sugar trader) |
$9.0
billion |
diversified
(shipping, real estate, media) |
Hong
Kong |
84yo
-
Married, 8 children |
| 30.
Mexico |
Carlos
Slim Helu & family (son
of a Lebanese immigrant ... just
call him Midas ... baseball fan and art collector) |
$60.0
billion |
telecom |
Mexico |
68yo
-
Widowed, 6 children |
| 31.
Monaco |
Lily
Safra (Widow
of Brazilian billionaire banker Edmond Safra, who died in
a fire in his Monaco apartment 1999) |
$1.0
billion |
inheritance |
UK |
70yo
-
Widowed, 2 children |
| 32.
Netherlands |
Charlene
de Carvalho-Heineken |
$7.3
billion |
inheritance
(Inherited 25% stake in Dutch brewer
Heineken 6 years ago from her late father, Freddy Heineken)
|
UK |
53yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 33.
New Zealand |
Graeme
Hart (Former
tow truck driver now known for astute leveraged purchases
... owner of 190-foot yacht, Ulysses) |
$5.1
billion |
investments |
New
Zealand |
52yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 34.
Nigeria |
Aliko
Dangote (Closely
linked to Nigeria's former president Olusegun Obasanjo) |
$3.3
billion |
inheritance
(sugar, flour, cement manufacturing) |
Nigeria
|
na
-
na |
| 35.
Norway |
Stein
Erik Hagen & family (owns
island in the Caribbean and one of the biggest sailboats in
Europe) |
$4.3
billion |
supermarkets |
Norway
|
51yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 36.
Oman |
PNC
Menon (drop
out ... Born in India and migrated to Oman in 1976) |
$1.3
billion |
real
estate (Recently won bid with fellow
billionaire Anil Ambani to construct India's tallest building,
a 100-story twin tower in Hyderabad) |
India
|
59yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 37.
Philippines |
Lucio
Tan & family (Hobbies
include flying helicopters) |
$1.5
billion |
diversified
(aviation, real estate, mining, liquor and tobacco) |
Philippines
|
73yo
-
Married, 6 children |
| 38.
Poland |
Leszek
Czarnecki |
$2.6
billion |
leasing,
banking |
Poland
|
46yo
-
Divorced, 2 children |
| 39.
Portugal |
Americo
Amorim (King
of cork) |
$7.0
billion |
cork,
investments (world's largest producer
of cork) |
Portugal
|
73yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 40.
Romania |
Dinu
Patriciu (Onetime
architect and former parliamentarian) |
$2.5
billion |
oil
& gas refineries |
Romania
|
57yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 41.
Russia |
Oleg
Deripaska (Married
into family of former President Yeltsin) |
$28.0
billion |
Russian
Aluminum
(world's largest aluminum producer) |
Russia
|
40yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 42.
Saudi Arabia |
Prince
Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud (nephew
of the Saudi king ) |
$21.0
billion |
investments
(incl. Citicorp) |
Saudi
Arabia |
51yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 43.
Singapore |
Ng
Teng Fong (developed
more than 700 hotels, malls and condos in Singapore) |
$7.0
billion |
real
estate |
Singapore
|
79yo
-
Married, 6 children |
| 44.
South Africa |
Nicky
Oppenheimer & family |
$5.7
billion |
De
Beers (diamond mining) |
South
Africa |
62yo
-
Married, 1 child |
| 45.
South Korea |
Chung
Mong-Joon (6th
son of late Hyundai founder) |
$2.8
billion |
shipbuilding |
South
Korea |
56yo
-
Married |
| |
Chung
Mong-Koo
(Last
year had 3-year jail sentence - for embezzling $100 million
of company money - reduced to only a few months after agreeing
to donate $1 billion over several years to Korean society) |
$2.8
billion |
Hyundai
|
South
Korea |
70yo
- Married,
4 children |
| 46.
Spain |
Amancio
Ortega
(High School drop out; shuns neckties) |
$20.2
billion |
Zara
(apparel) (3,245 stores in 66 countries) |
Spain
|
72yo
-
Married, 3 children |
| 47.
Sweden |
Ingvar
Kamprad & family (flies
economy class and frequents cheap restaurants) |
$31.0
billion |
Ikea
(retail) (stores in 40 countries) |
Switzerland
|
81yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 48.
Switzerland |
Ernesto
Bertarelli (inherited
the business after father's death in 1998 ... yachtsman
who won the America's Cup in 2003 and 2007) |
$10.3
billion |
Sereno
(biotech) |
Switzerland
|
42yo
-
Married (to British beauty queen) |
| 49.
Taiwan |
Tsai
Hong-tu & family |
$7.7
billion |
finance |
Taiwan
|
55yo
-
na, 3 children |
| 50.
Thailand |
Chaleo
Yoovidhya |
$4.0
billion |
Red
Bull (beverages) |
Thailand
|
76yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 51.
Turkey |
Mehmet
Emin Karamehmet |
$4.3
billion |
Turkcell
mobile phone company |
Turkey
|
63yo
-
Married, 1 child |
| 52.
Ukraine |
Rinat
Akhmetov |
$7.3
billion |
steel,
coal mines |
Ukraine
|
41yo
-
Married, 2 children |
| 53.
United Arab Emirates |
Abdul
Aziz Al Ghurair & family (Paragliding
enthusiast ) |
$8.9
billion |
banking |
United
Arab Emirates |
54yo
-
Married, 5 children |
| 54.
United Kingdom |
Gerald
Cavendish Grosvenor & family (6th
Duke of Westminister ... supports more than 150 charities) |
$14.0
billion |
real
estate (incl. Mayfair) |
UK |
56yo
-
Married, 4 children |
| 55.
United States |
Warren
Buffett (America's
most beloved investor ... married
longtime girlfriend on his 76th birthday in Aug. 2006 ...
will donate $31 billion to charity!) |
$62.0
billion |
Berkshire
Hathaway |
USA |
77yo
-
Widowed, re-married, 3 children |
| 56.
Venezuela |
Lorenzo
Mendoza & family |
$5.0
billion |
beverages |
Venezuela
|
42yo
-
Married, 4 children |