Rich List 2009

The credit crunch has hit the worlds billionaires pretty hard. On average the world’s top billionaires have lost nearly a quarter of their net worth in 2009 due to tumbling stock prices. Warren Buffett has slipped from the number one slot back down to number two after losing a staggering $25bn as share prices in Berkshire Hathaway sank by nearly 50%.

Here is the top ten richest people in the world as of 2009 according to Forbes.

1. William Gates III, United States, 53, $40bn, United States
2. Warren Buffett, United States, 78, $37bn, United States
3. Carlos Slim Helu & family, Mexico, 69, $35bn , Mexico
4. Lawrence Ellison, United States, 64, $22.5bn, United States
5. Ingvar Kamprad & family, Sweden, 83, $22bn, Switzerland
6. Karl Albrecht, Germany, 89, $21.5bn, Germany
7. Mukesh Ambani, India, 51, $19.5bn, India
8. Lakshmi Mittal, India, 58, $19.3bn, United Kingdom
9. Theo Albrecht, Germany, 87, $18.8bn, Germany
10. Amancio Ortega, Spain, 73, $18.3bn, Spain