Wal-Mart’s Waltons Are Richest of Rich : Wealth: Forbes says Japanese tycoon is tops among individuals.
The Walton family of Wal-Mart renown ranked as the world’s richest this year with a fortune totaling $23.6 billion, Forbes magazine reports.
Japanese hotel and railroad magnate Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was the richest individual, according to the magazine’s annual ranking of billionaires, released Monday.
Taken together, the billionaires--both families and individuals--have become a less-exclusive group, with their ranks swelling by 47 to 358 from a year ago, the magazine says in its July 18 issue. The billionaires were worth a combined $765 billion. Tsutsumi alone has a net worth of $8.5 billion.
The region with the fastest-growing billionaire population is Latin America, which boasted of 42 in this survey. When the magazine compiled its original billionaires’ list in 1987, Latin America listed just six. Asia is another fertile region. This year, excluding Japan, 46 Asian billionaires were counted. In 1987, there were but 14.
In overall numbers, however, the United States ranks as the world’s largest producer of billion-dollar wealth, with almost three times the number of billionaires as the next-closest country.
U.S. billionaires totaled 120 in the Forbes ranking.
The only other places with billionaires in the double digits were: Germany, 42; Japan, 36; Mexico, 24; Hong Kong-Macau, 13, and France, 11.
American families ranked at the top of the list. Following the Waltons were the Mars family, with a fortune of $9.6 billion, and the du Ponts, listed as being worth $9 billion.
Among individuals, Microsoft founder Bill Gates was behind Tsutsumi with a net worth of $8.2 billion. After the software innovator came the one-time richest individual American, investor Warren Buffett, whose net worth totals $7.9 billion.
Forbes said it excludes from its list royal families and heads of state, because their fortunes come more from political heritage than efforts in the realm of economics. The magazine said it also excludes dictators.
The Top 10:
* Walton family; $23.6 billion; Wal-Mart Stores; United States. * Mars family; $9.6 billion; candy; United States. * Du Pont family; $9 billion; chemicals, manufacturing; United States. * Hans and Gad Rausing; $9 billion; packaging; Sweden. * Yoshiaki Tsutsumi; $8.5 billion; land, railroads, resorts; Japan. * Bill Gates; $8.2 billion; Microsoft; United States. * Warren Buffett; $7.9 billion; stock market; United States. * Paul Sacher and Hoffmann family; $7.8 billion; Hoffman-LaRoche, Switzerland. * Tsai family; $7.5 billion; insurance, construction; Taiwan. * Theo and Karl Albrecht; $7.3 billion; supermarkets; Germany.
