Sweden edition

Two Swedes named on world rich list

Published: 11 Mar 10 07:34 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/25458/20100311/

Two Swedes have been named among the richest people in the world, according to the latest Forbes ranking which ranks Mexican Carlos Slim in first place.

Stockholm Arlanda slides in global airport rankings (19 Apr 13)
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Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates was pushed into second place by the Mexican telecom magnate, the second time Gates has lost top spot since 1995 in the Forbes magazine rankings.

Slim is worth a purported $53.5 billion while Gates has to make do with $53 billion, followed by US investor Warren Buffet on $47 billion.

The trio of well-heeled men have regained the combined $53.5 billion wiped off their fortunes in 2009.

The first Swede on the list is Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad in 11th place. The Kamprad family fortune amounts to $23 billion. The richest Swedish resident is Stefan Persson of clothing chain H&M in 13th place with $22.4 billion.

Last year the Kamprads' then $22 billion fortune was enough to claim 5th place in the list. Persson has meanwhile expanded his wealth, from $14.5 billion last year, and climbed from 18th place as a result.

There are now 1,011 US dollar billionaires, in comparison to 793 in 2009 and 1,125 in 2008.

The net wealth of the world's billionaires has rebounded to $3.5 trillion, up $1.1 trillion on 2009 but still a way off 2008 levels of $4.4 trillion.

The number of women on the Forbes list of billionaires has increased from 72 in 2009 to 89.

"The global economy is recovering which can be seen reflected in the list this year," said the magazine's CEO Steve Forbes.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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08:20 March 11, 2010 by dobermann

So who said , that one can't be super rich in Sweden?:)

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08:39 March 11, 2010 by Hamish

that there is one true comment dobermann! always hearing that its hard to become rich in sweden but here is the proof really

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09:13 March 11, 2010 by Localer

$53.5 billion....gosh thats alot of money!!! gonna last for 10 or 100 generations!!

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09:41 March 11, 2010 by Mina08

dont forget that their companies are NOT registered in Sweden.....

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10:01 March 11, 2010 by ponderer

"The Kamprads then $22 billion fortune was last year enough to claim 5th place in the list. "

I would expect the ppl writing in a news-in-english website to have at least an elementary grasp of syntax. Or perhaps someone's 5-year old son was helping dad out at work that morning like that air-traffic controller?

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10:08 March 11, 2010 by jack sprat

Kamprad has got rich outside of Sweden, partly by avoiding Swedish taxes and having most ofl his spare dosh stashed in the Dutch Antllles,

I would doubt if anyone would know the true figures,(as possibly with the others,mostly guesswork),

However I would hazard a guess he should really be in the top two or three.

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10:36 March 11, 2010 by dsc

That is supposed to be almost illegal in Sweden.

Good to see new face on the top spot. Was getting tired of old Gates.

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11:19 March 11, 2010 by Audrian

One of the major consequences of market fundamentalism is the redistribution of income in favor of few individuals. Those who loose in this rat race are the middle class and working people. The size of chronic unemployment, prison population and homelessness in the major capitalist countries is rising.

Historically competitive capitalism made some very rich but also raised the standard of living of the working people considerably. Under monopoly capitalism and globalization it is making a few too rich. That is why Warren Buffet and Bill Gates who clearly understood this contradiction are planning to give away most of their wealth at the time of their death.

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11:32 March 11, 2010 by mac_007

Here is the list

Rank Name Citizenship Age Net Worth ($bil) Residence

1 Carlos Slim Helu & family Mexico 70 53.5 Mexico

2 William Gates III United States 54 53.0 United States

3 Warren Buffett United States 79 47.0 United States

4 Mukesh Ambani India 52 29.0 India

5 Lakshmi Mittal India 59 28.7 India(UK)

6 Lawrence Ellison United States 65 28.0 United States

7 Bernard Arnault France 61 27.5 France

8 Eike Batista Brazil 53 27.0 Brazil

9 Amancio Ortega Spain 74 25.0 Spain

10 Karl Albrecht Germany 90 23.5 Germany

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#10

11:59 March 11, 2010 by peropaco

So these are the post we are allowed to leave comments on? The super rich (Gates) is now the second richest person in the world? Who gives a darn?? The Local is becoming a victim to its own success and with it comes its draconian censorship on expression. This used to be a fairly fun site but now it may as well move its HQ to Saudi Arabia.

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#11

12:03 March 11, 2010 by StockholmSam

They did not get rich in Sweden. They got rich on the global market. BIG difference.

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#12

16:17 March 11, 2010 by GefleFrequentFlyer

I'm not sure if it's fair to give the top ranking to someone who thieves the money in the form of a monopoly.

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#13

19:14 March 11, 2010 by seychelle_18

I wonder if these rich people share their wealth to those most in need like in Haiti and some other places in calamity.

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#14

23:58 March 11, 2010 by Freebie

Bill Gates shares his wealth, as documented in a January AP news release: DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world's poorest countries, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said Friday. (January 29, 2010).

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#15

05:22 March 12, 2010 by Da Goat

These are obscene amounts of money

if converted to cash would be hectares of pallets worth

this money is almost impossible to spend as it would grow faster than you could get rid of it!

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#16

11:22 March 12, 2010 by seychelle_18

That's good to hear that wealth are distributed voluntarily.

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#17

14:36 March 12, 2010 by Swedesmith

Can anyone help me? I'm looking for a wealthy 80 year old woman with a bad cough and a desire to marry.

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#18

16:29 March 12, 2010 by Jim S

@ponderer: a careful perusal of the article reveals that it was written by news agency TT, rather than a Local staff member. While the author's English grammar might benefit from remedial coursework, the person in question most likely wrote in a language other than his or her native tongue.

Although I can read Swedish, can communicate my basic needs in shops, and can write a rudimentary form of it (I live in California, not Sweden), any attempt I might make to write a news article in Swedish would make the syntax in the article seem like something from the New York Review of Books.

Do you live in a glass house?

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#19

18:41 March 12, 2010 by desert voice

According to the latest statistics, there are currently 1,011 billionares in the world (of which Bin Laden is one). That's a lot of money centralized in a few hands while millions starve! I have read that Eike Batista, one of the new billionaires, makes 20 billion a year. Just think how many families that live on one dollar a day could be fed with 20 billion! Out of the 1,011 billionaires that I mentioned, there are ten that make above 100 billion a year. That's quite a sum for ten people to spend! As for Bill Gates, he is said to have donated to charity some 30 billion. Now, if this were true, he would have given a 30 million people a 1,000 dollars. Did any of you get 1,000 dollars recently? I did not! Which leads me to believe that the media exagerate Bill Gate's "charities", which by the way are non-taxable! Draw your own conclusions. Like Ricky, I am furious that the world is unable to control these billionares in such a way, that they are held accountable for the econoimic disparity in the world, the hunger, the unemployment! I do believe that Bin Laden is somewhere hiding. He wouldn't be hiding if his money was frozen by the banks! Money opens many doors. His money makes his hiding possible. One possible place where he is hiding, is Pakistan. I mention Pakistan because a state-sponsored terrorist stands more chances to hide in that place. But there are many other countries that might help him to hide! We must somehow change the world!

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#20

12:44 March 13, 2010 by NickM

"The global economy is recovering which can be seen reflected in the list this year," said the magazine's CEO Steve Forbes.

Excellent indicator of economic recovery.

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#21

08:01 March 14, 2010 by ali_bin_umar

@desert voice... Osama bin Ladin is for sure sitting in new Delhi in India...as you know most of the terrorism, suicide attacks inside Pakistan killing innocent ppl by these talibans are being funded by RAW indian spy agency. These terrorist have been recovered with Indian made arms and ammos... btw an Indian national is in the top 10 richest person but the Indian nation as whole are the poorest in the world...see statistics

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#22

11:41 March 16, 2010 by ycover

It is disturbing to see Carlos Slim at the top of the list..... the mothef**** owns Latinamerica with his selfish greaty monopolies.... At least Bill Gates and Warren Buffet come from a country were extreme poverty is not a problem... but Slim??? He should be ashamed of it rather than proud (in case he is, don't really know that, but he has sure stayed on the top 3 for a while).

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