Forbes Rich List 2012: Who Is Worth $69 Billion?

Forbes has revealed its Rich List for 2012, with Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim retaining his position at No.1 with an estimated worth of $69 billion. His nearest rival was Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates, who ranked second with $61 billion - Warren Buffett had to settle for third position with $44 billion.

According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, the youngest billionaire to make the list was 'Spanx' founder Sara Blakely, whose slimming undergarments have made her an estimated $1 billion. Blakely's appearance in the list makes a change from the usual smattering of oil tycoons and heirs, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was also holding his own at No. 35 with a net worth of $17.5 billion. Last month, the social media heavyweight announced plans for his company to be placed on the stock exchange with a projected valuation set at $100 billion. Notable absentees from this year's list include Harry Potter author Jk Rowling, whose wealth fell below the $1 billion mark due, in part, to Britain's high tax rates - however, she is understood to have given away $150 million of her fortune to charity. Also missing from the list was Jim Balsillie, the former CEO of Research in Motion, creators of the Blackberry. Predictably, it was the United States who led the rankings with 425 billionaires, though among the cities it was Moscow that led the way with 78 billionaires, followed by New York who boast 58 billionaires and London who have 39.

Although Forbes has long been the primary source for statistics on wealth, it now has a competitor in the form of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Their Top 20 is updated each day, though it currently offers the same Top 3 as Forbes.