Amancio Ortega Gaona - Zara billionaire and the world’s third-richest man

Amancio Ortega, the world’s third-richest man, widened his lead over billionaire fast-fashion rivals Stefan Persson and Tadashi Yanai last week, as strong performance from his Inditex SA gave further rise to a fortune that has risen more than 57 percent since March 2012.

• Age: 77
• Source of Wealth: Zara, self-made
• Country of Citizenship: Spain
• Marital Status: Married
• Children: 3

• He stepped down as chairman of Inditex, best known for its Zara brand, in 2011, but still owns nearly 60% of its shares, which soared 50% year-over-year on record profits. 
• Ortega also has a real estate portfolio, much of it acquired at bargain prices during the financial downturn, estimated to be worth more than $4 billion. Among his properties: the iconic Torre Picasso, a 43-story skyscraper in Madrid (Google is a tenant), which he purchased from billionaire Esther Koplowitz in 2011. He also owns buildings in Madrid, London, Chicago, San Francisco and New York. 

Ortega, 77, has a net worth of $61.1 billion, according to the index, a rise from $38.8 billion in March 2012 and up 6 percent in 2013. Sweden’s Persson is the world’s 16th-richest person with $29.7 billion, up 21 percent this year. Yanai is ranked 41st with $18.4 billion, a 46 percent increase.

“Inditex has managed to outdo rivals such as H&M and Fast Retailing in Ebitda because it’s better at readjusting its different brands and launching new ones,” Francisco Salvador, a Madrid-based strategist at FGA/MG Valores, said in a phone interview. “Zara is both cheap and cool. A top model or even a princess may regularly buy at Prada, but they would also be proud of wearing and showing off Zara clothes. They will probably never acknowledge wearing H&M or Uniqlo, though.”

India’s 55 billionaires command nearly $250 billion in wealth

India’s 55 billionaires command nearly $250 billion in wealth — a staggering sum relative not only to the country’s gross domestic product, but to peers in bigger economies. More than 60 percent of India’s billionaire wealth — $154.8 billion — resides with just 11 individuals or families, according to Forbes rankings for 2011:

64 Chinese billionaires on Forbes list

Zong Qinghou

Forbes Magazine released its 2010 billionaire list Wednesday in New York, and China has 64 billionaires on the list, up from last year's 28, and becomes the country with the second-most billionaires.

Zong Qinghou, founder and chairman of Wahaha, a Zhejiang-based beverage giant, is the richest among Chinese billionaires, ranking 103rd place in the list with a wealth of $7 billion.

Chairman of Suning Appliance Zhang Jindong ranked 176th place with $4.5 billion and Wang Chuanfu, the founder of Chinese battery and electric car maker BYD, followed him closely with $4.4 billion.

Twenty-five billionaires from Hong Kong are also on the list and Li Ka-shing ranked 14th with a wealth of $21 billion.

Mexican Telecom titan Carlos Slim Helu took the title of the world's richest person from Bill Gates' pocket with a total net worth of $53.5 billion.

"For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man," the magazine said.

Slim's fortune rose $18.5 billion in 12 months and he ranked third in the 2009 rankings. Shares of America Movil, of which Slim owns a $23 billion stake, were up 35 percent in a year.

Gates, the richest man last year, fell to second place with assets worth $53 billion. Master investor Warren Buffett, whose net worth increased by $10 billion to $47 billion, dropped from second to third.

This year's billionaires own a total net worth of $3.6 trillion, 50 percent up from $2.4 trillion in 2009, and their average worth was up $500 million to $3.5 billion.

In addition, the number of billionaires has soared from 793 last year to 1,011 this year.

"The global economy is recovering, and is reflected in what you see in this year's list," said Steve Forbes, chairman, CEO and editor- in-chief of Forbes Magazine.

The rich list still has the most Americans, but their grip is slipping. Americans account for 40 percent of the world's billionaires, down from 45 percent a year ago. The Americans' wealth makes up 38 percent of the collective net worth of the world's richest, down from 44 percent a year ago.

Among this year's 97 newcomers, 62 made their debut from Asia, "a region that saw swelling stock markets and several large public offerings during the past year," Forbes Magazine said.