Number of billionaires in UK rise despite economic crisis
The number of billionaires in the UK has increased to 32, with the Duke of Westminster Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor again named the country’s richest man.
Despite the property slump, the 59-year-old landowner increased his worth to $13bn – but still only managed 57th on the Forbes global rich list.
Despite the global economic downturn, the Forbes 25th list of the richest people on the planet saw the number of billionaires increase by 214 to a record 1,210.
The world’s richest man was Mexican Telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim Helu, who topped the list for a second year and increased his wealth by $20.5bn to $74bn.
Microsoft boss Bill Gates was second with $56bn and investor Warren Buffett was third with $50bn dollars.
Property tycoons David and Simon Reuben were second on the UK rich list with $8bn, followed by high street mogul Sir Philip Green with $7.2bn.
Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, landowner Charles Cadogan and Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone were next, each with a fortune of $4.2bn.
And other UK billionaires included Harry Potter author JK Rowling who is worth $1bn and has been on the list for a number of years.
The richest UK resident was Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who was sixth richest in the world, with a $31.1bn fortune.
Source: Sky News