Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man!

The annual billionaires list from the Forbes magazine has shed new light on the richest man in the world with Bill Gates having fallen to number two and Mexican telecoms billionaire Carlos Slim Helu now number one in the table. This is the first time since 1994 that the Forbes billionaires list has seen a non-US citizen take top spot.

Even though the world has gone through the worst recession in living history, the Mexican entrepreneur managed to increase his personal wealth by $18.5 billion taking it to a massive $53.5 billion. This is a "mere" $500 million more than Bill Gates and knocks him off the top spot for the first time for many years although it is worth noting that if you take account of Bill Gates charitable donations he would be worth a net $80 billion today!

Even in these most difficult of economic climates it is noticeable that many business entrepreneurs have still managed to increase their personal wealth while others around them have fallen by the wayside. The Forbes rich list has highlighted the rise and fall of many entrepreneurs and many business people over the years with many literally disappearing forever along with their millions and billions of dollars!