With a reported net worth of $1.2 billion, Tom Benson is the lone Louisianan on the new Forbes list of the world’s richest billionaires. Benson, who owns the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Hornets, is ranked No. 1,175 on the list, which includes 1,426 people this year, a record high. The number of billionaires in the world increased by 16% from last year, Forbes reports. Mexico’s Carlos Slim—who’s estimated to have a net worth of $73 billion, up from $69 billion last year—remains the world’s richest man for the fourth year in a row. Warren Buffett, meanwhile, dropped out of the top three for the first time since 2000, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg saw his ranking drop 31 spots as his net worth declined by $4.2 billion. The average net worth of those on the list is $3.8 billion, rising 3% from 2012. The total net worth for the list’s billionaires was $5.4 trillion compared with $4.6 trillion a year ago. The United States continues to have the most billionaires in the world, with 442 of them. It is followed by the Asia-Pacific region, with Europe rounding out the top three. There are 210 new faces on the list, many of whom Forbes says were helped by rebounding equity markets and strong consumer brands. There were 60 people who dropped off the list entirely this year, including Zynga’s Mark Pincus and former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon. You can check out the full coverage and complete list here.
Today’s poll question: Did your net worth increase last year?
