With $46.5 billion, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remained the world’s richest person for the 11th consecutive year, according to a Forbes magazine survey.

But the gap narrowed between Gates and star investor Warren Buffet, worth an estimated $44 billion, it said.
It has been a good year for billionaires, with the super-wealthy increasing their collective net worth by 300 billion dollars, the magazine said.
The fastest-growing fortune belonged Indian-born British tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, number three on the list with a net worth of $25 billion.
Mittal, whose Mittal Steel is one of the world’s biggest steelmakers, saw his net worth surge from an estimated $6.2 billion last year and his ranking jump from number 62 on the global list.
Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helu meanwhile joined the top 10 as the fourth wealthiest individual, worth some $23.8 billion thanks to a $10 billion increase in his telecom fortune, Forbes said.
Overall, the number of billionaires grew to 691 in 2005 from 587 a year earlier, and their net worth jumped to $2.2 trillion from $1.9 trillion.
“Commodities like oil and steel played a big part in the increasing fortunes,” Forbes said.
The list also saw growth in the number of countries with billionaires — 47, including first-time entries from Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and Iceland.
A total of 131 new billionaires came from 27 countries, with 69 from the US and nine from Russia, including the first Russian female, Elena Baturina, whose construction fortune is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion.
Even though she spent five months in a federal prison, domestic diva Martha Stewart made the list for the first time, debuting at number 620 with an even one billion dollars.
The top 10 richest were not as dominated by the US as in previous years, with five Americans compared to eight in 2004.
Number five on the list was Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al-Saud ($23.7 billion), followed by Ingvar Kamprad, founder of the Swedish retail group Ikea ($23 billion) and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ($21 billion).
German supermarket baron Karl Albrecht was ranked eighth with $18.5 billion and Lawrence Ellison, the founder of software group Oracle, was ninth with $18.4 billion.
After a dip in Wal-Mart’s stock price, company chairman S. Robson Walton, eldest son of Sam Walton, is the only family member to land among the 10 richest this year — ranked 10th with a net worth of $18.3 billion.
Two other Walton family members tied for 11th place, each with an estimated fortune of $18.2 billion (Jim Walton and John Walton). And two more Waltons were right behind in 13th place (Alice Walton and Helen Walton), each worth $18 billion.
Of the 691 billionaires, 388 are self-made, Forbes said, and 18 are high school dropouts.
Seventeen people made their way back onto the list, while 30 from last year’s list fell off and 14 died.
The founder of Russian oil giant Yukos who is languishing in a Moscow jail, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, saw his fortune fall 12.8 billion dollars, making him the biggest loser. He ranked 292nd on the list with an estimate worth of $22 billion.
Forbes counted 68 women billionaires, seven of whom are self-made.