up $ 900 billion from 2007 . Watch who 's up and who 's down '' This year 's survey finds an increasing number of the world 's richest coming from emerging markets , including China , India and Russia . Two years ago , 10 of the top 20 billionaires were from the United States . This year , there are only four . India is now home to four of the 10 richest people in the world , the highest number for a single country . But the United States still holds the top spot as the country with the most billionaires -- Americans account for 42 percent of the world 's billionaires and 37 percent of the total wealth , according to Forbes . With 87 billionaires , Russia is now in second place , overtaking Germany , with 59 billionaires , which had held that position for six years . It is also a record-breaking year for young billionaires , with Forbes listing 50 billionaires under the age of 40 . Check out the youngest billionaires '' Over half of them are self-starters , including Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page , and India 's
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Forbes ' list of the world 's wealthy has named Warren Buffett the richest person on the planet , surpassing his friend and philanthropic partner Bill Gates who had held the title for 13 consecutive years . American investor Warren Buffett has been named world 's richest person . The American investor and philanthropist is worth an estimated $ 62 billion , up $ 10 billion from a year ago thanks to surging prices of Berkshire Hathaway stock , according to Forbes magazine 's annual ranking of the world 's billionaires . Gates , the co-founder of Microsoft , is now ranked as the world 's third richest person . At $ 58 billion , his net worth is up $ 2 billion from a year ago . Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu was named the world 's second richest man , with a net worth of around $ 60 billion , up $ 11 billion since last March . For the first time , Forbes ' rich list named more than 1,000 billionaires from around the world , with 226 newcomers . The total net worth of the group is $ 4.4 trillion ,