Bill Gates

For the fifth year in a row, Microsoft founder Bill Gates heads the Forbes magazine list of wealthiest people in the world - with nearly $53 billion.

The top three are rounded out by American investor Warren Buffett, with $35 billion, and German brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, who made nearly $27 billion through retailing.

Twelve of the top 20 are Americans - including five members of the Walton family, who made the list separately with more than $20 billion each.

Two Germans and two Swedes appear on the list - including the Quandt family, which owns 50 percent of German luxury car-maker BMW, and Swede Ingvar Kamprad, who made his fortune with the IKEA home furnishings empire.

France's Liliane Bettencourt, of L'Oreal Cosmetics is on the list, as well as Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim Helu, who is Latin America's richest man. Saudi investor, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, ranked 11th on the list - with $20 billion.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

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