NEW YORK, March 11: It has been a good year for billionaires, with the super-wealthy increasing their collective net worth by 300 billion dollars, Forbes Magazine reported on Thursday in its annual ranking of the world’s richest people.

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates remained at the top of the ranking for the 11th consecutive year, with 46.6 billion dollars, but the gap narrowed between Gates and star investor Warren Buffet, worth an estimated 44 billion dollars.

The fastest-growing fortune belonged to Indian-born British tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, number three on the list with a net worth of 25 billion dollars.

Mittal, whose Mittal Steel is one of the world’s biggest steelmakers, saw his net worth surge from an estimated 6.2 billion dollars 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 dollars thanks to a 10 billion dollar 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 dollars 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 United States and nine from Russia, including the first Russian female, Elena Baturina, whose construction fortune is estimated to be worth 1.3 billion dollars.

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 United States 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 dollars), 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 dollars 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 dollars.

Two other Walton family members tied for 11th place, each with an estimated fortune of 18.2 billion dollars (Jim Walton and John Walton). And two more Waltons were right behind in 13th place (Alice Walton and Helen Walton), each worth 18 billion.—AFP