Mexico's Slim leads Forbes' fat cat list

New York, NY - There are now 1,210 billionaires, up 214 from last year, according to Forbes' annual ranking of the world's richest people. The billionaires have an average net worth of $3.7 billion, up from $3.5 billion in 2010, and a record total net worth of $4.5 trillion.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates maintained his second position on the list again this year, behind Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu. Gates finished 2010 with a net worth of $54 billion.

Helu, maintained the top spot for the second year in a row, finishing with $74 billion. The telecommunications and business magnate added a whopping $20.5 billion to his net worth last year.

Christy Walton, heiress to the Wal-mart fortune, was the highest ranking woman on the list, finishing last year with a $26.5 billion net worth.

Asia now reportedly has more billionaires on the list than Europe, with 332 for the former and 300 for the latter. However, Moscow is home to more billionaires than any other city in the world, with 79. The United States continues to have the most billionaires, with 413.

The following is a list of the top ten richest people in world, according to Forbes, with their name, net worth, primary business, and country.

1) Carlos Slim Helu; $74 billion; Telecom; Mexico

2) Bill Gates; $56 billion; Microsoft; United States

3) Warren Buffett; $50 billion; Berkshire Hathaway; United States

4) Bernard Arnault; $41 billion; LVMH; France

5) Larry Ellison; $39.5 billion; Oracle; United States

6) Lakshmi Mittal; $31.1 billion; Steel; India

7) Amancio Ortega; $31 billion; Zara, Spain

8) Eike Batista; $30 billion; Mining, oil; Brazil

9) Mukesh Ambani; $27 billion; Petrochemicals, oil and gas; India

10) Christy Walton; $26.5 billion; Wal-Mart; United States

For the full story on all the world's billionaires, visit Forbes.com.