Richest Man In The World : Carlos Slim Helu

Forbes' list of the world's richest men of 2010 is released this morning.

This year, Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu dethroned Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to nab the No. 1 spot on Forbes' 2010 list of world billionaires.

Helú's fortune is estimated to be $53.5 billion - up $18.5 billion in 12 months. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, now worth $53 billion, is ranked second in the world.

A Lebanese descendant, Carlos Slim's rising fortune has caused a controversy because it has been amassed in a developing country where per capita income does not surpass $14,500 a year, and nearly 17% of the population lives in poverty. He has been criticized as an "evil monopolist", - for his telecom company Telmex's control of 90% of the Mexican landline telephone market. Slim's wealth is the equivalent of roughly 2% of Mexico's annual economic output.

See 2010 Forbes Top 10 Billionaire List:

1. Carlos Slim Helu (Mexico) - $53.5 billion
2. William Gates III (USA) - $53 billion
3. Warren Buffett (USA) - $47 billion
4. Mukesh Ambani (India) - $29 billion
5. Lakshmi Mittal (India) - $28.7 billion
6. Lawrence Ellison (USA) - $28 billion
7. Bernard Arnault (France) - $27.5 billion
8. Eike Batista (Brazil) - $27 billion
9. Amancio Ortega (Spain) - $25 billion
10. Karl Albrecht (Germany) - $23.5 billion