Mexican billionaires beat Brazilians in wealth

SINGAPORE – The list of the top 10 wealthiest Latin Americans has been released today.

Carlos Slim remains at the top of the list with a net worth of US$78.9 billion. Coming in second is Jorge Lemann, co-founder of 3G Capital, with a net worth of US$19.2 billion. Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez, owner of Grupo Bal, is ranked third with a net worth of US$19.1 billion.

Rank

Name

Position

Company

Net Worth
(US$ billion)
Country

1
Carlos Slim
Founder
Grupo Carso
78.9
Mexico

2
Jorge Lemann
Co-Founder
3G Capital
19.2
Brazil

3
Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez
Owner
Grupo Bal
19.1
Mexico

4
Luis Carlos Sarmiento
Chairman
Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores
16.7
Colombia

5
Eike Batista
Chairman
EBX
14.7
Brazil

6
Dirce Camargo
Owner
Camargo Correa
14.1
Brazil

7
Joseph Safra
Chairman
Safra Group
11.6
Brazil

8
Marcel Telles
Co-Founder
3G Capital
8.4
Brazil

9
Carlos Alberto Sicupira
Co-Founder
3G Capital
7.2
Brazil

10
Ricardo Salinas Pliego
Chairman
Grupo Salinas
6.8
Mexico

The collective net worth of the top 10 wealthiest Latin Americans is US$196.7 billion, of which Mexican billionaires hold 53.3%.

Despite the wealth dominance of Mexican billionaires, they lag Brazil in UHNW population numbers. Brazilian billionaires represent 60% of the UHNW individuals (UHNWIs) on the list compared to Mexican UHNWIs who comprise 30%.

Commenting on the list, Wealth-X CEO, Mykolas D. Rambus said, “While most valuations of Latin American wealth are based on family holdings, this list captures the wealth of individuals, resulting in the absence of famous names. For example, Iris Fontbona, a noted UHNWI in Chile, failed to make the list.”

“We expect to see exponential growth in intergenerational wealth transfers in Latin America as ageing UHNWIs and a tradition of close family connections shape wealth trends in the region,” Mr. Rambus added.