Carlos Slim
_(cropped).jpg) Slim in December 2018. Photo: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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| Net worth | $125 billion (with family) Forbes 2026 list, March 24, 2026[1] |
|---|---|
| World rank | 16th (Forbes 2026)[1] |
| Source of wealth | Telecom (América Móvil, Telmex); Grupo Carso |
| Companies | Grupo Carso, América Móvil, Telmex, Telcel |
| Citizenship | Mexico |
| Born | January 28, 1940, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico (BS) |
| Known for | Richest person in the world 2010–2013 |
| Net worth figures are estimates by the source named and change every day. | |
Carlos Slim is a Mexican businessman whose fortune comes from his group of companies, Grupo Carso, and above all from telecommunications.[2] Forbes ranked him the richest person in the world from 2010 to 2013.[2] On the Forbes 2026 list, a snapshot taken on March 24, 2026, he and his family were 16th with an estimated $125 billion.[1]
Net worth
- 2010–2013: first on the Forbes list.[2]
- March 2026: $125 billion with family, 16th on the Forbes list.[1]
How the fortune was made
Slim was born in Mexico City to parents from Lebanon. His father taught him business and bookkeeping, and he bought his first shares, in a Mexican bank, at 12.[2] He built Grupo Carso by buying companies and keeping them for their cash, often when they were cheap; at a time when many banks were struggling and foreign investors were pulling out, he bought stakes in many leading Mexican firms at low prices.[2]
His biggest step came in 1990, when the Mexican government sold the phone company Telmex and Grupo Carso bought it.[2] Telmex later spun off its mobile business as América Móvil, which now runs phone networks across Latin America; he also owns the Mexican mobile carrier Telcel.[2] His other holdings have ranged from construction, mining and energy to retail, hotels and, from 2008, a stake in The New York Times Company.[2]
Photos
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Carlos Slim Helú. Photo: José Cruz/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br
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All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Forbes, "Carlos Slim Helu & family", 2026 World's Billionaires list (snapshot of March 24, 2026), read November 3, 2026. Net worth is a Forbes estimate.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Wikipedia, "Carlos Slim", read November 3, 2026. Billionaire Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.