<Tr> <Td> 7001100000000000000 ♠ 10 </Td> <Td> Walton, Helen Helen Walton * </Td> <Td> $18.5 billion </Td> <Td> 81 </Td> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Wal - Mart </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal - Mart . Had he been alive in 2001, Sam Walton would have been the world's wealthiest person . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Each hold an essentially equal share in Wal - Mart . Had he been alive in 2001, Sam Walton would have been the world's wealthiest person . </Li> <P> Bill Gates became the first American to take the top spot of the World's Billionaires in 1995 with a net worth of $12.5 billion and he remained there during the Dot - com bubble's height in 1999 when Gates' fortune peaked at $90 billion . After the dot - com bubble started to collapse in 2000, his wealth dropped to $60 billion although he remained at the top of the list . </P>

Top 100 richest man in the world by forbes