Bill Gates is still a multi-billionaire and the richest man on the earth but he’s not quite as wealthy as he was a year ago.
The slowing economy was reflected in the declining worth of the world's richest people, according to the annual survey by Forbesmagazine of the 400 wealthiest Americans.
The rankings, which were released by Forbes on its website, are due out in the US on October 1st.
Mr Gates's net worth fell to $54 billion this year, down from $63 billion last year, largely on the strength of Microsoft's shares.
But the diversity of his portfolio, which includes significant investments beyond Microsoft, kept him in the top spot for the eighth consecutive year.
Super investor Mr Warren Buffett moved into second place, followed by the other Microsoft co-founder, Mr Paul Allen. Oracle chief executive Mr Larry Ellison dropped from second to fourth.
The rest of the top 10, except for Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, was a family affair, made up of relatives of the late Wal-Mart Stores founder Mr Sam Walton.
This year's lineup includes 236 billionaires, down from 274 last year. Just to make it into the top 400 took a minimum net worth of $600 million, down $125 million from last year.
AP