There is a record of 3,028 billionaires worldwide, but only 95 come from Latin America, a figure smaller than that of a year ago: 110.
This group of entrepreneurs, investors and heirs has a combined heritage of 484.3 billion dollars, 46,000 million less than in 2024.
Brazil, which has the greatest number of billionaires in the region, contributed largely to the decrease, since the country faces economic winds against and struggle to combat inflation.
Of the 18 falls in the region, 15 were from Brazil, including the “King of Soja” Blairo Maggi, majority shareholder of the soybean producer AMAGGI, and João Alves de Queiroz Filho, founder of Hypera Pharma. However, the country managed to add two new faces this year: the heir of Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Max Van Hoegaerden, Herrmann Telles (estimated net equity: 5.8 billion dollars) and the renewable energy businessman Mario Araipe (3,000 million dollars).
While Brazil lost the largest amount of billionaires in Latin America during the last year, Mexican billionaires were the ones who lost the most money. A weakened peso – which fell 20% against the US dollar – and a series of tariffs of US President Donald Trump have contributed to reducing the combined wealth of the richest people in Mexico by 36.9 billion dollars, to a total of 167.1 billion dollars.
No one in the region lost more than Carlos Slim Helú (82.5 billion dollars), who lost 19,500 million dollars of his net assets, since the shares of his telecommunications company, Américaciones, and its conglomerate Grupo Carso fell 20% and 15%, respectively, in the midst of fluctuations of the exchange rate; It fell from 14 to 19 worldwide.
Ricardo Salinas Pliego (4.9 billion dollars), who last year was as the seventh richest individual in the region and the richest third in Mexico, lost 8.5 billion dollars when the shares of its conglomerate Grupo Elektra collapsed 70% in the midst of stock market suspensions derived from fraud accusations and debt disputes between Salinas companies and the Mexican government.
To mitigate the fall in value, the Board of Directors of Grupo Elektra decided to privatize the company in late 2024; The transition is expected to be completed in May. Meanwhile, the brothers Juan Domingo (1.9 billion dollars) and Karen Beckmann Legorreta (1,300 million dollars) lost 2.7 billion dollars and 1.9 billion dollars, respectively, when the shares of Becle, the company behind the team of Tequila Jose Cuervo, fell to a historical minimum on March 4, when the tariffs of the imports of Mexico, Canada and China They were suspended two days later, but the actions have not yet recovered.
Outside of Mexico and Brazil, the situation was not so gloomy. The solid performance of financial institutions brought back an Argentine banker (Delfín Jorge Ezequiel Carballo, 1.2 billion dollars) and a Chilean banker (Luis Enrique Yarur Rey, 1.3 billion dollars), and increased the fortune of the richest person of Venezuela, Juan Carlos Escotet (7,400 million dollars), by 68%. Another that returns is Eduardo Hochschild (2.4 billion dollars), president of the Peruvian family business Grupo Hochschild. Being the only Peruvian citizen on the list, he returns after a rebound in the price of the group’s mining company thanks to the recovery of profitability in 2024 already important dividend payments.
Two notable Latin American billionaires died this year. Gregorio Pérez Companc, who transformed the Pérez Companc group into one of the largest conglomerates in Argentina, died in June 2024. The tycoon had planned his succession in 2009 when he gave six of his children equal actions in the conglomerate holding. This year, three of the brothers bought the rest. Luis, Rosario and Pilar Pérez Companc are now the majority owners, but none was an individual billionaire when we finished the list. And Chilean Horst Paulmann died in March. Paulmann founded the Cencosud retail giant from a single supermarket in center of Chile in 1963. When he died, the company had a presence in five Latin American countries and generated 17,000 million dollars in annual income.
Here are the 10 richest people in Latin America
Origin of its wealth: Diversified | Citizenship: Mexico | Net Heritage: 9,000 million dollars (vs. $ 8.1 billion)
In 2022, he and his five brothers inherited the participation of their late father in Grupo Bal, a Mexican conglomerate that covers mining, retail trade and financial services. In June, Grupo Carso, Carlos Slim Helú, completed the acquisition of PetroBal Upstream, the group’s oil division, for about 530 million dollars.
Origin of its wealth: beer, investments | Nationality: Mexico | Heritage: 9,000 million dollars (vs. $ 6.3 billion)
Aramburuzabala, currently the third richest person in Mexico, inherited his father’s participation in the Grupo Modelo brewery after his death from lung cancer in 1995. His fortune includes the actions of his sister and mother in Tresalia Capital, the family investment vehicle, which has supported companies such as Tory Burch and Casper Sleep. The net assets of Aramburuzabala increased by 2.7 billion dollars this year after Forbes thoroughly analyzed the value of the Tresalia real estate portfolio.
Source of wealth: Fintech | Citizenship: Colombia |
Net Heritage: 10.7 billion dollars (compared to 10.8 billion dollars)
In August, Vélez sold 31 million Nu Holdings shares, valued at 404 million dollars. The co -founder and executive director, who still has 20% of the company’s shares, has great plans for the largest Fintech company in Latin America. In January, he talked about plans to expand cloud operations beyond the region, including a possible entry in the United States.
Origin of its wealth: Banking | Nationality: Colombia | Heritage: 10.7 billion dollars (7.7 billion dollars)
The Colombian banker, who shares with Vélez the title of the richest person in the country, kneaded his fortune through a series of bold bank acquisitions and successful companies in Latin America. His latest operations: Metro Bank, based in London, of which he became a majority shareholder in 2023, and the Colombian food processing conglomerate Nutresa Grupo. Gilinski, who had been increasing his participation in Grupo Nutresa since 2021, acquired an additional 12% last year along with his partner, International Holding Company, based in Abu Dabi.
Origin of its wealth: beer | Nationality: Brazil | Net Heritage: 17,000 million dollars (vs. 16.4 billion dollars)
Lemann co-founded the 3G capital firm 3G capital along with his billionaire colleagues Carlos “Beto” Sicupira and Marcel Herrmann Telles in 2004, making highly lucrative investments already long term in food and drink companies such as Anheuser-Busch, HJ Heinz & Company and Burger King. In recent years, the firm has ventured into other sectors, including 75% participation in the Dutch manufacturer of Hunter Douglas.
Origin of its wealth: Banking | Nationality: Brazil | Net Heritage: 20.7 billion dollars (vs. 20.6 billion dollars)
The inheritance saga that torments the widow and children of Joseph Safra, who was the richest banker in the world, has come to an end. “I am pleased to leave this matter behind. After the clarifications, I understood that there were no irregularities and that Mr. Safra’s heritage arranged correctly, according to his wishes,” said his son Alberto in a joint statement with the family published in July. Alberto had previously sued his mother and brothers, claiming that his participation in Safra National Bank of New York had diluted after his father’s death.
Origin of its wealth: Mining | Nationality: Chile | Heritage: 28.1 billion dollars (vs. 25.7 billion dollars)
Andrónico Luksic widow (who died in 2005) and her children claim the Santander Bank and PWC almost 230 million dollars for the losses suffered after the almost bankruptcy of the Popular Bank in 2017. Through Aeris Invest, the family had invested about 125 million dollars in the Popular Bank shortly before Santander acquired it for just one euro after being declared bankrupt by the European Central Bank.
Origin of its wealth: Mining | Nationality: Mexico | Heritage: 28,600 billion (vs. 27.9 billion dollars)
Larrea kneaded her fortune by expanding Grupo México until it becomes a conglomerate with interest in transport and infrastructure. The mining tycoon, who assumed the presidency and general director in 1994, is one of the only three Mexicans whose fortune has improved this year, since conglomerate revenues increased almost 13%, reaching 16.2 billion dollars. The Minera Division of Grupo México reported record income thanks to a greater copper production and the solid market conditions.
Origin of its wealth: Facebook | Nationality: Brazil | Net Heritage: 34,500 million dollars (vs. 28,000 million dollars)
The Facebook co -founder continues to reap the benefits of its participation in goal. Saverin’s richness has increased by 6.5 billion dollars thanks to the constant increase in finishing shares. Saverin, a resident in Singapore, headed the list of the richest of Forbes Singapore in September. Three months later, he and his wife donated 15 million dollars to Singapore American School.
Source of wealth: telecommunications | Citizenship: Mexico | Net Heritage: 82.5 billion dollars (vs. 102,000 million dollars)
Although it is still among the 20 richest people in the world, the fall of Slim to the number 19 in general marks the lowest position in which it has been since 2003. Although the shares of its largest companies, América Móvil and Grupo Carso, they fell during the last year, the telecommunications tycoon has invested one billion dollars in the American oil companies Talos Energy and PBF Energy.
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This text was originally published in Forbes United States
