Warren Buffett, the famed US investor who heads Berkshire Hathaway Inc, replaced his friend and Microsoft Corp founder Bill Gates as the richest man in the world, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday.
The magazine estimated Buffett's worth at $62 billion in its annual ranking of the world's wealthiest people.
Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim came in second with an estimated worth of $60 billion, pushing Gates to third place after 13 years of holding the No. 1 spot.
The magazine estimated Gates' worth at $58 billion.
Buffett's rise to No. 1 was particularly noteworthy, Forbes said, as it came at a time of great financial turmoil and as Buffett has begun to siphon off part of his fortune to charity.
"Even though he is giving away a piece of his fortune each year, the stock of Berkshire Hathaway, the source of Warren Buffet's wealth, has been rising very rapidly," Chief Executive of Forbes Magazines Steve Forbes said, noting Buffett's fortune climbed $10 billion in the last calendar year.
Buffett in June 2006 announced plans to give 85 percent of his fortune away, granting it to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four family charities. Bill Gates serves on the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway and is a long-time bridge buddy of Buffett's. Gates has also given a substantial amount of his fortune to the foundation.
Buffett, often called the Sage of Omaha, has been lauded among investors for his preference for investing in larger companies with easy-to-understand businesses, large or dominant market shares, consistent earnings, and strong management.
Gates has held the No. 1 spot since 1995, when he unseated Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, a Japanese real estate tycoon. Tsutsumi fell off the billionaire's list last year after receiving a suspended prison sentence for falsifying financial statements and insider trading in 2005.
China's real estate billionaire Yang Huiyan ranked first among all the 42 Chinese richest people on the list.

今 天 太 阳 真 好 ! 我 希 望 我 的 笑 容 都 能 和 每 天 的 阳 光 一 样 灿 烂 !
《福布斯》杂志于本周三公布，美国著名投资大师、伯克郡-哈撒韦公司总裁沃伦•巴菲特取代其老友、微软集团创始人比尔•盖茨，问鼎全球首富。
根据《福布斯》发布的年度全球富豪榜，巴菲特的个人资产总值达到约620亿美元。
墨西哥通信业大亨卡洛斯•斯利姆以600亿美元的资产总值名列第二，而连续13年蝉联首富桂冠的盖茨则首次“让位”，屈居第三。
据《福布斯》估计，盖茨的资产总值约为580亿美元。
《福布斯》指出，巴菲特跃至世界首富尤其令人关注，因为目前正值金融市场大动荡，而且巴菲特开始将其部分财产捐作慈善用途。
《福布斯》执行总裁史蒂夫•福布斯说：“尽管巴菲特每年都捐出一部分财产，但他的‘摇钱树’伯克郡-哈撒韦公司的股票价格大幅飙升。”据他介绍，巴菲特的资产总值去年增加了100亿美元。
2006年6月，巴菲特宣布将其85%的资产捐给比尔/梅琳娜•盖茨基金会及四个家庭慈善机构的计划。比尔•盖茨是伯克郡-哈撒韦公司的董事，而且是巴菲特多年的桥牌牌友。盖茨也向基金会捐了一大笔财产。
有“股神”之称的巴菲特倍受投资者称赞，他倾向于投资自己熟悉的行业及市场份额大、连续盈利、管理水平高的大公司。
自从1995年将日本地产大亨堤义明“拉下马”后，盖茨一直稳坐世界首富宝座。堤义明于去年跌出富豪榜，2005年他因伪造财务报表、进行内幕交易而被判处缓刑。
中国共有42位富豪跻身排行榜，房地产女富豪杨惠妍排名最高。