Meet Forbes' top 15 richest people on planet for 2014

New Delhi: After a four-year hiatus, Microsoft chief Bill Gates has reclaimed his spot as the richest person on the planet, according to Forbes magazine's annual billionaire list that includes 56 India based billionaires led by RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani.With a net worth of $76 billion, Gates toppled Mexico's telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu, who placed second at $72 billion, Forbes said in announcing the list on Monday.Gates, whose fortune rose by $9 billion in the past year, has held the top spot for 15 of the past 20 years.Amancio Ortega, the Spanish founder of clothing conglomerate Inditex SA, which includes the Zara fashion chain, ranked third at $64 billion.Investing icon Warren Buffett, who runs Berkshire Hathaway Inc, was ranked at fourth place with a net worth of $58.2 billion. Oracle Corp chief Larry Ellison came in fifth at $48 billion.Forbes said the year's biggest loser was Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista, whose net worth fell below $300 million from $10.6 billion as his oil and natural resources empire collapsed amid too much debt and falling output.Here is the list of top 15 richest people on planet: #15 Bernard Arnault and family Net worth: $33.5 million (As of March 2014)Gained $4.5 billion since 2013; declined 5 spots on the Forbes list.Arnault and his family hold a 46 per cent stake in LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's largest maker of luxury goods. #14 Samuel Robson Walton Net worth: $34.2 billion (As of March 2014)Gained $8.1 billion since 2013; rose 3 spots on the Forbes listWalton has served as the head of the retail giant's board since 1992.#13 Alice Walton Net worth: $34.3 billion (As of March 2014)Gained $8 billion since 2013; jumped 3 spots on the Forbes list.Alice Walton is the youngest of the 4 children of Sam Walton and Helen Walton and one of the three surviving heirs to the world's biggest retail chain and business, Wal-Mart. As the biggest philanthropist of the Walton family, Alice gave more than $2 million in 2012 to support charter school initiatives. She and her siblings have also donated about $2 billion to the Walton Family Foundation over the last five years. #12 Stefan Persson Net worth: $34.4 billion (As of March 2014)Gained $6.4 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listPersson is the chairman of H&M, the budget retail store that has expanded quickly across Europe and the U.S. #11 Liliane Bettencourt and family Net worth: $34.5 billionGained $4.5 billion since 2013; dropped 2 spots on the Forbes listLiliane Bettencourt is a Paris born businesswoman, philanthropist, heiress, and socialite. She is the heiress to the L‘Oreal fortune. She co-founded the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation with her husband and daughter to support scientific research, humanitarian projects, and the arts. Liliane Bettencourt's net worth has largely been accumulated through her interest in the company L'Oreal, which is the largest cosmetics manufacturer and brand in the world. #10 Jim C. Walton Net worth: $34.7 billionGained $8 billion since 2013; jumped 4 spots on the Forbes listAnother heir to the Walmart fortune, Jim is Chairman and CEO of the family's Arvest Bank, which has branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. #9 Christy R. Walton and family Net worth: $36.7 billionGained $8.5 billion since 2013; jumped 2 spots on the Forbes listChristy Ruth Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, one of the sons of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. Christy inherited her husband John Walton's fortune when he passed away in 2005. #8 Sheldon Adelson Net worth: $38 billionGained $11.5 billion since 2013; jumped 7 spots on the Forbes listSheldon Adelson is the most successful gambling entrepreneur in history. He is chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corps. Gambling's richest man parlayed the $862 million sale of his Interface conference company -- which included the Comdex technology gathering -- into the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. Today he operates casinos and convention centers in the U.S., Macau and Singapore. #6 (tie) David Koch Net worth: $40 billionGained $6 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listDavid, along with brother Charles, is a co-owner and the executive vice president of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately-held companies in the world #6 (tie) Charles Koch Net worth: $40 billionGained $6 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listCharles is a co-owner and executive vice president at Koch Industries along with his younger brother David. #5 Larry Ellison Net worth: $48 billionGained $5 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listOracle's Larry Ellison remains the world's wealthiest Jew, placing fifth on Forbes magazine's annual world billionaires list for 2014. Ellison, founder of Oracle, did not even graduate from college. He was named entrepreneur of the year by Harvard Business School in 1990. #4 Warren Buffett Net worth: $58.2 billionGained $4.7 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listWarren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century. Last year he teamed up with 3G Capital to pick up iconic ketchup maker H.J. Heinz for $23.2 billion, invested nearly $4 billion in ExxonMobil and a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary bought Nevada's NV Energy for $5.6 billion. All of this helped boost his fortune by $4.7 billion despite his gift of $2 billion in Berkshire stock to the Gates Foundation in July, bringing his lifetime giving to $20 billion. #3 Amancio Ortega Gaona Net worth: $64 billionGained $7 billion since 2013; no change on the Forbes listOrtega is the former chairman of Inditex, a conglomerate whose holdings include global fashion retailer Zara. World's richest retailer Ortega added $7 billion to his fortune this past year. Though he stepped down as chairman of Inditex (best known for its Zara brand) in 2011, he still owns nearly 60% of its shares. He also has a growing real estate portfolio, estimated to be worth nearly $5 billion, much of it acquired at bargain prices during the financial downturn. #2 Carlos Slim Helu and family Net worth: $72 billionGained $1 billion since 2013; dropped 1 spot on the Forbes listCarlos Slim Helu slipped from the to spot because shares of Minera Frisco, his mining company, have fallen more than 50 per cent in the past year as the price of gold and copper plummeted. In addition, a decline in the value of his largest asset, pan-Latin American telecom firm America Movil, shaved off $1 billion from his net worth.#1 Bill Gates Net worth: $76 billionGained $9 billion since 2013; jumped 1 spot on the Forbes listBill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, is back at the top spot despite a change in the leadership status. He has been the world's richest man for 15 out of last 20 years. Gates stepped down as Microsoft chairman in February, when new CEO Satya Nadella took over. Gates remains focused on his foundation's efforts to eradicate polio and getting fellow billionaires more involved with philanthropy.