'IKEA mania' puts founder on Forbes billionaires list

The poll of the richest men and women on the planet saw Kamprad enter at No 6 with an estimated fortune of 12.1 billion.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates retained his position as the world’s richest man, topping Forbes rich list of world billionaires for the 11th consecutive year.

JK Rowling is the only Scottish-based entrant to make the billionaires’ club with an estimated fortune of $1 billion (520 million). Other British entrants included Richard Branson, David Sainsbury and Bernie Ecclestone, and were headed by retail giants Philip and Christina Green who came in at No 68 with an estimated fortune of 33 billion.

The survey shows that for the second year running the world’s 691 billionaires have got richer increasing their total net worth by 158 billion from 1 trillion last year to 1.1 trillion this year.

Luisa Kroll, editor of Forbes "billionaire" issue, said the top ten had seen a shake-up for the first time in several years. She said: "Bill Gates beat the so-called oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, into second place, but the gap is closing and if Microsoft continues to flatline we could see a change at the top one day.

"The top ten did see a lot of movement with IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad moving from No 13 last year to No 6 in 2005. His success has come from the strength of the euro as well as the profile of IKEA around the world. He is now the richest European in the world. JK Rowling has made pretty consistent profits from her books and films which is why she has performed steadily.

"Philip Green has done enormously well and has overtaken the Duke of Westminster as the richest Briton, and despite the flop of his television show Richard Branson has had a good year too."

Luisa Kroll added the poor performance of the US dollar had encouraged prosperity in other countries.

She said: "The global economy is buoyant right now but we are seeing stock markets from a range of countries performing strongly. In 2000 the rise of Internet companies was a factor but this year we are seeing billionaires from as many as 20 different industries."

Commodities like oil and steel played a big part in the increasing fortunes. Steel titan Lakshmi Mittal had the biggest gain, increasing his net worth by 9.9 billion to 13 billion - placing him firmly in the top ten at No 3.

A spokesman for the Bank of Scotland said: "The list includes a number of businessmen with links to Scotland including Philip Green and of course the Barclay brothers. JK Rowling may not be the only Scottish billionaire as a number of others have had a good year.

"The global economy is doing well and we are finding on a local level a number of clients taking up private banking with us which is reflecting the bigger picture."

More new countries are also joining the list - 2005’s billionaires hail from 47 different nations, including first-time entries from Kazakhstan, Poland, Ukraine and Iceland. With 131 new billionaires coming from 27 countries, the US claims 69 of the new faces, and Russia is next with nine new members, including the first Russian female, Elena Baturina.

American domestic goddess Martha Stewart has flirted with the billion-dollar mark in the past. Despite a recent jail sentence, she now makes her debut on the list with a $1 billion (520 million) fortune.