Carlos Slim Helu is worth about $123 billion as of October 2026, which makes him the richest person in Latin America and one of the 20 richest people in the world. The Mexican businessman, born January 28, 1940, built that fortune on telecoms, retail, finance and construction. Here are 15 facts about how he did it.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Net worth (2026) | About $123 billion |
| Born | January 28, 1940, Mexico City |
| Main holdings | América Móvil, Grupo Carso, Grupo Financiero Inbursa |
| Ranked world’s richest | 2010 to 2013 |
| Giving Pledge | Has not signed |
15. How did Carlos Slim start out?
Carlos Slim was born in Mexico City to Lebanese immigrant parents. His father ran a business, and Carlos worked there as a teenager.
His father taught him to keep financial records, and by his own account Carlos began buying savings bonds and shares while still a child.
14. What did he study?
Slim has a civil engineering degree, not a business degree. He took economics courses after graduating and started out as a stock trader.
He built his own brokerage, Inversora Bursátil, and used the profits to buy companies across many industries. That became Grupo Carso.
13. How rich is Carlos Slim in 2026?
A leading billionaires index put his fortune at $123 billion in September 2026, the 16th largest in the world.
How we valued it: we track his listed stakes in América Móvil and Grupo Carso at market prices and add his financial and construction holdings at book value, which lands in the same range.
12. Which companies does Slim control?
América Móvil is the core, a mobile and broadband operator across Latin America. Telmex, the Mexican phone and internet provider, sits in the same group.
Grupo Carso holds retail, industrial and infrastructure businesses. Grupo Financiero Inbursa covers banking and insurance, and Slim also owns the Mexican arm of Sears, bought in 1997.
11. How did Telmex make him a telecom giant?
Mexico privatized Telmex in 1990. Slim’s group bought control, and the company became the base for América Móvil’s growth across the region.
Earlier, in the debt crisis of the 1980s, he bought troubled companies cheaply and later sold or rebuilt them at far higher values.
10. Where does Carlos Slim live?
Slim has long been known for a modest lifestyle for his wealth. He has reportedly kept his main home in Mexico City for decades.
He did buy property abroad: reportedly a Fifth Avenue mansion in New York around 2010 for roughly $44 million, plus another Manhattan building.
9. Does Slim believe in the Giving Pledge?
No. He has not signed the pledge that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett launched. Slim argues that jobs and investment solve more problems than donations do.
His group employs hundreds of thousands of people. He also funds Fundación Carlos Slim and Fundación Telmex,.
8. What is Museo Soumaya?
Museo Soumaya is a free art museum in Mexico City that opened in 2011 at Plaza Carso, the business district where most of his group is headquartered. It holds his private collection, which spans European and Mexican art.
7. What is his stake in a US newspaper company?
Slim became the largest Class A shareholder of a major US newspaper publisher in 2015, after a 2009 loan to the company. He sold about half of his shares in 2017.
6. What did he buy in the UK?
In June 2024 Slim bought a 3% stake in the British telecom company BT, worth about £400 million. Later in 2024 his stake reportedly rose above 4%.
5. How did his fortune change over time?
Slim topped the world’s rich lists from 2010 to 2013. A fall in América Móvil’s share price after 2014, partly from new telecom rules in Mexico, took billions off his fortune.
The recovery came in the 2020s. His net worth passed $73 billion in 2021 and reached $123 billion in 2026.
4. Who runs the business after him?
His six children, Carlos, Marco Antonio, Patrick, Soumaya, Vanessa and Johanna, hold board and management roles. His son-in-law Arturo Elías Ayub is also a senior figure in the group.
3. Why does he avoid computers?
Slim has long said he keeps his financial records on paper in notebooks. He knows how to use a computer, but he prefers the habit his father taught him.
2. What has he said about success?
Slim often credits hard work and circumstances over luck for his results, a view that matches how he runs his companies: steady, long-term and low profile.
1. What makes his strategy different?
Slim buys assets when they are unpopular and holds them for decades. Telmex in 1990, Mexican companies in the 1980s crisis and BT in 2024 follow the same pattern.
That approach, rather than any single company, explains why one family controls so many of Mexico’s largest businesses.
FAQ
How much is Carlos Slim worth in 2026?
About $123 billion as of September 2026, ranking him 16th richest in the world.
How did Carlos Slim make his money?
Through stock trading, buying distressed companies in the 1980s, and acquiring Telmex in 1990, which grew into América Móvil.
Is Carlos Slim still the richest man in Mexico?
Yes. He is also the richest person in Latin America.
Has Carlos Slim signed the Giving Pledge?
No. He prefers to create jobs and invest through his companies and foundations.
How old is Carlos Slim?
He was born January 28, 1940, so he is 86 in October 2026.
Which companies does he own?
América Móvil, Telmex, Grupo Carso, Grupo Financiero Inbursa and Sears Mexico, plus minority stakes in firms such as BT.
How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
For Slim we used market prices of his listed holdings and disclosed stake purchases. We cross-checked against his reported property deals and charitable commitments.
Last updated: October 2026.
