Carlos Slim Helú
Mexican businessman; honorary chairman of América Móvil
| Carlos Slim Helú
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 1 1940 (age 86 years old (as of 2026)
) Mexico |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Known for | América Móvil; Grupo Carso |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
Carlos Slim Helú (born 28 January 1940) is a Mexican businessman, honorary chairman of América Móvil.[1] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Slim Helú (listed together with family) 15th in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$120.1 billion; Forbes gives the source of wealth as Telecom.[2]
Background
Born 28 January 1940 in Mexico; Mexican citizen.[1]
Education
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (bachelor’s degree); taught algebra there before going into business.[1]
In its 2026 World's Billionaires profile text, Forbes stated: "Before going into business, Slim taught algebra at UNAM, a university in Mexico City."[1]
Career and companies
With foreign partners bought a stake in Telmex in 1990 (now part of América Móvil); the family controls América Móvil and owns 76% of Grupo Carso.[1]
How the wealth was made
Telecoms (América Móvil) plus construction, consumer goods, mining and real estate.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this person in its annual World's Billionaires list in 26 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[3][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 25 | 10.8 | – | – |
| 2002 | 17 | 11.5 | – | – |
| 2003 | 35 | 7.4 | – | – |
| 2004 | 17 | 13.9 | – | – |
| 2005 | 4 | 23.8 | – | – |
| 2006 | 3 | 30.0 | – | – |
| 2007 | 3 | 49.0 | – | – |
| 2008 | 2 | 60.0 | – | – |
| 2009 | 3 | 35.0 | – | – |
| 2010 | 1 | 53.5 | – | – |
| 2011 | 1 | 74.0 | – | – |
| 2012 | 1 | 69.0 | – | – |
| 2013 | 1 | 73.0 | – | – |
| 2014 | 2 | 72.0 | – | – |
| 2015 | 2 | 77.1 | – | – |
| 2016 | 4 | 50.0 | – | – |
| 2017 | 6 | 54.5 | – | – |
| 2018 | 7 | 67.1 | – | – |
| 2019 | 5 | 64.0 | – | – |
| 2020 | 12 | 52.1 | – | – |
| 2021 | 16 | 62.8 | – | – |
| 2022 | 13 | 81.2 | – | – |
| 2023 | 8 | 93.0 | – | – |
| 2024 | 14 | 102.0 | – | – |
| 2025 | 19 | 82.5 | – | – |
| 2026 | 16 | 125.0 | – | – |
Philanthropy
No specific philanthropic commitments were found in the sources checked.
Political donations and public roles
Not a US citizen, so US federal donation records were not searched; no political donations were found in the sources checked.
Controversies and legal cases
After a section of Mexico City’s Metro Line 12 collapsed in May 2021, killing 26 people, Grupo Carso agreed in October 2021 to pay to rebuild the span, saying this was not an admission of responsibility.[4] On 6 March 2014 Mexico’s Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) declared the economic interest group that includes Telmex, Telnor, Telcel, América Móvil, Grupo Carso and Grupo Inbursa a preponderant economic agent in telecommunications, and imposed measures to protect competition.[5]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
The Line 12 agreement was reached with Mexico City authorities (see above).[4] Company-level: see the 2014 IFT preponderance ruling under Controversies and legal cases.[5]
Other international links
United States: in January 2009 Banco Inbursa and Inmobiliaria Carso lent The New York Times Company $250 million in senior notes, with warrants for 15.9 million shares; Forbes says he once held a 17% stake in the Times.[6][1] Company-level: in July 2014 América Móvil reported that its subsidiary Carso Telecom had received 103,978,115 shares (about 23.47% of the share capital) of Telekom Austria in its public tender offer at €7.15 per share, which expired on 10 July 2014.[7]
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Carlos Slim Helú (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/carlos-slim-helu/) Forbes, live record, real-time timestamp 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, Mexico’s richest man to rebuild collapsed subway line Associated Press, 21 October 2021, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Mexico), Determina IFT a los Agentes Económicos Preponderantes Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Mexico), 6 March 2014, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ The New York Times Company (Business Wire), The New York Times Company Enters into Agreement with Banco Inbursa and Inmobiliaria Carso for $250 Million in Senior Unsecured Notes The New York Times Company (Business Wire), 19 January 2009, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Telekom Austria Group, Ad-hoc: Results of América Móvil public tender offer Telekom Austria Group, July 2014, accessed 20 October 2026.