The ultra-conservative US business publication, Forbes Magazine, is often cited as the authoritative source on the vast fortunes of the super-rich. It is often cited to "prove" how Fidel Castro is one of the world's richest men--his Marxist ideology notwithstanding. But, as you can see below, they obviously have nothing on him. With all their journalistic resources and all their "sources" in the Cuban exile community, they are reduced to picking an arbitrary percentage of Cuba's gross domestic product (GDP)--a stunning admission!
NEW YORK - Forbes indulges in some wealth watching of
royals and dictators below. Be warned: Valuing these folks is a tricky
business. For starters, one must figure out what actually belongs to them and
what belongs to their throne or their country. For instance, Forbes does not
count the crown jewels or Buckingham Palace as part of Queen Elizabeth II's
net worth. She enjoys these riches, but they technically belong to the British
state, much like the White House belongs to the U.S. government.
Some of these estimates are pretty rigorous. Others
are a little fuzzier. For example, we calculate the net
worth of Castro based on a percentage of Cuba's GDP. We separate these
folks from our traditional ranking of the world's billionaires because of
these reasons and because a couple simply do not boast the $1 billion purse
necessary to qualify.
Source: Forbes.com