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Ingvar Kamprad, founder and main owner of the world’s largest furniture retailer Ikea, is the second richest man in Europe, according to new billionaire ranking.

Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranked the 86-year-old Swede the world’s fifth richest person in its 2012 survey.

“Sweden’s richest man controls IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, through a series of trusts and foundations.

“The company generated more than $33 billion in revenue and about $4 billion in net income in 2011.

“Ikano Group, his family’s investment vehicle, manages four IKEA franchises, a credit card business and real estate investments.

Fellow countryman Stefan Persson, chairman of cheap’n’chic fashion group H&M;, came in at number 16.

“Persson is the largest shareholder in Hennes & Mauritz, Europe’s second-biggest clothing retailer. The company was founded by his father, Erling, in 1947. Today it operates about 2,500 stores in 43 countries with a staff of 94,000 employees. The company reported sales of more than $16 billion for the financial year ended Nov. 30, 2011”, the report said.

Bloomberg Markets’ inaugural list of the world’s richest people, in the magazine’s December 2012 issue, showcases the billionaires who pull the levers on the global economy.

The ranking shows who’s on top (America Movil SAB Chairman Emeritus Carlos Slim, with a net worth of $77.5 billion), who’s faltering (Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who’s down $6.8 billion since Jan. 1) and who’s just wealthy enough to make our top 200 (SAS Institute Inc. co-founder John Sall, who’s worth $5.8 billion).

  Bloomberg Billionaires Index, as of November 2, 2012