The 23 richest Indians!

The world has 1,011 billionaires, up from 793 a year ago. And that was despite the global economic slowdown, according to the Forbes annual list of the world's richest people.

Among the top 10 richest persons across the world, there are two Indians.

The United States has 403 billionaires, the most in the world, followed by China that beat Russia to grab the second spot.

Although China has more billionaires than India (which has 23 billionaires), ten of Asia's top 25 are Indian, while one is Chinese. Hong Kong and Japan each have five in Asia's top 25.

Only 16 per cent of the 97 new members are from the US. Asia has to its credit 104 billionaires.

So who are the richest Indians? Click NEXT to find out. . .

Net worth: $29 billion

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani is the richest man in India with $29 billion in net worth. He is ranked the 4th richest man in the world after Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and legendary investor Warren Buffett.

Chief of oil and gas conglomerate Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani is fighting a legal battle with his estranged younger brother Anil, over an agreement to supply gas at a price 44 per cent below the government-mandated price.

The battle took a nasty turn in August with each accusing the other of foul play. Case is now being heard before the Supreme Court.

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Net worth: $28.7 billion

Owner of ArcelorMittal, this business tycoon has stake in British soccer team QPR. Mittal is looking to invest in Brazil, India and West Asia. He owns 12-bedroom mansion in London's posh Kensington area.

He is the 5th richest man in the world.

Steel group's workers attacked its Luxembourg headquarters during its annual shareholders meeting in May to protest temporary layoffs during slump.

Megha Mittal, wife of his only son, Aditya, who is steel group's financial director, recently bought the insolvent German fashion house Escada.

Net worth: $17 billion

The software czar's company Wipro recorded a major turnaround when it reported a 19 per cent jump in net profits recently.

Wipro has also signed a $500-million, nine-year contract from Unitech Wireless. Company's consumer care division bought Asian business of personal care brand Yardley from UK's Lornamead.

Premji is the 3rd richest Indian and the world's 28th richest person.

Net worth: $13.7 billion

The chief of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group never seems to grow tired of waging war against his elder brother Mukesh.

The confrontation between the two took an ugly turn when Anil alleged that the petroleum ministry was partial to Mukesh's Reliance Industries in their gas supply dispute. Government, however, refuted the charge. A legal battle is on at the Supreme Court.

In an audit of Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications, the company was charged with underpaying license fees to the government. RCom denied the charge.

In July last year, ADAG's entertainment wing sealed a deal to invest $825 million with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Studios.

Anil Ambani is the 36 richest man  in the world and the 4th richest Indian.

Net worth: $13 billion

Ruia-owned Essar Group is looking for major expansions in all its businesses, including steel, oil and power. Essar Oil bought 50 per cent in Kenya Petroleum Refineries in July and is negotiating with Royal Dutch Shell to acquire three refineries.

The duo is also attempting to raise $925 million, using part of their 33 per cent stake in Vodafone Essar as collateral. They recently withdrew their $150-million bid to take over Australian coal firm Rocklands Richfield.

The Ruias are the 5th richest Indians and ranked 40th in the world.

Net worth: $12.2 billion

She is the non-executive chair of O P Jindal Group who took over the reigns of the steel and power conglomerate founded by her late husband Om Prakash in 1952.

Took over as group head after he died in a helicopter crash in 2005.

She is the 6th richest Indian and the richest Indian woman. She is ranked 44th in the world.

Net worth: $9 billion

Chairman of DLF faced hard times recently as the global economic crisis hit India's realty sector. However, this property company's stocks rebounded 58 per cent this year.

The developer went for major price cuts to woo buyers earlier this year. In May, the Pal Singh family sold nearly 10 per cent of its DLF stake for $834 million.

He is the 7th richest Indian and ranks 74th amongst the world's 1,011 billionaires.

Net worth: $7.9 billion

Head of commodities conglomerate Aditya Birla Group has his hands full with a move to restructure group's cement business.

If successful, the deal will create India's biggest cement company and the world's 10th largest. Idea Cellular, the group's telecom unit, is heavily on to an ongoing price war.

Kumar Birla is the 8th richest Indian and ranks 86th in the world.

Net worth: $7.8 billion

Sunil Mittal, chairman of Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel, is the 9th richest Indian and ranks 87th in the world.

Bharti Airtel recently faced a major setback when Sunil Mittal's bid to pull off a mega-merger with MTN collapsed in September after months of negotiations.

Incidentally, Bharti also backed out of a deal to take over MTN in 2008.

Group's joint venture with Wal-Mart launched its first cash and carry store in Chandigarh in May last year.

Net worth: $6.4 billion

Agarwal is founder-director and executive chairman of the UK-based Vedanta Resources corporation, which owns mining and metal resources in India, Australia and Zambia.

He is ranked 113th in Forbes magazine's 2010 list of the world's billionaires. He is the 10th richest Indian.

In 2007, he announced a $3.1 billion expansion of Vedanta Resources' capacities. In 2006, he donated $1 billion to establish the Vedanta University modelled on Stanford University. It will be built in Orissa on a 6,000 acre campus that will ultimately accommodate 100,000 students.

Agarwal, who founded the Vedanta group in 1976, is also chairman of Sterlite and is a Director of BALCO, HZL, and Vedanta Alumina Ltd. He has over 30 years' experience as an industrialist.

Net worth: $5.8 billion

Pallonji Mistry is one of India's most reclusive billionaires. The richest eleventh Indian is hardly ever heard from.

The 79-year-old Mistry has a fortune of $5.8 billion and a ranking of 129 on the world billionaire list.

Mistry is an affable and humble person seldom willing to assert his authority or position. However, he carries a high degree of credibility in his business dealings.

Noel Tata, Ratan's half-brother and the son of Simone Tata, is married to Mistry's eldest daughter, Aloo.

Mistry's sons Shapoor and Cyrus are on the board of Indian Hotels and Tata Power, respectively.

The Mistrys have a huge construction company, Shapoorji Pallonji. Shapoorji, the group patriarch and Pallonji's father, built some of Mumbai's landmarks around the Fort area -- the Hong Kong Bank, Grindlays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Reserve Bank of India building.

Pallonji Mistry extended the construction interests of the group to the Middle East by bidding for the Sultan of Oman's palace.

Mistry has a citizenship of Ireland.

Net worth: $5.2 billion

Adi Godrej, managing director of the Godrej Group, is the 12th richest Indian.

His global rank is 148th.

Net worth: $4.8 billion

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani group, is the 13th richest Indian.

With a wealth of $4.8 billion, his global ranking is 167.

Net worth: $4.6 billion

Dilip Shanghvi, chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals, is the 14th richest Indian.

Among the world's top billionaires, his rank is 173rd.

Net worth: $4.2 billion

Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL, with a wealth of $4.2 billion is the 15th richest Indian.

Nadar is ranked 201st in the world's richest people's list.

Net worth: $3.2 billion

Founder chairman of the GMR Group, G M Rao is the 16th richest in India.

With a wealth of $3.2 billion, his global rank is 297.

Net worth: $3.2 billion

Former Ranbaxy CEO Malvinder Singh and his brother Shivinder Singh with a wealth of $3.2 billion are the 17th richest in India.

Their global ranking, according to Forbes, is 297.

Net worth: $3 billion

Uday Kotak is the vice chairman and managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

The founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Uday holds 50% stake in the bank.

He is the 18th richest Indian and ranked 316th in the world.

Net worth: $2.9 billion

Kalanithi Maran heads Sun TV, India's biggest regional broadcaster. He owns 21 television channels in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada and 42 FM stations in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is a shareholder in Red FM. He also owns two Tamil newspapers and four Tamil magazines.

He is the 19th richest Indian and ranked 342nd in the world.

Maran is the son of the late DMK leader and former Union minister Murasoli Maran, the grandnephew of DMK president M Karunanidhi, and the brother of Dayanidhi Maran, former Union minister for communications and information technology.

Though Sun TV is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, Maran owns 90 per cent of its shares. Forbes has ranked him India's 20th richest and the world's 446th richest person.

Net worth: $2.8 billion

Subhash Chandra is the chairman of Essel Group, that launched India's satellite television revolution.

His Zee TV was one of the first television channels to take India by a storm.

The media baron is ranked 20th amongst India's richest people and his world ranking is 354th.

Net worth: $2.8 billion

Micky Jagtiani, CEO of the Landmark Group, is the 21st richest Indian.

With a wealth of $2.8 billion, he is ranked at 354th in the Forbes list of the world's richest people.

Net worth: $2.8 billion

Indu Jain is The Times Group chairperson.

A promoter of art and culture, she is also a very astute entrepreneur and a noted philanthropist

The Times Group publishes India's largest newspapers, including The Times of India, The Economic Times and Navbharat Times.

Jain with a net worth of $2.8 billion is ranked 354th in the world. She is the second richest Indian woman and is the 22nd richest person in India.

Net worth: $2.1 billion

Sudhir and Samir Mehta head the Torrent Group.

The brothers have taken the family business from being just a pharmaceuticals business to a diversified group. The company has a major presence in the energy business with Torrent Power, which is the Mehtas' most profitable business.

While Sudhir looks after Torrent Power, younger brother Samir is in-charge of the pharma business.

With a net worth of $2.1 billion, the Mehtas are India's 23rd richest people. According to the Forbes world billionaires' list, the Mehtas are ranked 463rd.