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This article was first published 12 years ago

Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Last updated on: March 9, 2012 08:44 IST


Yoshita Singh in New York

India is home to over four per cent of the world's billionaires, including the likes of the Ambani brothers, Azim Premji and N R Narayana Murthy alongside Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's richest people.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Carlos Slim, chairman and CEO of Telmex, Telcel and America Movil, arrives at the White House.
Photographs: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Carlos Slim

World rank: 1

Networth: $69 billion

Forbes' list of 1,226 billionaires is topped by Mexico's 72-year-old telecom czar Carlos Slim, boasting of a networth of $69 billion.

Slim retained his title as the world's richest man for the third year in a row.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Bill Gates leaves the G20 Summit on November 3, 2011 in Cannes, France.
Photographs: Getty Images

Bill Gates

World rank: 2

Networth: $61 billion

In the second spot is Microsoft founder Bill Gates with $61 billion networth.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference.
Photographs: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Warren Buffett

World rank: 3

Networth: $44 billion

Gates is followed by American investment giant and philanthropist Warren Buffett whose networth is $44 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Forbes said this year's 1,226 billionaires are a record high, up one per cent from last year's total.

The numbers are up significantly from the 140 billionaires who had made the cut when the list was first released 25 years ago.

Between them, this year's billionaires are worth a record $4.6 trillion and have an average net worth of $3.7 billion.

The list has 48 billionaires from India as well as nine of Indian-origin living in countries like Indonesia, Ireland, Thailand, UK and the US, taking the total number of billionaires hailing from India to 57.

India's 48 billionaires have a total networth of $194.6 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani (L) attends the TIME 100 Gala, with wife Nita.
Photographs: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Mukesh Ambani

India rank: 1

World rank: 19

Networth: $22.3 billion

Among India's billionaires, the richest is Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani with a networth of $22.3 billion. The 54-year-old is ranked 19 in the global rich list.

"Mukesh Ambani is the world's richest Indian, despite losing $4.7 billion in the past year," Forbes said.

The publication added that a spat between Ambani's oil and gas conglomerate Reliance and India's Oil Ministry over declining output at KG-D6, India's largest offshore gas field, has dragged down the market cap of the country's most valuable company.

Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO and Chairman of ArcelorMittal.
Photographs: Warren Little/Getty Images

Lakshmi Mittal

India rank: 2

World rank: 21

Networth: $20.7 billion

ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal comes at the 21st position with a $20.7 billion networth. Forbes said Mittal lost $10.4 billion in the past year, more than anyone else in the world and dropped out of the top 10 rankings for the first time since 2004.

Mittal had ranked sixth in last year's list when his networth was $31.1 billion.

Shares of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, tanked due to surging costs and tepid demand in Europe, Forbes said.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Wipro Chairman Azim Premji attends a session at the World Economic Forum.
Photographs: Vincent Kessler/Reuters

Azim Premji

India rank: 3

World rank: 41

Networth: $15.9 billion

Wipro boss Azim Premji is the third richest Indian in the list. With a networth of $15.9 billion, 66-year-old Premji is ranked 41 on the Forbes list.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Savitri Jindal

India rank: 4

World rank: 80

Networth: $10.9 billion

The list has only two women billionaires from India, both matriarchs of big corporate houses.

Jindal group's Savitri Jindal is ranked 80 in the rich list with a networth of $10.9 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


 Indu Jain

World rank: 578

Networth: $2.2 billion

Chair of the media group Bennett Coleman Indu Jain, 75, is ranked 578th in the Forbes list with a networth of $2.2 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd Sunil Mittal holds a globe during a news conference.
Photographs: B Mathur/Reuters

Sunil Mittal

World rank: 113

Networth: $8.1 billion

With an $8.1 billion networth, Bharti Entreprises chairman Sunil Mittal is ranked 113.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Reliance Power Chairman Anil Ambani.
Photographs: B Mathur/Reuters

Anil Ambani

World rank: 118

Networth: $7.8 billion

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group chairman Anil Ambani comes in at the 118th position in the list, his networth of $7.8 billion, only about a third of that of his wealthier elder brother.

"Despite patch up with brother Mukesh that included a much photographed reunion in their late father's hometown, Anil Ambani continues on a losing streak, down one billion dollars in the past year and down $34.2 billion from his 2008 peak," Forbes said.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Top (L-R): K P Singh, Shiv Nadar and Malvinder and Shivinder Singh; Bottom (L - R): Adi Godrej, Rahul Bajaj and N R Narayana Murthy.

Other billionaires from India include real estate major DLF chief K P Singh ($6.4 billion), IT company HCL's Shiv Nadar ($five billion), healthcare tycoons Malvinder and Shivinder Singh ($3.5 billion), Godrej group chairman Adi Godrej ($2.4 billion), chairman of the Bajaj group conglomerate Rahul Bajaj ($1.8 billion) and Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and his family ($1.7 billion).

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Top: Nandan Nilekani, Ajay Piramal; Bottom: K Anji Reddy, Gautum Thapar.

Nandan Nilekani, Ajay Piramal, K Anji Reddy, Gautum Thapar

World rank: 913

Networth: $1.4 billion

With a networth of $1.4 billion, former Infosys chief executive Nandan Nilekani, pharma tycoons Ajay Piramal and K Anji Reddy and head of the Avantha group Gautum Thapar are tied for the 913th rank.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Rakesh Jhunjhunwala

World rank: 1,075

Networth: $1.1 billion

Investment bigwig Rakesh Jhunjhunwala occupies the 1,075th rank with $1.1 billion of networth.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Vijay Mallya, Bhupinder Kumar Modi.

Vijay Mallya, Bhupinder Kumar Modi

World rank: 1,153

Networth: $1 billion each

Tied for the 1,153th rank is liqour baron Vijay Mallya and Spice group chief Bhupinder Kumar Modi with networths of a billion dollars each.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Pallonji Mistry

World rank: 96

Networth: $9.7 billion

Also in the list is construction tycoon Pallonji Mistry, an Irish citizen, who with a networth of $9.7 billion is ranked 96th.

Mistry's younger son Cyrus has been anointed successor to Tata group chief Ratan Tata when he retires in December.

Incidentally, like last year, Tata is not on the rich list this year.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Vinod Khosla

World rank: 960

Networth: $1.3 billion

Among the Indians, who are based outside their native country and have been named in the Forbes list, is venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, whom Forbes calls the "rare Silicon

Valley venture capitalist able to generate profits from a clean tech portfolio."

The IIT and Stanford University alumnus has a networth of $1.3 billion and is ranked 960th.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Kavitark 'Ram' Shriram

World rank: 804

Networth: $1.6 billion

California-based Kavitark "Ram" Shriram, the founding board member of Google and one of the first investors in Google, comes in at rank 804.

A trustee at Stanford University, Shriram's networth is $1.6 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Sri Prakash Lohia and Aloke Lohia

World ranks: 634 and 683

Total networth: $4 billion

India-born, Indonesian citizen Sri Prakash Lohia and his brother Thai resident Aloke Lohia are ranked 634 and 683 respectively in the list.

They are two of three brothers whose fortune spans India, Thailand and Indonesia through the Indorama group of companies involved in textiles, polyster and plastics.

Between them, the networth of the two brothers is $4 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Romesh Wadhwani

World rank: 634

Networth: $2 billion

Software guru Romesh Wadhwani ranks 634th in the list with a networth of $2 billion.

Based in California, the IIT Mumbai alumnus heads Symphony Technology Group which is focused on building software and services companies.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


Photographs: Reuters

Larry Elison

Networth: $36 billion

This year there were 128 new additions to the Forbes billionaire list, while 117 dropped off.

The US retained its position as the global epicenter of wealth, boasting of being home to 425 billionaires, including Oracle's Larry Elison who had a networth of $36 billion.

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!

Image: Top (L - R): Michael Bloomberg, Sergey Brin and Larry page; Bottom (L - R): Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Ralph Lauren.

Among the American billionaires are New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ($22 billion), Google's founders Sergey Brin and Larry page ($18.7 billion), Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ($17.5 billion), News Corp chief Rupert Murdoch ($8.3 billion) and fashion czar Ralph Lauren ($7.5 billion).

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Over 4 per cent of the world's richest are Indians!


There were 96 Russians, 95 Chinese, 55 Germans, 37 British, 37 from Hong Kong, 36 Brazilians, 25 Canadians, and 24 billionaires each from Taiwan and Japan in the list.

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