India now has 284 billionaires, 13 more than last year, maintaining its position as the third-largest dollar-billionaire hub globally, after the US and China.
Roshni Nadar, chairperson of information technology giant HCL, ranked third in India and emerged as the fifth richest woman in the world, following a 47 per cent stake transfer from her father, Shiv Nadar.
With a net worth of Rs 3.5 trillion, she is the first Indian woman to enter the global top 10 female billionaires list, according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2025.
Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, has retained his position as India's richest person with a net worth of Rs 8.6 trillion, despite a decline of Rs 1 trillion in his net worth since last year, according to the report.
The decline was attributed to rising debt levels, reduced demand in key sectors, and increased competition pressuring its stock performance, the report stated.
Ambani also reclaimed the title of Asia's richest person, surpassing Gautam Adani, whose fortune grew 13 per cent year-on-year to Rs 8.4 trillion, making him the second richest person in India.
Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceuticals secured the fourth spot with a net worth of Rs 2.5 trillion, followed by Azim Premji of Wipro at Rs 2.2 trillion.
India now has 284 billionaires, 13 more than last year, maintaining its position as the third-largest dollar-billionaire hub globally, after the US and China.
"This rise reflects the country's growing economic influence on the world stage. The collective wealth of Indian billionaires has surpassed the trillion-dollar milestone, signalling a new era of prosperity," said Anas Rahman Junaid, founder and chief researcher, Hurun India.
"Notably, 62 per cent of these billionaires have experienced increased wealth, underscoring the positive economic trends sweeping the nation," added Junaid.
The cumulative wealth of Indian billionaires -- at Rs 98 trillion -- is almost one-third of the wealth of the country, according to the report.
Despite adding 11 new billionaires, Mumbai, with 90 billionaires, lost its status as Asia's billionaire capital to Shanghai. The city, however, outpaced Beijing with eight and London with seven new entrants.
The healthcare sector produced the most Indian billionaires, adding 53 entrants, followed by the consumer goods sector at 35, and the industrial products sector at 32.
India's youngest billionaires, Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur, co-founders of Razorpay, each have a net worth of Rs 8,643 crore.
While India's billionaire count and wealth are rising, China still leads in Asia with 823 billionaires. The US, with 870 billionaires, overtook China for the first time since 2016.
'India solidified its third position, adding 45 new billionaires this year to 284, triple the number ten years ago,' the report said.
'While 27 dropped off, the country's billionaire count continued to grow.'
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
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