NEW YORK: By sheer numbers, Indians topped the list of richest people in Asia with 36 billionaires, of whom Forbes placed Lakshmi Mittal, Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani in the ultra elite global top 20.
The combined wealth of Indian billionaires, including familiar names like Azim Premji, K P Singh, Sunil Mittal, Shashi and Ravi Ruia, Pallonji Mistry and Adi Godrej, swelled to 191 billion dollars -- equal to one-fourth of India's GDP. Mukesh Ambani and his brother Anil Ambani breached into the top 20 richest list with a net worth of 20.1 billion dollar and 18.2 billion dollars respectively. Forbes ranked Lakshmi Mittal, whose steel empire has earned him 32 billion dollars, the fifth richest person on the planet.
The Forbes list for 2007 said India ended Japan's 20-year reign as home to Asia's most number of richest people. The land of the rising sun now has 24 billionaires with a combined net worth of 64 billion dollars. However, China and Hong Kong together account for 41 billionaires, including Hutchison Whampoa's Li Ka-Shing. "India's rich are marching toward the top of our rankings and now has three in the upper echelons, second only to the US," the Forbes' magazine said.
As many as 14 Indians have joined the coveted club this year, raising the net worth of the country's billionaires by around 90 billion dollars. Wipro's Premji is ranked 21st with 17.1 billion USD in the Forbes list.
Kushal Pal Singh of DLF was ranked 62 with 10 billion USD, Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal and family at 49 with 9.5 billion USD, Aditya Birla Group Chairman K M Birla at 86 with 8 billion USD and Essar Group's Shashi and Ravi Ruia also at 86 with 8 billion USD.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates continues to be the richest person in the world for 13th year in succession with a net worth of 56 billion dollars among a record 946 billionaires listed by the magazine. Gates was followed by friend and fellow philanthropist Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, with a net worth to of 52 billion USD. Mexico's richest man, Carlos Slim Helu is catching up fast with his net worth jumping by an astonishing 19 billion USD this year - the single biggest one-year gain in a decade.
Sweden's Ingvar Kamprad and family came fourth, ahead of L N Mittal, with a net worth of 33 billion USD. The number of billionaires in 2007 has risen 19 per cent to 946 over the previous years' 793.
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