Gautam Adani overtakes Mukesh Ambani to become India's richest
What's the story
Gautam Adani has reclaimed the title of India's richest person, according to Forbes' 2026 list. His wealth has surged to $112.7 billion, an increase of $20.7 billion from last year. This makes him the biggest dollar gainer on the list and marks his return to the top spot after three years at No. 2. The rise comes despite a challenging year for Indian markets, with both rupee and stock market down by 8.5% and 9.5%, respectively.
Business expansion
Infrastructure push, AI investments drive Adani's wealth surge
Adani's wealth surge is largely attributed to the growth of his infrastructure-focused business empire, the Adani Group.
The conglomerate is also making a major push into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, with plans to invest $100 billion in the sector.
However, it's worth noting that his family's current fortune still falls short of the $150 billion peak it hit in 2022.
Wealth dip
Ambani's net worth takes a hit
Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, has seen his net worth fall to $86.3 billion from $105 billion last year.
The decline is mainly due to margin pressures in the retail business that have impacted the company's shares.
However, Ambani is gearing up for a potential game-changer, the listing of Jio Platforms, which could raise up to $3.8 billion if completed at the projected size.
Rankings
Other notable billionaires on the list
Savitri Jindal, matriarch of the O.P. Jindal Group, retained her third position on the list with a fortune of $39.8 billion.
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal was among the biggest percentage gainers with his wealth rising by 74% to $34.7 billion, pushing him up eight places to No.4 on Forbes' list of India's 100 richest people for 2026.
New entrants
New entrants to Forbes India's richest list
Four new billionaires made it to Forbes' list this year.
Krishna Chivukula debuted after listing his precision-engineering firm, Indo-MIM, in July.
Brothers Kushal and Chaitanya Desai landed at No. 69 with a combined fortune of $4.25 billion as shares of cable maker Apar Industries nearly doubled over the year.
Aditya Khemka also debuted at No. 83 with a family fortune of $3.6 billion due to rising shares of his security and surveillance equipment maker, Aditya Infotech.