Mukesh Ambani retains title as India's richest
What's the story
Mukesh Ambani has retained his title as India's richest person and Asia's wealthiest individual, according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2026. His wealth grew by around 9% over the last year to reach ₹9.8 lakh crore. Ambani is at the helm of Reliance Industries, a conglomerate with interests in petrochemicals, energy, telecom, and retail among others.
Billionaire growth
Billionaire count and wealth surge in India
India's billionaire club continues to grow, with the Hurun Global Rich List 2026 revealing a total of 308 billionaires in the country. Their combined wealth stands at around ₹112 lakh crore. This makes India the third-largest billionaire hub in the world, after the US and China. The list also highlights that wealth creation is expanding beyond technology and pharmaceuticals into sectors like automobiles, healthcare, energy and financial services.
Wealth rankings
Adani, Nadar Malhotra remain in top 3
Industrialist Gautam Adani retained his second position on the list despite a wealth decline. His net worth dropped by around 14% to ₹7.5 lakh crore, according to Hurun. Adani heads the Adani Group, which operates in ports, airports, energy and infrastructure among other sectors. In third place is Roshni Nadar Malhotra with a net worth of around ₹3.2 lakh crore despite a 10% decline from last year.
Top 5
Poonawalla, Birla enter top 5
Cyrus S Poonawalla, founder of Serum Institute of India, is the fourth richest with a wealth jump of 44% to around ₹3 lakh crore. The Pune-based company gained global prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to expand its presence in international healthcare markets. Rounding out the top five is Kumar Mangalam Birla whose wealth increased by 22% to about ₹2.5 lakh crore.