My Web Log - SAMIR BHOIR: India has 53 billionaires - Forbes list of world's billionaires

India has 53 billionaires whose combined wealth accounts
$340.9 billion, according to the Forbes list of world's billionaires
released on 06.03.2008

China has a maximum 28 people
joining the ranks of those with at least one billion dollar, India has
managed to retain its position as Asia's biggest source of billionaires.

China has 42 billionaires second highest in Asia with a combined wealth of $95 billion.

India and China are followed by Hong Kong - 26, Japan - 24 and Australia -14 in terms of number of billionaires

Last year in 2007, India had overtaken Japan as the biggest Asian
nation in terms of number of billionaires. Japan has now slipped even
below China and Hong Kong this year.

India holds the honour of having the largest number of four billionaires in top ten list :

# Lakshmi Mittal (4th)

# Mukesh Ambani (5th)

# Anil Ambani (6th)

# KP Singh (8th).

There are two Americans in Top Ten Warren Buffet at the top and Bill Gates at third.

India still remains way below the US in terms of total number of such people, which has as many as 469 billionaires worth a total of $1.6 trillion.

As many as four Indians steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Mukesh Ambani, his estranged younger brother Anil Ambani and realty baron K P Singh have made it to top 10 positions, as against just one, Mittal, a year ago.

India has retained its position as the top source of billionaires in
Asia with total 53 people, who have a cumulative networth of 340.9
billion dollars on Forbes' 2008 World's Billionaires
list consisting of 1,125 people with a combined wealth of 4.4 trillion
dollars. A year ago, there were just 179 billionaires, Forbes said.

With a networth of 62 billion dollars, Buffett has topped the list,
followed by Carlos Slim Helu (60 billion dollars) and Bill Gates (58
billion dollars) on second and third positions.

These three are followed by three Indians -- Lakshmi Mittal (45 billion dollars), Mukesh (43 billion dollars) and Anil (42 billion dollars) on fourth, fifth and sixth ranks.

Besides, DLF's K P Singh (30 billion dollars) has been ranked, after Sweden's Ingvar Kamprad (31 billion dollars)

Other two in the top 10 are Russia's Oleg Deripaska Forbes said that Anil Ambani is
the biggest gainer with wealth soaring by 23.8 billion dollars since
the last list. He is only one billion dollars behind his brother Mukesh, who is the second biggest gainer with a rise of 22.9 billion dollars in his networth.

Lakshmi Mittal has gained 13 billion dollars from last year, pushing him one place higher to fourth rank this year.