India's Billionaire Count Rises: 26 New Entrants in Forbes 2026 List

The Forbes World's Billionaires List for 2026 reveals a significant rise in India's billionaire count, with 26 new entrants joining the ranks. Leading the newcomers is Kumud Bajaj, followed by notable figures like Kishore Jain and Aravind Srinivas. Mukesh Ambani retains his position as the richest individual in India, with a net worth of $98.8 billion. This article delves into the details of the new billionaires and the overall wealth distribution among India's elite.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 18, 2026, 20:58 IST

Overview of India's Billionaires in 2026

The latest Forbes World's Billionaires List for 2026 has been released, showcasing a remarkable performance from India, which now boasts 229 billionaires, ranking third globally after the United States and China. This year, 26 new Indian billionaires have joined the ranks, representing a diverse array of industries and age groups.

Kumud Bajaj, the spouse of former Bajaj Auto Vice-Chairman Madhur Bajaj, leads the newcomers with a net worth of $4.1 billion. Following her is Kishore Jain, the owner of Chennai's Khazana Jewellery, valued at $2.2 billion, and Aravind Srinivas, co-founder of Perplexity AI, who enters the list at $2.1 billion. Other notable entrants include Anju Agarwal from Macleods Pharmaceuticals at $1.9 billion, and both Satyanarayana Chava of Laurus Labs and Rajeev Gulat of MDH, each at $1.5 billion.

A group of billionaires falls within the $1.3 to $1.4 billion range, including Nanu Gupta of Vijay Sales, Kushal Desai and Chaitanya Desai from Apar Industries, Bhikhabai Virani of Balaji Wafers, Shrikant Badve of Belrise Industries, and D V Manjunatha of Em Vee Photovoltaic Power. The $1.1 to $1.2 billion category features Sachin Agarwal of PTC Industries, Sanjeev Shah of Everest Food Products, Aluru Jagadish Prasad of HBL Power Systems, and Paritosh Garg of Happy Forgings. At the $1 billion mark are Lalit Keshre, M P Ahammad, Prateek Boob, Harshil Mathur, Shashank Kumar, Madan Mohanka, and Alakh Pandey.

Mukesh Ambani Remains India's Wealthiest Individual

Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries, continues to lead India's wealth rankings with a net worth of $98.8 billion, an increase from $92.5 billion in 2025. Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, follows with $61.4 billion. Savitri Jindal and her family are third at $37.2 billion, making her the richest woman in India. Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL, ranks fourth with $29.8 billion, while Cyrus Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India is fifth at $26.4 billion. Lakshmi Mittal stands sixth at $25.7 billion, followed by Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma at $25.8 billion, Kumar Mangalam Birla of the Aditya Birla Group at $20.3 billion, Radhakishan Damani of Avenue Supermart at $15.4 billion, and Sunil Mittal of Bharti Airtel at $13.8 billion. Collectively, India's top 10 billionaires hold $368 billion, which is over a third of the nation's total billionaire wealth, reflecting an increase of $32 billion from the previous year.