India has 391 dollar billionaires: Meet the 10 richest — Adani tops Ambani
AI, pharma and fintech fortunes reshape subcontinent's 2026 Wealth list
India’s billionaire class is expanding beyond its traditional industrial dynasties.
The latest list now ranks 1,810 people with wealth of at least ₹1,000 crore ($104.3 million), as per by M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026, released Sept. 23, 2026.
Significantly, India now has a record 391 dollar billionaires. The Hurun list ranks several entries as families.
Gautam Adani and family reclaimed the top spot from Mukesh Ambani, while industrialist Lakshmi Mittal climbed sharply and HCL Technologies chair Roshni Nadar Malhotra remained India’s richest woman.
The list also reflects the rise of pharmaceuticals, technology, financial services, data centers, aviation and consumer businesses.
Wealth figures below are from Hurun’s assessment, based on holdings valued (as of Aug. 24, 2026):
Top 10 richest Indians, as per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026.
1. Gautam Adani — 64
Industry: Infrastructure, ports, energy, logistics and airports.
Wealth: Rs9.23 lakh crore ($96.1 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: The Adani Group continues expanding renewable power, green hydrogen, data centers, airports and logistics infrastructure. Adani’s fortune rose 13% as the group’s listed companies recovered, allowing him to overtake Mukesh Ambani. Born in Ahmedabad, Adani began as a commodities trader before building one of India’s largest infrastructure conglomerates. His businesses now span ports, power generation, transmission, airports, cement, defense and digital infrastructure.
2. Mukesh Ambani — 69
Industry: Diversified conglomerate, telecommunications, retail, energy and entertainment.
Wealth: Rs8.63 lakh crore ($89.9 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: Reliance continues investing in Jio’s digital ecosystem, retail expansion, artificial intelligence, cloud services, new energy and entertainment. Ambani inherited leadership of Reliance Industries after the death of his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, and transformed the company from petrochemicals and refining into a consumer-technology giant. Jio’s telecommunications platform and Reliance Retail remain central to his strategy, while the group is positioning itself for a large-scale clean-energy transition.
3. Lakshmi Niwas Mittal — 76
Industry: Steel and metals.
Wealth: Rs3.39 lakh crore ($35.3 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: ArcelorMittal is pursuing lower-carbon steelmaking, electric-arc technology, renewable energy integration and major international production projects. Mittal built his fortune by acquiring and consolidating underperforming steel plants across countries, eventually creating the world’s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal. His fortune rose sharply in the latest Hurun ranking, lifting him eight places to third. He remains based in London but retains deep business and philanthropic links with India.
4. Cyrus S. Poonawalla — 85
Industry: Vaccines, biotechnology and healthcare.
Wealth: Rs3.03 lakh crore ($31.6 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: The Serum Institute of India is expanding vaccine manufacturing, biologics and global public-health partnerships, while the Poonawalla group continues developing healthcare and pharmaceutical assets. Poonawalla founded Serum Institute in 1966 with the aim of producing affordable vaccines at scale. The company became a crucial supplier during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers by volume. His son, Adar Poonawalla, leads the operating business.
5. Roshni Nadar Malhotra — 45
Industry: Information technology and digital services.
Wealth: Rs2.79 lakh crore ($29.1 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: HCL Technologies is focused on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, engineering services and digital transformation. Malhotra became chairperson of HCLTech after her father, Shiv Nadar, transferred leadership of the family’s technology empire. She has also expanded the family’s philanthropic work through the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which supports education, culture and research. Hurun identifies her as India’s richest woman and places her fifth overall.
6. Kumar Mangalam Birla — 59
Industry: Cement, metals, chemicals, telecommunications, financial services and fashion.
Wealth: Rs2.69 lakh crore ($28.0 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: The Aditya Birla Group continues expanding cement capacity, branded apparel, paints, chemicals, renewable energy and financial services. Birla took over as chairman of the group at 28, after the death of his father, Aditya Vikram Birla. He consolidated and internationalized the conglomerate while broadening its consumer-facing businesses. The group’s cement operations, led by UltraTech, remain among its most important assets.
7. Dilip Shanghvi — 70
Industry: Pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
Wealth: Rs2.65 lakh crore ($27.6 billion).
Latest ventures: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is investing in specialty medicines, complex generics, dermatology, ophthalmology and global research. Shanghvi founded the company in 1983 with a small manufacturing operation and built it into India’s largest pharmaceutical company by market value. His strategy has emphasized acquisitions, international expansion and higher-margin specialty products. Sun Pharma’s global portfolio now reaches patients across the United States, India and other major markets.
8. Azim Premji — 81
Industry: Information technology, investments and philanthropy.
Wealth: Rs2.63 lakh crore ($27.4 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: Wipro is prioritising cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and business transformation, while Premji continues deploying capital through his investment and philanthropic organizations. He inherited Western India Vegetable Products, a cooking-oil company, and transformed it into Wipro, a global technology-services provider. Premji is also known for transferring a substantial share of his wealth to charitable causes, especially education, public health and social development.
9. Anil Agarwal — 73
Industry: Metals, mining, natural resources and energy.
Wealth: Rs2.08 lakh crore ($21.7 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: Vedanta is pursuing expansion in aluminum, zinc, oil and gas, semiconductors, renewable energy and electronics manufacturing. Agarwal started as a scrap-metal trader and gradually built a global natural-resources group through acquisitions. His fortune increased 87% in the latest Hurun assessment, moving him into ninth place. His proposed semiconductor ambitions represent an effort to move Vedanta beyond traditional mining and metals into strategic technology manufacturing.
10. Samir Mehta — 63
Industry: Pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
Wealth: Rs1.89 lakh crore ($19.7 billion), including family holdings.
Latest ventures: Torrent Pharmaceuticals is expanding through specialty medicines, branded generics and acquisitions, including the completed merger involving JB Chemicals. Mehta is part of the family that controls Torrent Group, a diversified business founded by his father, U.N. Mehta. The latest Hurun list placed Samir Mehta and family in the top 10 after their wealth rose 52%. Torrent’s growth is driven by domestic healthcare, chronic therapies and international pharmaceutical markets.
| Rank | Name | Reported wealth | Approx. US$ value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gautam Adani and family | ₹9.23 lakh crore | $96.1 billion |
| 2 | Mukesh Ambani and family | ₹8.63 lakh crore | $89.9 billion |
| 3 | Lakshmi Niwas Mittal and family | ₹3.39 lakh crore | $35.3 billion |
| 4 | Cyrus S. Poonawalla and family | ₹3.03 lakh crore | $31.6 billion |
| 5 | Roshni Nadar Malhotra and family | ₹2.79 lakh crore | $29.1 billion |
| 6 | Kumar Mangalam Birla and family | ₹2.69 lakh crore | $28.0 billion |
| 7 | Dilip Shanghvi | ₹2.65 lakh crore | $27.6 billion |
| 8 | Azim Premji and family | ₹2.63 lakh crore | $27.4 billion |
| 9 | Anil Agarwal and family | ₹2.08 lakh crore | $21.7 billion |
| 10 | Samir Mehta and family | ₹1.89 lakh crore | $19.7 billion |
| 11 | Savitri Jindal and family | Not confirmed in the retrieved 2026 reports | Not safely calculable |
| 12 | Uday Kotak | ≈ ₹1.19 lakh crore | ≈$12.4 billion |
| 13 | Nithin Kamath and family | Part of ₹98,900 crore combined with Nikhil Kamath | Not separately disclosed |
| 14 | Nikhil Kamath and family | Part of ₹98,900 crore combined with Nithin Kamath | Not separately disclosed |
| 15 | Shiv Nadar | ≈ ₹2.70 lakh crore in the reported list | ≈ $28.1 billion |
Note: Data based on an exchange rate of 1 USD = Rs95.88). The list is not a live market tracker: public-company fortunes can change daily, wealth calculations based on Aug. 24, 2026 valuation date. Forbes’ real-time rankings may produce a different order and may count individuals rather than family fortunes.
