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This article was first published 10 years ago

Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Last updated on: November 07, 2013 17:09 IST

Image: A model displays the 'Pink Star' 59.60 carat oval cut pink diamond at Sotheby's in Geneva.
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India has more number of billionaires than France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Hong Kong and is home to the sixth largest group of super rich population in the world, says a report.

Moreover, the country's financial capital Mumbai with 30 billionaire, is among the top 5 'billionaire cities' globally, which was topped by New York that is home to 96 billionaires.

Hong Kong, Moscow and London make the top five with 75, 74 and 67 billionaires respectively.

According to the wealth-X and UBS billionaire census report 2013, India's billionaire population has decreased by 5.5 per cent to 103 and the total billionaire wealth has fallen by $10 billion to $180 billion.

Source: Wealth-X and UBS billionaire census report

Click NEXT to take a look at top 10 countries with most billionaires. . .

Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

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1. USA

The country has 515 ultra-rich people, three times more than those in China.

The total net worth of the billionaires is $2,064 billion.

New York remains the business city of choice for the world’s billionaires.

This is defined by where their primary businesses are headquartered.

The North American billionaire population grew by 2 per cent and its total wealth grew by 2.4 per cent, the slowest growth of all regions apart from Europe.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Image: A journalist looks at a creation named 'Three China' by artist Yukinori Yanagi during the media preview of Art Taipei 2013, November 7, 2013.
Photographs: Pichi Chuang/Reuters

2. China

The country has 157 billionaires with a total net worth of $384 billion.

China’s billionaire population has increased by 7 per cent and the total wealth of billionaires has risen by 1 per cent.

China has the second largest billionaire population at 157, trailing the US.

China boasts the highest percentage of  self-made billionaires of any country at 89 per cent.

Real estate is the second most popular industry for Chinese billionaires.

. . .

Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

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3. Germany

The country has 148 billionaires whose net worth is $432 billion.

Despite being placed in third position for the number of billionaires globally, the total wealth of German billionaires is  higher than that of second-placed China at $432 billion.

The growth of Germany’s billionaires  represents strong demand for Europe’s largest economy and the movement of the super wealthy to the Eurozone core, away from the fringes.

Forty six per cent of German billionaires inherited their fortunes, the highest of all  focus countries featured.

Only 33 per cent are self-made.

For German billionaires, manufacturing is the most significant industry.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

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4. United Kingdom

The country has 135 billionaires whose net worth is $420 billion.

According to a report in the register.co.uk, a rundown of the richest people in China has revealed that the very wealthiest British billionaires collectively boast more cash than their counterparts in the People's Republic.

Europe was the only region to suffer a decline in the population of billionaires, the report said, although the total wealth of all billionaires  has increased in every region.

The top 10 billionaire countries account for 66 per cent of the world’s billionaires, highlighting the concentration of the super rich into a select few ‘hot spots’.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Image: Russian servicemen in historical uniforms take part in a military parade in the Red Square in Moscow, November 7, 2013.
Photographs: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

5. Russia

The country has 108 billionaires whose net worth is $342 billion.

Moscow accounts for over two thirds of Russia’s billionaires.

In its 2013 Global Wealth Report, Credit Suisse asserted that Russia's transition to capitalism failed the country's people, creating an economy with the world's highest level of wealth inequality.

According to the report, 110 Russian billionaires command 35 per cent of the nation's wealth, while worldwide, billionaires account for 1 to 2 per cent of total household wealth.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Image: A woman lights firecrackers celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, the annual festival of lights, in Mumbai November 3, 2013.
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6. India

The country has 103 billionaires whose net worth is $180 billion.

The majority of Indian billionaires are college-educated, with 72 per cent possessing at least a bachelor's degree (Switzerland and the US are the only other two countries that have a higher proportion of university-educated billionaires), the report said.

"Only 3 per cent of Indian billionaires are female, the joint lowest representation of any focus country featured in this report," it said.

Meanwhile, last month the US business magazine Forbes had said that India has a total of 65 billionaires, led by Mukesh Ambani, who with a net worth of $21 billion, retained his title as India's wealthiest for sixth year in a row.

The report further noted that industrial conglomerates and pharmaceuticals are the first and second most significant industries for Indian billionaires.

. . .

Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

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7. Hong Kong

The country has 75 billionaires whose total net worth stands at $224 billion.

Only 25 per cent of all billionaires in Hong  Kong today grew up in the country, with the majority (60 per cent) originally coming from China.

Only 20 per cent of Hong Kong’s billionaires are self-made individuals,  one of the lowest ratios in the world, as  compared to 89 per cent for its neighbour  China.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Image: A Mercedes-Benz S400 is displayed at a luxury cars exhibition in the Saudi capital Riyadh October 29, 2013.
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8. Saudi Arabia

The country has 64 billionaires with a total net worth of $204 billion.

Saudi Arabia has the largest number of billionaires in West Asia, at 64.

The total worth of Saudi billionaires comprises more than half of the combined net worth of the billionaires in West Asia.

Sixty per cent of Saudi billionaires have derived their wealth from inheritance-related fortunes.

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Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

Image: A giant Christmas tree stands in the middle of the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris ahead of the holiday season in the French capital, November 6, 2013.
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9. France

The country has 64 billionaires with a total net worth of $202 billion.

The average billionaire is incredibly well connected, with a social circle worth $15 billion -- five times the net worth of the average billionaire.

This figure is based on a calculation of the net worth of only the three top connections of billionaires, and so it is likely to be even higher when considering the number of UHNW individuals the  average billionaire interacts with while attending various meetings, dinners, and events.

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Tags: UHNW , France

Top 10 countries with most billionaires; India ranks 6th

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10. Switzerland

The country has 61 billionaires with a total net worth of $128 billion. Billionaire hotspots such as Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong have emerged as favoured destinations for the ultra rich.

However, only 36, 34, and 25 per cent of their billionaire  populations respectively, grew up in  these countries.

Conversely, 86 per cent of Chinese billionaires and 95 per cent of Indian billionaires who currently have their primary business in China and India, respectively, also grew up there.

 

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