In a remarkable year for the world’s wealthiest individuals, Mukesh Ambani experienced a significant boost, adding $9.98 billion to his wealth. Bloomberg data reveals that the collective net worth of the top 500 richest individuals surged by $1.5 trillion in 2023, rebounding from the $1.4 trillion loss incurred the previous year.
Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, saw a 9 percent gain in RIL stock and benefited from the listing of Jio Financial, resulting in a $9.98 billion increase in his wealth in 2023. With a net worth of $97.1 billion, he stands as the richest Indian and the 13th wealthiest person globally.
Elon Musk reclaimed the title of the world’s richest person from Bernard Arnault, gaining $95.4 billion in 2023. His success with Tesla and SpaceX reversed the $138 billion loss suffered in 2022, placing his net worth more than $50 billion above Arnault’s, who faced challenges due to a global slowdown in demand for luxury goods.
Gautam Adani, the second richest Indian, faced a setback, losing $37.3 billion in 2023. The Hindenburg hit resulted in a 31 percent slide in his net worth, which now stands at $83.2 billion. Adani experienced a significant impact of $21 billion in January alone.
Apart from Adani, Radhakishan Damani, the founder of D-Mart, was the only other Indian to witness a dip in wealth, losing $187 million. However, shares of Avenue Supermarts, the parent company of D-Mart, remained flat in 2023.
Other notable Indian figures include Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL Tech, who gained $9.47 billion, reaching a net worth of $34 billion amid a challenging year for the IT sector. HCL Tech shares saw a 41 percent increase during the year.
Savitri Jindal, India’s richest woman and former Chairperson of OP Jindal Group, added $8.93 billion to her wealth, securing a position in the top three with a total net worth of $24.7 billion.
Additionally, Kumar Mangalam Birla of Aditya Birla Group gained $7.09 billion, Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharma added $5.26 billion, and Sunil Mittal of Airtel increased his wealth by $3.62 billion in 2023.
