Singapore - Four Indians with a combined net worth of 160 billion dollars are among the world's top ten richest people, Forbes magazine said on Thursday in releasing its 2008 world's billionaires list. Asia's representation doubled from the previous year when Lakshmi Mittal of India and Li Ka-shing from Hong Kong were the only two from the region, the magazine said.
India registered 53 billionaires, while China and Hong Kong have 42 and 26 billionaires, compared with Japan's 24.
Mittal, the London-based owner of Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel manufacturer, was ranked fourth on the list with an estimated net worth of 45 billion dollars.
Joining Mittal were estranged brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani, worth 43 billion dollars and 42 billion dollars respectively, in fifth and sixth place.
The Ambani brothers were this year's two largest gainers, with a combined increase in wealth of 46.7 billion dollars over last year.
Kushal Pal Sing, the richest real estate baron, moved up 54 places to eighth, with his net worth tripling to 30 billion dollars.
Li Ka-shing, ninth last year, dropped out of the top ten to eleventh, with his net worth rising by 3.5 billion dollars to 26.5 billion dollars this year.
Famed US investor Warren Buffett, worth 62 billion dollars, soared past Bill Gates's 58 billion dollars, "seizing the top spot held by Gates for 13 years," Forbes said in its release.
The Microsoft co-founder slipped two places to third, after Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico at 60 billion dollars.
Asian billionaires increased by a third to 211, and their total net worth climbed to 804 billion, up from 552 billion.
The billionaires have an average age of 57. Sixty-eight per cent of them were self-made, Forbes said.
