Billionaires in India and China outperformed their US peers this year, according to the Forbes rich list. Their fortunes rose sharply a year on from the global financial crisis, underscoring the rebound of the world's two biggest emerging economies.
In 2009 China's 100 richest have seen their net worth nearly double to $170bn, from $89.4bn last year, and India's top 100 reached $276bn, up more than 50 per cent. The total net worth of the 100 richest Americans fell 18 per cent, though they were still the wealthiest national group with $775bn.
The number of Chinese billionaires, up from 24 to 79, grew faster than in India, which rose to 52 from 27. But the net worth of China's richest man, Wang Chuanfu – $5.8bn – was less than a fifth that of his Indian counterpart.