The dynamic landscape of wealth in Asia has consistently captured global attention, with an impressive array of individuals making their mark on the Forbes real-time list of billionaires. But have you ever wondered who tops this list of the richest people in Asia?To no one’s surprise, as of June 2024, Asia’s richest person is Mukesh Ambani, with an astonishing net worth of $113.5 billion. The list of the richest Asians goes on to extend beyond borders. This article presents a rundown of Asia’s wealthiest people in 2024.
The Top 10 Richest People in Asia
The real-time billionaires list worldwide compiled by Forbes shows the top 10 richest people in Asia as of June 24, 2024. Also Read: The Top 10 richest women in the world in 2024
| Rank & Name | Country | Net Worth (in USD Billions) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Mukesh Ambani | India | 113.5 |
| #2 Gautam Adani | India | 85.7 |
| #3 Prajogo Pangestu | Indonesia | 61.8 |
| #4 Zhong Shanshan | China | 59.3 |
| #5 Colin Zheng Huang | China | 50.7 |
| #6 Zhang Yiming | China | 43.4 |
| #7 Savitri Jindal & family | India | 41.2 |
| #8 Ma Huateng | China | 40.4 |
| #9 Tadashi Yanai and Family | Japan | 36.8 |
| #10 Li Ka-shing | Hong Kong | 35.4 |
A Deeper Insight: Richest People in Asia in 2024
Mukesh Ambani
- Source of wealth: Diversified
- Age: 67
- Residence: Mumbai, India
- Citizenship: India
Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, is the richest man in Asia. He ventured into the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the ownership of Mumbai Indians in 2008. While Jio, Reliance’s telecom and broadband service, has drawn close to 470.29 million subscribers already, the recent debut of Jio Financial Services in August reflects the company’s expanding horizons. Further, BlackRock and Jio Financial Services announced an agreement to form Jio BlackRock in July 2023, a joint venture to bring advanced and innovative investment solutions to investors in India.Also Read: The top 10 richest women in India in 2024
Gautam Adani
- Source of wealth: Infrastructure, commodities, self-made
- Age: 62
- Residence: Ahmedabad, India
- Citizenship: India
Gautam Adani heads the Adani Group, a $81 billion enterprise spanning ports, airports, energy, and green initiatives. Starting as a trading firm in 1988, he is now among the richest people in Asia. He showcased his prowess as India’s premier airport operator and controller of Gujarat’s significant Mundra Port. Moreover, his strategic acquisition of Holcim’s Indian assets in 2022 propelled him to the position of India’s second-largest cement producer.
Prajogo Pangestu
- Source of wealth: PT Barito Pacific
- Age: 80
- Residence: Jakarta, Indonesia
- Citizenship: Indonesia
Prajogo Pangestu, the energy and petrochemical tycoon, is the wealthiest man in Indonesia. Although he started with the timber business, today, his company, PT Barito Pacific, is among the leaders in petrochemical, plastic production, mining, and thermal energy in Indonesia. His wealth significantly increased in 2023 as his group’s two companies, Petrindo Jaya Kreasi and Barito Renewables Energy, went public.
Zhong Shanshan
- Source of wealth: Beverages, pharmaceuticals, self-made
- Age: 69
- Residence: Hangzhou, China
- Citizenship: China
Zhong Shanshan, the mind behind Nongfu Spring, a bottled water firm, ranks as the third richest man in Asia and at the top as the most affluent Chinese. From construction work to journalism and beverage sales, his journey led him to entrepreneurship. Additionally, he holds sway over Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy, a producer of swift diagnostic tests for Covid-19. As per estimations at the end of 2022, Zhong Shanshan maintained his spot as the richest in China in the previous year, with a $62.3 billion fortune.
Colin Zheng Huang
- Source of wealth: E-commerce
- Age: 44
- Residence: Shanghai, China
- Citizenship: China
Colin Huang is the founder of PDD Holdings, a well-known Chinese e-commerce organisation to have changed its name from Pinduoduo in February, 2023. Despite having stepped down as chairman over a couple of years ago, Huang still owns about 28% of the company shares. Huang has also founded an online gaming Xinyoudi, and another e-commerce platform known as Ouku.com. In a list of China’s 100 richest people compiled by Forbes in 2022, Huang ranked at the ninth spot.
Zhang Yiming
- Source of wealth: TikTok, self-made
- Age: 40
- Residence: Beijing, China
- Citizenship: China
Zhang Yiming, the driving force behind the Chinese tech giant ByteDance, is best recognised for birthing the wildly popular app TikTok. It boasts a staggering user count of over 1 billion worldwide. As of March 2023, he maintains a two percent stake in ByteDance. However, its value is facing uncertainty due to a potential ban on TikTok in the US. Recently the US Congress has passed a new law that gave the US government authority to try to ban TikTok. Beyond TikTok’s fame, ByteDance spans diverse sectors like news, education, and gaming.
Savitri Jindal and Family
- Source of wealth: Steel
- Age: 74
- Residence: Hisar, India
- Citizenship: India
The widow of founder Om Prakash Jindal, Savitri Jindal, now chairs the Jindal Group, which includes steel, power, cement and infrastructure. After the death of the late OP Jindal, the group’s companies were divided between his sons. They run independently now. Her Mumbai-based son, Sajjan Jindal, oversees the most significant assets of the group. Not only is she one of the wealthiest Asians, but she is also the richest woman in India. Savitri Jindal has continued her husband’s legacy of helping society and communities by contributing to sectors like education, healthcare and more.
Ma Huateng
- Source of wealth: Online games
- Age: 52
- Residence: Shenzhen, China
- Citizenship: China
Ma Huateng, known as Pony Ma, guides Tencent Holdings, the Chinese internet titan. He oversees WeChat, a widely used messaging app with 1.3 billion users, making him one of Asia’s richest people. Beyond that, Tencent holds substantial interests in global gaming with a stake in Epic Games and ranks among the top video game publishers. Ma’s influence spreads to Tesla and Spotify through Tencent’s investments. Notably, he has recently revealed plans for Tencent to develop new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for the broader human good.
Tadashi Yanai & family
- Source of wealth: Fashion retail, self-made
- Age: 75
- Residence: Tokyo, Japan
- Citizenship: Japan
Tadashi Yanai is the mastermind behind Fast Retailing, a prominent clothing empire listed in Tokyo that oversees the Uniqlo chain. Fast Retailing’s portfolio extends to brands such as Theory, Helmut Lang, J Brand, and GU. Notably, Uniqlo, the flagship brand, boasts a vast presence with over 2,400 stores dispersed across 25 countries, making Tadashi rank among the top 10 richest people in Asia. After launching its first store in Mumbai, India, in October 2023. Understanding the leading competition from both local and international brands, Uniqlo now aims to grow and become the leading brand in India.
Li Ka-Shing
- Source of wealth: Diversified, self-made
- Age: 96
- Residence: Hong Kong
- Citizenship: Hong Kong
Li Ka-Shing, one of Asia’s richest persons, began his journey at 21 when he launched Cheung Kong Plastics, named after the Yangtze River, with $6,500 in savings and loans from relatives back in 1950. His Li Ka Shing Foundation’s generosity is remarkable, having donated over $3.8 billion to various causes, with the lion’s share directed towards Greater China. Notably, CK Hutchison Holdings, controlled by Li Ka-shing, and the Vodafone Group have recently agreed to merge their respective British telecommunications businesses to make the country’s biggest mobile operator.
