(From top) Mittal, Mukesh, Anil and Singh

Mumbai, March 6: Four Indian industrialists — Lakshmi Mittal, Ambani siblings Mukesh and Anil and property tycoon K.P. Singh — figure among the top 10 richest individuals in the world, according to a survey by Forbes magazine.

A phenomenal surge in the sensex last year — over 47 per cent — took them to the top of the totem pole.

India has the maximum number in the top 10; the US has only two. Germany, Mexico, Sweden and Rusia have one each.

Last year, there was only one Indian — Mittal — in the top 10.

Warren Buffett, the legendary investor with a $62-billion net worth, is the world’s richest man. He dislodged Microsoft chief Bill Gates ($58 billion), who tumbled to the third spot after a hostile bid for Yahoo that sent the software giant’s stocks plunging by over 15 per cent.

The second biggest billionaire in the world is Mexican telecom czar Carlos Slim Helu who is worth $60 billion.

After Gates, the pecking order has three Indians: Lakshmi Mittal ($45 billion), Mukesh Ambani ($43 billion) and Anil Ambani ($42 billion).

Although his group company Reliance Power Ltd made a disastrous debut on the bourses, Anil is the biggest gainer among all the billionaires. His net worth has soared $23.8 billion.

On the other hand, Mukesh’s fortune has risen $22.9 billion since last year and he is the world’s second biggest gainer in dollar terms.

DLF chairman K.P. Singh, who figures in the eighth place, is worth $30 billion.

Forbes used various paramaters to arrive at the wealth of each billionaire. While stock prices were calculated using market prices and exchange rates as of market closings on February 11, Forbes also went through holdings of publicly traded companies, private investments, real estate and art collections.

The rise of Indians, particularly the two Ambanis and Singh, on the rich list is not surprising considering that their individual businesses have performed well over the past year.

The big question is whether the top Indian industrialists will continue to win in the billionaire sweepstakes next year as well, especially after the domestic stock markets wobbled in early January.

The markets have remained skittish after taking their cues from weak global signals in the recent weeks after talk of a recession in the US grew louder.

Market watchers say while the four Indian tycoons have strong businesses, the stock markets may not support all of them this year.