Britain has more billionaires per head of population than any other country, annual survey finds
The number of billionaires living in Britain has risen to more than 100 for the first time, a study has found.
Some 104 billionaires are now based in the UK – more than triple the number from a decade ago – with a combined wealth of more than £301bn, according to the Sunday Times rich list.
It means Britain has more billionaires per head of population than any other country, while London’s total of 72 sterling billionaires is more than any other city in the world, the study found.
Indian-born brothers Sri and Gopi Hinduja top the list of the UK’s wealthiest billionaires with a fortune of £11.9bn.
The London-based pair, who run the global conglomerate Hinduja Group, saw their wealth rise by £1.3bn in the last year, the study found.
They replaced Russian business magnate Alisher Usmanov at the top after the Arsenal shareholder’s fortune fell to £10.65bn, the list said.
The richest Briton, the Duke of Westminster, is ranked 10th on the list after his fortune rose to £8.5bn.
Last year, 88 billionaires were living in the UK, worth a total of more than £245bn, according to the list. In 2004, the number of billionaires in Britain was 30, with a combined wealth of £65bn, it said.
Among the new members of the billionaire club is West End producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, whose fortune rose by £175m in the past year and is now worth £1bn, the survey found.
Plymouth-born Chris Dawson, who owns and runs The Range discount store chain, increased his fortune by £695m in the past 12 months to net £1.28bn.
Jon Hunt, founder of the estate agents Foxtons, has a £1.07bn fortune, up £145m in 2013, the list said. Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley and Sir Richard Branson are among the UK’s top 25 wealthiest billionaires.
Sir Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, the siblings who founded the Stagecoach transport empire, share a fortune of £1bn – an increase of £270m on last year.
The wealthiest new entry is Carrie and Francois Perrodo and their family, who own the London-based Perenco oil and gas operation and are said to be worth £6.14bn.
It is the first time since 2008 that the minimum wealth of the 50 richest people in the country has exceeded £1.5bn, according to the list.
A decade ago, a personal fortune of £700m was needed to be among Britain’s 50 wealthiest people. The entry point to the UK top 50 on the list is now £1.7bn. The combined wealth of the Britain’s super rich is now ahead of the pre-recession levels of 2008, when the total wealth of the UK’s 75 billionaires was £201bn.
