New York, March 9:

As many as 36 Indians figure on the coveted list of the world’s richest people compiled annually by Forbes magazine, led by steel tycoon L N Mittal, with 14 new entrants from the country joining the billionaire club.

Mittal is ranked fifth with a net worth of $32 billion, while brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani are ranked 14th and 18th with personal wealth of $20.1 billion and $18.2 billion, respectively, says the list released by the magazine.

“India’s rich are marching toward the top of our rankings,” Forbes said. “After a 20-year

reign, Japan is no longer Asia’s top spot for billionaires: India has 36, worth $191 billion followed by Japan, with 24 worth a combined $64 billion.”

“India now has three in the upper echelons, second only to the US,” the magazine said, referring to Mittal, and the Ambani brothers, who are now among the top 20 billionaires in the world. Wipro’s Azim Premji is ranked 21st with 17.1 billion.

“Strong equity markets combined with rising real estate values and commodity prices pushed up fortunes from Mumbai to Madrid,” says the magazine, adding that the combined net worth of all billionaires jumped $900 billion to $3.5 trillion.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates continues to be the richest person in the world for 13th year in succession with a net worth of $56 billion, among the list of 946 billionaires prepared by the magazine.

The other Indians on the list include DLF’s K P Singh, ranked 62nd with $10 billion, Sunil Mittal’s family (69th with $9.5 billion), Kumar Mangalam Birla and Essar’s Ruia brothers (both 86th with $8 billion).