Despite the Sensex and Nifty reaching all-time highs last year, a section of investors' portfolios remained in the red zone. One of the primary reasons for this was continuous selling in midcap and smallcap company shares. As a result, just as retail investors saw their investment values decline, the wealth of billionaires also took a hit. Consequently, the number of billionaires in the country decreased in 2025. According to a news agency report, the number of billionaire promoters in the country fell by 13.7 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, dropping to 176 from 204 at the end of December 2024.
Also Read | ITC, Godfrey Phillips lose ground as excise duty hike wipes out 60,000 crore from market
The report further claims that the total wealth of the country's billionaires decreased by 5 per cent to 88 lakh crore rupees by the end of December 2025, compared to December 2024. However, this is not the first time the membership of India's billionaire club has declined. Data shows that the number of billionaires in the country was 142 in 2021, which dropped to 126 by the end of 2022.
According to some experts, an important factor in calculating the wealth of the country's richest individuals is the value of their stakes in various companies. In this case, if the share prices of companies they own increase (or decrease), their wealth increases (or decreases) accordingly. Data indicates that among the country's top 1,000 companies last year, investors faced losses in shares of 595 companies. As a result, industrialists, like retail investors, faced losses. Additionally, the value of the rupee gradually declined against various currencies, including the dollar and euro, last year. This also contributed to the reduction in billionaires' wealth figures, as billionaires' wealth is calculated in dollars in the global market.
Also Read | THIS company delivers 215% return in 2025 as sales rise in December
The news agency report claims that JSW Group's Sajjan Jindal's wealth was $24.8 billion (2.2 lakh crore rupees) in December 2024, which decreased by 3.8% to $23.9 billion (2.1 lakh crore rupees) by the end of December last year. Additionally, the wealth of HCL Technologies' Shiv Nadar, Wipro's Azim Premji, and Sun Pharmaceuticals' Dilip Sanghvi decreased by the end of December last year compared to December 2024. However, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Adani Group founder Gautam Adani's wealth increased further during this period.
{News Ei Samay does not provide investment advice anywhere. Investment and trading in the share market or any field involve risk. Proper study and expert advice are recommended beforehand. This news is published for educational and awareness purposes.}
