Russian and Indian businessmen dominate Britain's rich list
The 59-year-old tycoon, who started out manufacturing plastic bags, owns Russia's biggest iron ore producer Metalloinvest and owns almost 30 per cent of Arsenal football club.
He also has a holding in mail.ru, Russia's biggest internet company, and a big stake in the London- and Moscow-listed mobile telephone operator MegaFon.
Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who spent eight years at the top of the list, was demoted to fourth place with his net wealth of £10 billion - down from £12.7 billion in 2012.
Mr Mittal, whose holding in steelmaking giant ArcelorMittal fell from £28 billion to £5.95 billion, fell the most in the ranking of Britain and Ireland's wealthiest people.
The combined fortunes of the 1000 richest men and women comes to almost £450 billion, with the fortunes of the top 200 amounting to £318.2 billion, the list shows.
In second place, and the highest riser, is Warner Music owner Len Blavatnik, whose wealth rocketed from £3.4 billion last year to £11 billion this year.
The Russian media mogul, who is an American citizen, sold his stake in Russian oil and gas giant TNK-BP last month for £2 billion.
The 25th annual list includes 88 billionaires, an increase from 77 last year and up from just nine when it was first published in 1989. The Queen was ranked top in the list's first year when her wealth was valued at £5.2 billion and included all the crown estates and the royal art collection.
After 1993 she fell from that spot as she was valued only on her personal wealth. This year she was said to be worth £320 million, 268th on the list.
Third on the list this year are brothers Gopi and Srichand Hinduja of international conglomerate Hinduja Group, with a fortune of £10.6 billion.
Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, who made his fortune in the oil industry, has dropped two places to fifth on the list, with a value of £9.3 billion.
New to the top 20 is Saudi businessman Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber at 15th place with £4.5 billion, higher than Virgin founder Richard Branson, who is ranked 19th with £3.5 billion.
Earlier in April former Beatle Paul McCartney topped The Sunday Times' rich list of musicians for a 25th year running with £680 million.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov topped The Sunday Times rich list with a fortune of £13.3 billion. The article says his wealth comes from owning Russia’s biggest iron ore producer Metalloinvest, holding almost 30% of Arsenal football club, a stake in Russia’s largest internet company mail.ru, and a large holding in mobile operator MegaFon.
The rich list highlights heavy representation from resources and industry (iron ore, steel), media and music, telecoms and internet, oil and gas, and diversified conglomerates. Examples from the article include Metalloinvest (mining), ArcelorMittal (steel), Warner Music (media), MegaFon and mail.ru (telecoms/internet), and former stakes in TNK‑BP (oil & gas).
Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal fell to fourth place with net wealth of £10 billion, down from £12.7 billion the previous year. The article reports his holding in ArcelorMittal dropped in value from £28 billion to £5.95 billion, which was the biggest fall among those on the list.
Len Blavatnik, the owner of Warner Music, was the highest riser, moving to second place with £11 billion. His wealth rose sharply from £3.4 billion the prior year, helped by selling his stake in Russian oil and gas giant TNK‑BP for £2 billion.
According to the article, the combined fortunes of the 1,000 richest men and women amount to almost £450 billion, while the top 200 on the list together hold about £318.2 billion.
The 25th annual list includes 88 billionaires, up from 77 the previous year. For historical context, when the list was first published in 1989 it contained just nine billionaires.
The article notes Alisher Usmanov owns almost 30% of Arsenal and topped the list. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is also on the list, ranked fifth with a value of £9.3 billion.
Yes — Saudi businessman Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber is new to the top 20, ranking 15th with £4.5 billion. Virgin founder Richard Branson is 19th with £3.5 billion. The article also mentions Paul McCartney topping The Sunday Times’ musicians’ rich list with £680 million and that the Queen was ranked 268th with £320 million based on her personal wealth.
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