Singapore, Sept 04: Eleven Asians are among the 40 wealthiest people below 40 years old outside the United States, with India's Kumarmangalam Birla ranked as the region's richest and six Chinese making the list, according to Fortune magazine. Birla, 35, chairman of India's diversified Aditya Birla Group, is estimated to have a personal fortune of 1.3 billion dollars, the latest issue of the US business publication said.
He was joined by six Chinese, two Japanese, one South Korean and one Hong Kong tycoon who made it to the annual list.
However, their combined wealth of 5.86 billion dollars was still no match for Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich, who topped the list with a fortune of 8.3 billion dollars.
The 36-year-old Russian gained prominence in the footballing world when he bought English club Chelsea in July and spent more than 170 million dollars on new players, turning the club into a genuine contender for the league title this season.
Another notable non-Asian name is British author J.K. Rowling, 38, of Harry Potter fame, with a wealth estimated at 453 million dollars, one of only two women on the list.
Birla, 10th on the global top 40 list, was four places ahead of China's William Ding, a newcomer to the list with a fortune of 826 million dollars. Bureau Report