India to have most billionaires by 2017: Forbes' poll

New Delhi: India will have more billionaires than any other country in the world in a decade, according to an online poll by Forbes magazine.

More than half of nearly 12,000 respondents said India will have the maximum number of billionaires in 2017, according to the poll initiated by the US business magazine in November last.

In the world's billionaires list released by the magazine last month, India had the fourth largest number in the world, while the US had the most.

However, only 17 percent believed that the US would have the most billionaires in 10 years, while 20 percent - the second highest after India - thought China would top the list.

Incidentally, the Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, together have been rated by Sunday Times of London as the richest in the world at a combined worth of 43 billion pounds ($85 billion), ahead of America's Walton family, owners of Wal-Mart (38.4 billion pounds) and Microsoft chief Bill Gates (29 billion pounds).

In the Times rich list published Sunday, India-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal has become the richest man in Europe and sixth richest in the world with his fortune estimated at 27.7 billion pounds ($54.9 billion). He is the fourth richest in world, according to Forbes.