Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
Ambani family led by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, has retained its position as India’s richest business family in 2026, according to the latest Barclays Private Clients Hurun India Most Valuable Family Businesses List.
Despite an 8.5 percent decline in wealth, the Ambani family’s net worth was estimated at Rs 25.8 lakh crore, keeping it firmly at the top of the rankings.
Ahmedabad-based industrialist Gautam Adani emerged as the wealthiest first-generation entrepreneur in India, with his family’s wealth estimated at Rs 19.6 lakh crore.
Mittal and Birla Follow in Top Four
Report ranked Sunil Bharti Mittal, promoter of telecom major Airtel, in third place with a family wealth of Rs 12.1 lakh crore. He is also the second-richest first-generation business family in the country.
Kumar Mangalam Birla secured the fourth position with an estimated wealth of Rs 8.14 lakh crore.
Top 300 Family Businesses Worth Rs 138 Lakh Crore
Hurun India founder and chief researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said the combined value of India’s most valuable family businesses has reached $1.46 trillion, equivalent to Rs 138 lakh crore.
He noted that if these family businesses were considered a separate country, they would represent the 18th-largest economy in the world by GDP, larger than economies such as the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Poland.
According to the report, India’s top 300 family businesses added Rs 4,076 crore in value every day over the last two years, highlighting the strong growth momentum in the country’s family-owned enterprises.
Shahi Exports and Garware Families Post Sharpest Gains
Ahuja family of Shahi Exports recorded the highest value growth over the past three years, with wealth surging 352 percent to Rs 37,500 crore.
Meanwhile, the Shashikant Bhalchandra Garware family of Garware Hi-Tech Films achieved one of the most notable performances in the rankings. The family climbed 61 places, the fastest rank improvement in the list, while its wealth jumped 300 percent to Rs 15,600 crore.
The report underlines the continuing dominance of large family-controlled businesses in India’s corporate landscape, while also highlighting the rapid rise of several first-generation entrepreneurial groups.
