India’s top family businesses now worth more than Saudi Arabia’s GDP; Ambanis remain richest family
Mukesh Ambani’s family has retained its place as India’s richest business family, even after an 8.5% decline in wealth, according to the latest 2026 Barclays Private Clients Hurun India most valuable family businesses list. The family’s fortune now stands at ₹25.8 lakh crore.
The report also highlights the growing dominance of first-generation entrepreneurs. The Gautam Adani family from Ahmedabad emerged as the richest in that category with a wealth of ₹19.6 lakh crore.
Worth more than Saudi Arabia’s GDP
The combined value of India’s top family businesses is now worth $1.46 trillion or ₹138 lakh crore, surpassing the gross domestic product (GDP) of Saudi Arabia and several European countries.
These businesses have added nearly ₹30 lakh crore in value since the 2024 edition, or about ₹4,076 crore a day. Their combined value rose 27.5% since 2024, outperforming both the Nifty 50 and the Sensex, which were in the red territory over the same period.
“India’s most valuable family businesses are now worth $1.46 trillion, or ₹138 lakh crore. To put that in perspective, if this list were a country, it would rank as the world’s 18th-largest economy by GDP, larger than the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Poland,” Hurun India’s founder and chief researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said.
India’s other leading business families
Telecom company Airtel’s promoter Sunil Bharti Mittal comes third with a fortune of ₹12.1 lakh crore which also makes him the second among first-generation families, and is followed by Kumar Mangalam Birla with a fortune of ₹8.14 lakh crore, as per the report.
Among the biggest gainers, the Ahuja family of Shahi Exports posted the strongest three-year growth, with its wealth soaring 352% to ₹37,500 crore. Meanwhile, the Shashikant Bhalchandra Garware family of Garware Hi-Tech Films registered the sharpest rise in rankings, jumping 61 places in the three years after its fortune tripled to ₹15,600 crore.
The Jindal family created the most value in absolute terms over three years, adding ₹3.3 lakh crore to reach ₹8.02 lakh crore, which is a rise of 70% in the fortunes, the list said.
How much taxes did these businesses contribute ?
The report also highlights the growing professionalisation of the country’s family-controlled enterprises. About 70% of the businesses are now led by the second generation, while 57 are in the hands of the third-generation and 20 have reached the fourth generation.
As ownership passes across generations, may groups are increasingly adopting professional governance, succession planning and institutionalisation practices, news agency ANI reported.
The economic footprint remains substantial, with the families generating ₹56 lakh crore in revenue and contributing ₹1.9 lakh crore in taxes, equivalent to around 17% of India’s corporate tax collections.
(With inputs from PTI )
