Sunil Mittal bucks the trend: Only billionaire to grow richer in 2025 Forbes India list — see his net worth

India's wealthiest billionaires saw a fall in their combined net worths over the past year, except a telecom tycoon who defied all trends.

Sunil Mittal, the founder and chairperson of Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel, jumped ranks in Forbes' Top 10 Richest in India list that was released earlier this week. This comes even as a weaker rupee and a 3% decline in the benchmark Sensex over the past year led to 9% erosion in combined wealth to $1 trillion.

As per the Forbes India's Richest 2025 list, Sunil Mittal climbed ranks to become the fourth wealthiest person in India, trailing only Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Savitri Jindal.

What is Sunil Mittal's net worth now?

Bharti Airtel's Sunil Mittal has a net worth of $34.2 billion, the Forbes India's Richest 2025 list shows. The telecom tycoon increased his wealth by $3.5 billion.

As a result, Mittal jumped three places to rank fourth in the list, a position he had acquired back in 2008.

Why did Sunil Mittal's wealth increase?

The jump in Sunil Mittal's net worth triggered from a mega stake buying in 2024. The Bharti Airtel chairperson's company Bharti Enterprises acquired a 24.5 per cent stake in UK telecoms giant BT Group. Mittal joined the board of the company in September 2025.

Who is Sunil Mittal?

Sunil Mittal is the founder and chairperson of Indian telecom major Bharti Enterprises, which owns Bharti Airtel. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours.

The telecom magnate was born in Punjab in 1957 and received his school education at Mussoorie and Gwalior. He graduated in 1976 from Panjab University, Chandigarh, with a bachelor's degree in economics and political science.

Sunil Mittal started his first business dealing with crankshafts of local bicycles at the tender age of 18, right after graduating from college, with a capital investment of ₹20,000 borrowed from his father.

Mittal has been the pioneer of the mobile revolution in India. At a time when mobile telecom was considered inaccessible for the masses, Bharti Airtel revolutionised the business model to offer affordable voice and data services.

Billionaires' wealth declines in 2025

Despite Sunil Mittal being an exception, other billionaires of India saw a drop in their net worths over the past year, according to Forbes.

India's richest person Mukesh Ambani remained a ‘centibillionaire’ with a net worth of $105 billion. However, the Reliance Industries chairperson's wealth declined by 12 per cent $14.5 billion in the past year.

Gautam Adani, who lost the No. 1 crown to Ambani, saw his wealth standing at $92 billion.

Shiv Nadar of HCL Tech slipped to the 5th position in the Forbes list a time when the country’s IT companies have been hit with US President Donald Trump's decision to impose $100,000 fees on new H1-B visas.