The UAE Is Home To These 11 Billionaires—More Than Any Other Middle East Country
Forbes’ World’s Billionaires 2021 ranking features 25 billionaires from across the globe that reside in the Middle East. Of these, 11 are living in the UAE, making it the Middle Eastern country with the highest number of billionaires.
Three Emirati families, one Emirati businessman, and seven expats make up the UAE’s rich list. Together, their total net fortune is $43.4 billion.
These are the 11 billionaires that call the UAE their home.
1| Pavel Durov
Net worth: $17.2 billion
Pavel Durov is the founder and owner of messaging app Telegram, which has more than 500 million users worldwide.
2| M.A. Yusuff Ali
Net worth: $4.8 billion
Middle East's retail king M.A. Yusuff Ali presides over $7.4 billion (revenue) LuLu Group International, with 193 stores in the Gulf and elsewhere.
3| Majid Al Futtaim & family
Net worth: $3.6 billion
Majid Al Futtaim founded retailing and entertainment giant Majid Al Futtaim Holding, known as MAF, in 1992.
4| Abdulla bin Ahmad Al Ghurair & family
Net worth: $2.8 billion
Abdulla Al Ghurair founded Mashreqbank, a leading U.A.E. bank, in 1967. He stepped down as chairman in October 2019, but he remains a board member.
4| Micky Jagtiani
Net worth: $2.8 billion
Middle East retail magnate Micky Jagtiani drove a taxi in London before moving to Bahrain and starting a baby products shop in 1973.
6| Ravi Pillai
Net worth: $2.5 billion
Indian-born farmer's son, Ravi Pillai migrated to Saudi Arabia after his small construction business in his native Kerala went bust.
7| Hussain Sajwani
Net worth: $2.4 billion
Sajwani is the chairman of Dubai-based luxury real estate developer Damac Properties, which he founded in 2002.
8| Abdulla Al Futtaim & family
Net worth: $2.2 billion
Abdulla Al Futtaim owns conglomerate Al Futtaim Group, run by his son Omar, who is vice chairman.
9| Thaksin Shinawatra
Net worth: $2 billion
Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, has been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai for more than a decade.
10| Saket Burman
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Saket Burman is the sixth-generation member of the storied Burman clan that founded Dabur, India's fourth largest consumer goods company.
11| Sunny Varkey
Net worth: $1.4 billion
Son of Indian expat teachers, who migrated to Dubai in 1959, Sunny Varkey controls GEMS Education, the world's largest operator of K-12 schools.
