Hinduja family named UK's richest again with £38 billion fortune

Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja led their family to the top of the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List after their father Gopichand Hinduja's death. The rankings also reflected modest wealth growth, market shifts and exits linked to UK tax changes.

In Short

• Family wealth rose to 38 billion pounds despite wider global economic headwinds
• Ashok Leyland shares jumped nearly 40 per cent amid electric vehicle shift
• IndusInd shares gained 14 per cent over the past year

The Hindujas retained their top spot as the UK’s richest family in the 2026 ‘Sunday Times Rich List’, released on Friday, under a new generation of brothers following the death of Gopichand Hinduja last year.

“Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and family” emerged as the UK’s richest for the fifth successive year with an estimated 38 billion pounds, up from last year despite global headwinds. The Hinduja Group operates in 38 countries with investments across several sectors, including mobility, digital technology, banking and financial services, media, project development, lubricants and specialty chemicals, energy, real estate, trading, and healthcare.

“The death of their father, Gopi Hinduja, at the age of 85 last November has handed his place at the top of the ‘Sunday Times Rich List’ to his London-based sons, Sanjay and Dheeraj,” the newspaper notes.

“Sanjay, 62 this month, chairs Gulf Oil International while Dheeraj, 54, oversees the automotive giant Ashok Leyland. The latter has had a strong year, with the share price soaring by almost 40 per cent as more Indian motorists transition to electric vehicles.

“Indusind, the Mumbai-based banking and financial services group, has also had a decent 12 months. The shares here are up 14 per cent since last year,” it states.

Besides the Hinduja family, the top 10 of the annual tally of the UK’s richest sees another set of Indian-origin brothers, David and Simon Reuben, hold onto their wealth at second place with an estimated 27.97 billion pounds.

“The India-born brothers are close to completing two vast renovations of historic London buildings, Admiralty Arch and Cambridge House, which are being transformed into luxurious hotels,” the newspaper reveals.

While textiles entrepreneur Prakash Lohia has climbed a few spots to 28th with around 6.44 billion pounds, Vedanta Resources’ industrialist Anil Agarwal has dropped to 43rd from last year’s 25th with an estimated 3.85 billion pounds.

The 38th edition of the annual rankings show the UK’s 350 most affluent individuals and families share a combined wealth of 784 billion pounds — a 1.4 per cent rise on last year.

The list’s entry level has dropped 10 million pounds to 340 million pounds, as an indicator of the “sluggish economic environment” worldwide.

At least 15 foreign nationals who appeared in last year’s ‘Rich List’ no longer feature, including steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, because they now live elsewhere following the UK’s changes to its tax system.

- Ends