The rich get richer: The UK s richest man saw his worth grow by £7 2bn during the pandemic thesouthafrican.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thesouthafrican.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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image captionSir Leonard Blavatnik is the richest person in the UK, according to the Sunday Times.
The UK s billionaires saw a sharp increase in their wealth during the pandemic, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.
Their wealth increased by 21.7% over the past year, rising by £106.5bn to £597.2bn, and there are now a record 171 billionaires in the UK.
Ukranian-born oil and media magnate Sir Leonard Blavatnik is the richest person in the country, according to the list.
He took the title from Sir James Dyson, whose wealth rose by only £100m.
Mr Blavatnik - who owns Warner Music - saw his fortune surge by £7.2bn to around £23bn during the pandemic-hit year.
There are now 171 billionaires in UK as fortunes soar 22% in pandemic hulldailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hulldailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Published:
11:53 AM May 21, 2021
Updated:
12:57 PM May 21, 2021
Sir James Dyson and his family have been named as number four on the Sunday Times Rich List.
- Credit: PA
Norfolk-born inventor Sir James Dyson and his family have been named as number four on the Sunday Times Rich List.
The list revealed that there are now a record 171 billionaires in the UK, with Ukranian-born Sir Leonard Blavatnik topping the pile as the richest person in the country, and knocking Sir James off the top spot in the process.
The number of billionaires jumped by 24pc, in stark contrast with the wider economic turmoil of the pandemic which saw millions enter furlough and the rate of unemployment lift to its highest in almost five years.
A record 171 billionaires in the UK saw their fortunes soar by more than a fifth as they shook off the financial toll of the pandemic, the Sunday Times Rich List reveals.
Ukrainian-born Sir Leonard Blavatnik, 63, has topped the Rich List for the second time with his £23billion fortune following a £7.219billion leap in his wealth.
Overall, the number of UK-based billionaires has jumped by 24 per cent compared to 2020 in a stark contrast with the economic turmoil of a global crisis which saw millions enter furlough.
But this had little impact on the very wealthiest, with the fortunes of billionaires increasing by 21.7 per cent over the year - rising by £106.5billion to £597.2billion.