Gautam Adani overtakes Warren Buffett to become world's 5th richest person

There are now only four people on the planet richer than Adani, according to Forbes' real-time billionaire tracker.

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has become the world's fifth-richest person overtaking legendary investor Warren Buffett, according to Forbes data.

Gautam Adani overtakes Warren Buffett to become world's 5th richest person REUTERS/Amit Dave/Files (REUTERS)

According to Forbes estimates, the net worth of 59-year-old Gautam Adani surged to $123.7 billion as of Friday's market close, while Warren Buffett's net worth stood at $121.7 billion. Buffett is 91 years old.

Adani's estimated $123.7 billion net worth makes him the richest person in India, $19 billion wealthier than the country's number 2, Mukesh Ambani (who's worth an estimated $104.7 billion), Forbes said in a report.

Adani surpassed Buffett as shares of the famed investor's Berkshire Hathaway dropped by 2 per cent on Friday amid a broad drop in the US stock market.

There are now only four people on the planet richer than Adani, according to Forbes' real-time billionaire tracker.

Here is a list of top five richest people:

Rank	Name	Net worth	Source	Citizenship
1	Elon Musk	$269.7 billion	Tesla, SpaceX	US
2	Jeff Bezos	$170.2 billion	Amazon	US
3	Bernard Arnault	$167.9 billion	LVMH	France
4	Bill Gates	$130.2 billion	Microsoft	US
5	Gautam Adani	$123.7 billion	Diversified	India