The Forbes 2025 list of America's Richest Immigrants highlights the significant impact of foreign-born individuals on the U.S. economy, with Indian-Americans making a particularly strong showing. For the first time, India ranks number one in the number of foreign-born billionaires in the United States, surpassing countries like Israel and Taiwan. The list includes 12 Indian-origin billionaires, demonstrating the growing influence of the Indian diaspora in the U.S..

This elite group of 125 foreign-born tycoons holds a combined wealth of $1.3 trillion, which accounts for 18% of the total net worth of all American billionaires. The rise in Indian representation reflects a broader trend of highly educated and driven Indian professionals excelling in technology, finance, and healthcare.

Several Indian-Americans have secured prominent positions on the Forbes list:

• Jay Chaudhry: Founder of cybersecurity firm Zscaler, tops the list with a net worth of $17.9 billion. Chaudhry's story is a classic immigrant success: he was born in a small village in Himachal Pradesh, came to the U.S. for higher education, and built a tech empire.
• Vinod Khosla: Co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a venture capitalist, Khosla has a net worth of $9.2 billion. He is known for investing in new technologies like robotics and biotechnology.
• Rakesh Gangwal: Co-founder of IndiGo Airlines, Gangwal has a net worth of $6.6 billion. He has made his mark in the aviation sector in both the U.S. and India.
• Romesh T. Wadhwani: Founder of SymphonyAI, an AI-driven enterprise company, Wadhwani's net worth is $5.0 billion. He is also a philanthropist with expertise in enterprise software and artificial intelligence.
• Rajiv Jain: Founder of GQG Partners, a global investment firm, Jain has a net worth of $4.8 billion. He is known for his investments in energy and emerging markets.
• Kavitark Ram Shriram: An early backer of Google and a startup mentor, Shriram has a net worth of $3.0 billion. He is a former executive at Amazon and Netscape.
• Raj Sardana: With a net worth of $2.0 billion, Sardana is involved in technology services.
• David Paul: Paul's net worth of $1.5 billion comes from medical devices.
• Nikesh Arora: With a net worth of $1.4 billion, Arora has experience in cybersecurity, SoftBank, and Google.
• Sundar Pichai: The CEO of Alphabet (Google), Pichai, a more recent entrant to the billionaire club, has a net worth of $1.1 billion.
• Satya Nadella: CEO and Chairman of Microsoft, Nadella also has a net worth of around $1.1 billion.
• Neerja Sethi: Sethi's $1.0 billion net worth comes from IT consulting.

These Indian-American billionaires are leaders in various sectors, including cybersecurity, venture capital, aviation, software, finance, and technology. Their success highlights the opportunities available in the U.S. for immigrants with vision and determination. The Forbes list also reveals that 93% of immigrant billionaires are self-made, often building their wealth in the tech or finance industries. This contrasts with U.S.-born billionaires, where a significant percentage inherited their wealth.