Top 10 Richest People in the U.K 2025
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The UK’s wealthiest are a diverse group, spanning finance, engineering, technology, and real estate. Every year, publications like The Sunday Times and Forbes reassess the fortunes of Britain’s richest, and 2025 has seen notable shifts.
Michael Platt, a hedge fund titan, retains the top spot, with familiar names like Jim Ratcliffe and James Dyson trailing behind. Yet, despite their billions, none of these individuals crack the top 100 globally—highlighting the growing gap between US tech billionaires and UK’s traditional business leaders.
Trends Among the UK’s Richest (2025)• Finance & Trading: Hedge fund managers and traders like Platt, Gerko, and Hohn dominate the upper tiers. • Industrial Wealth: Longstanding figures like Ratcliffe and Bamford maintain their positions through legacy industries. • Tech & Fintech: Storonsky’s rise reflects the growing importance of UK-based tech disruptors. UK vs. Global Billionaires• Global Rank: Michael Platt is the UK’s highest-ranked billionaire globally at 104th place. • Global Comparison: The U.S. continues to dominate the world’s top 10, with Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg retaining their lead. |
1. Michael Platt – £14.29 Billion
Co-Founder & CEO, BlueCrest Capital Management
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Michael Platt - The Richest People in the U.K 2025 |
Michael Platt’s rise has been meteoric. After sitting outside the top five in 2023, he became the UK’s richest man in 2024. As the founder of BlueCrest Capital, one of Europe’s largest hedge funds, Platt has profited heavily from market volatility and macroeconomic trends, including commodity price swings and interest rate fluctuations.
• Key Fact: BlueCrest returned capital to external investors in 2015 and now operates as a private investment partnership.
• Background: Platt is a Lancashire native and a graduate of the London School of Economics.
Read more: Who is Michael Platt - Richest Person in the U.K: Biography, Personal Life And Net Worth
2. James Ratcliffe – £13.1 Billion
Chairman & CEO, INEOS Group
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe |
Jim Ratcliffe, founder of chemical giant INEOS, slips to second in 2025 but remains an industrial heavyweight. Ratcliffe’s group operates in petrochemicals, manufacturing, and automotive (notably, the Grenadier 4x4 vehicle). His purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United has kept him in the public eye.
• Recent Move: INEOS completed a €1 billion acquisition of a major European hydrogen production facility in early 2025.
• Trivia: Ratcliffe relocated to Monaco in 2020, saving an estimated £4 billion in taxes.
3. James Dyson – £10.8 Billion
Founder, Dyson Ltd
James Dyson, inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, continues to rank highly due to the global success of his technology empire. Dyson Ltd has expanded its portfolio to include beauty tech, air purifiers, and robotics. Despite moving Dyson’s headquarters to Singapore in 2019, the brand remains synonymous with British innovation.
• Global Footprint: Dyson operates in over 80 countries and employs more than 14,000 people worldwide.
• New Venture: In 2025, Dyson launched its first AI-powered home cleaning robot.
4. Alexander Gerko – £8.26 Billion
Founder, XTX Markets
Alexander Gerko’s rise from trader to billionaire has been swift. His firm, XTX Markets, is one of the world’s leading algorithmic trading companies, processing billions in daily transactions. Gerko has also become a significant donor to UK charities, especially those focused on education and refugee support.
• Key Move: XTX Markets opened a new AI-driven research hub in Cambridge in 2025.
• Personal Note: Gerko, originally from Russia, became a UK citizen in 2022 and resides in North London.
5. Denise Coates – £7.94 Billion
Founder & Joint CEO, bet365
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Denise Coates |
Denise Coates remains one of the most influential figures in the gambling industry. Bet365’s continued growth, particularly in the U.S. and Asia, has solidified her position as one of the UK’s richest and most private billionaires. Known for her low profile, Coates consistently ranks as one of the highest-paid CEOs globally.
• CEO Pay: Coates took home £150 million in 2024, not including dividends.
• Fact: Bet365 handles over £65 billion in bets annually.
6. Christopher Hohn – £7.54 Billion
Founder, The Children’s Investment Fund Management
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Christopher Hohn |
Sir Christopher Hohn is both a hedge fund leader and a philanthropic force. While his hedge fund ranks among the top performers globally, his charitable arm—the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation—is one of Europe’s largest charities, targeting climate change and child welfare.
• Giving Back: Donated £601 million in 2024, equivalent to nearly 10% of his net worth.
• Investment Approach: Hohn is known for activist investing, pushing for corporate governance reforms.
7. David and Simon Reuben – £7.46 Billion
Real Estate & Private Equity Investors
The Reuben brothers, David and Simon, are synonymous with real estate and private equity success. Their portfolio spans luxury properties, airports, and data centres. They remain key figures in Newcastle United’s ownership group and have been diversifying into technology and infrastructure projects.
• Property Empire: Their holdings include London’s Millbank Tower and multiple Mayfair properties.
• Interesting Fact: Born in India, the brothers moved to the UK as children and grew up in Islington.
8. Nik Storonsky – £6.27 Billion
Co-Founder & CEO, Revolut
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Nik Storonsky |
Nik Storonsky is one of fintech’s standout entrepreneurs. Revolut, which started as a money transfer app, has grown into a fully licensed digital bank with over 35 million users. Storonsky has also launched QuantumLight, a venture capital firm focusing on AI and fintech startups.
• Global Reach: Revolut operates in more than 40 countries and is expanding aggressively in the U.S. and Japan.
• Personal: Storonsky renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022 and is now a British citizen.
9. Anthony Bamford – £6.11 Billion
Chairman, J.C. Bamford Excavators (JCB)
Anthony Bamford oversees JCB, one of the UK’s most recognized industrial brands. The company, famous for its yellow diggers, remains a market leader in construction equipment. Bamford has also played a significant role in British politics, supporting pro-business policies through generous donations.
• JCB Scale: Sells machines in over 150 countries.
• Political Ties: Longtime supporter of the Conservative Party and member of the House of Lords.
10. Joe Lewis – £5 Billion
Investor, Tavistock Group
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Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis |
Joe Lewis, one of the UK's most enigmatic billionaires, has long operated from the Bahamas. Through Tavistock Group and ENIC, Lewis has investments in sports, hospitality, and biotech. He is also behind Tottenham Hotspur’s ownership, playing a pivotal role in its development, including the club's £1 billion stadium.
• Diversified Interests: Lewis’s portfolio includes golf resorts, biotech firms, and luxury developments.
• Backstory: Left school at 15 to help grow his father’s catering business in East London.
The UK’s Billionaires in Global Context
While the UK’s billionaire class is significant, it lags behind other major economies in terms of ultra-wealthy concentration. According to the latest Wealth-X and Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report, the UK is home to roughly 52 billionaires and over 2.5 million millionaires, a healthy figure but notably behind countries like the United States and China. The U.S. boasts more than 750 billionaires and over 22 million millionaires, while China has surpassed 560 billionaires and around 6 million millionaires as of 2025.
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Comparison with Major Economies |
Europe as a whole, including Germany, France, and Italy, collectively surpasses the UK’s billionaire count, but often with wealth spread across sectors like luxury goods (France’s Bernard Arnault) and automotive (Germany’s BMW and VW dynasties). Meanwhile, Japan, despite being the world’s third-largest economy, has a relatively low billionaire count, reflecting a culture that values corporate stability over personal wealth accumulation.
The UK’s billionaires, heavily concentrated in finance, industrials, and consumer goods, reflect its historical strengths in financial services and manufacturing. However, compared to the U.S., where tech titans dominate the upper echelons of wealth, the UK has yet to produce global tech leaders of similar scale. Fintech stars like Nik Storonsky (Revolut) represent a potential shift, but for now, the UK’s billionaire landscape remains rooted in traditional sectors.
With ongoing geopolitical shifts and the City of London facing intensified competition from hubs like New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong, the challenge for the UK will be not just retaining its wealthy but fostering innovation-driven billionaires to compete on a truly global level.
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