Lady Ballyedmond and family are the richest people in Northern Ireland, according to this year’s edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, published today online and in the print edition of the newspaper on Sunday, May 19.
The 76-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the largest fall in the billionaire count in the guide’s 36-year history, from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 165 this year.
This year’s list of 350 individuals and families together hold combined wealth of £795.361 billion — a sum larger than the annual GDP of Poland. Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber and David and Victoria Beckham all appear in the annual survey.
The minimum entry for the list of 350 this year is £350 million.
The owners of Norbrook Pharmaceuticals company, Lady Ballyedmond and family, have climbed from second to first place on the list with their £914 million fortune, despite their wealth falling by £136 million from last year.
Meanwhile 2023’s winner, Stephen Fitzpatrick, who is the co-founder of Ovo Energy, fell two places to third, with his wealth of £834 million - down from £1.378 billion last year.
Belfast-born Rory McIlroy has maintained his position as the richest young person in Northern Ireland. Winning $1.62 million (£1.29 million) at last summer’s Scottish Open, the golfer’s work on the course is thought to have earned him over £65 million.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said:
“This year’s Sunday Times Rich List suggests Britain’s billionaire boom has come to an end. Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away.
“Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. We’ll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy.
“These may be harder times to create wealth, but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways. This year’s new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.
“We know many of our readers find such people — especially those from humbler backgrounds — very inspiring.”
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For the full 350 richest people in the UK click here.