Ukraine currently has 21 billionaires, whose total capital is $58 billion, whereas last year their number was only eight, according to a ranking drawn up by the Focus Magazine.
Owner of SCM Group Rinat Akhmetov, with $15.6 billion, tops the "200 richest people of Ukraine 2011" ranking, followed by co-owners of Privat Group Ihor Kolomoisky ($5.3 billion) and Hennadiy Boholiubov ($4.975 billion).
The list includes 16 members of Ukraine’s parliament, who together have amassed $19 billion.
The total fortune of the top ten billionaires is equal to the expenditures of Ukraine’s state budget, Chief Editor of Focus Mykhailo Hladkoy said during the presentation of the rating in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to the rating, the combined wealth of businessmen included in the rating was $71 billion in 2007, $107.6 billion in 2008, $33.4 billion in 2009, $49.4 billion in 2010 and $93.2 billion in 2011.
The rankings takes into account only official data and public information, the value of the companies belonging to businessmen, their property holdings are assessed using the average price per square meter in Ukrainian cities. The magazine ignored those assets the ownership of which was difficult to establish.
