Indonesia is home to some of Southeast Asia’s most powerful billionaires, with fortunes built across coal mining, petrochemicals, energy, banking, food, technology, data centers, manufacturing and palm oil.

The country’s billionaire landscape has changed significantly during 2026. Stock-market movements, commodity prices and the rapid growth of digital infrastructure have caused major shifts among Indonesia’s wealthiest businesspeople.

By the end of August 2026, Indonesia’s leading billionaires had experienced substantial changes in their fortunes. Low Tuck Kwong’s wealth rose sharply as Bayan Resources shares surged, while Prajogo Pangestu also recorded strong gains. Data-center entrepreneurs Otto Toto Sugiri and Marina Budiman benefited from rising demand for digital infrastructure.

One important point is that there is no single permanent “richest person in Indonesia” ranking. Forbes Real-Time and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index update fortunes as markets move, while annual Forbes country lists use a specific measurement date.

For this article, the latest available figures around the end of August and beginning of September 2026 are used.

Top 10 Richest People in Indonesia in 2026

Recent Forbes-based real-time data around the end of August placed the following billionaires among Indonesia’s wealthiest:

The exact order and wealth figures can change daily because public-company holdings are affected by share prices.

1. Low Tuck Kwong — Indonesia’s Coal King

Low Tuck Kwong has become one of the most prominent names in Indonesia’s billionaire rankings.

He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Bayan Resources, one of Indonesia’s major coal-mining companies.

By the end of August 2026, his estimated wealth had climbed to approximately $19.3 billion, after rising by about $2.7 billion, or 16.3%, during August.

Low's wealth is heavily connected to the performance of the coal industry and Bayan Resources.

His rise is particularly interesting because he was born in Singapore and later moved to Indonesia.

He initially worked in his father's construction business before establishing his own construction company in Indonesia.

He eventually entered coal mining and built Bayan Resources into a major mining business.

Why Low Tuck Kwong’s Wealth Is Important

His fortune demonstrates the continuing importance of natural resources to Indonesia's economy.

Coal remains an important Indonesian export, and changes in coal prices and mining-company valuations can dramatically influence billionaire wealth.

2. Prajogo Pangestu — From Timber to Energy and Petrochemicals

Prajogo Pangestu has built one of Indonesia's most diversified industrial empires.

His career began in the timber industry in the late 1970s.

Over time, he expanded into petrochemicals, coal mining, renewable energy and infrastructure.

His companies include major interests connected with Barito Pacific, Chandra Asri, Petrindo Jaya Kreasi and Barito Renewables Energy.

Forbes describes Pangestu as a self-made billionaire whose fortune comes primarily from petrochemicals and energy.

Recent data showed his wealth rising sharply during 2026.

At the end of August, Bloomberg-based reporting put his fortune near $19.9 billion, while Forbes real-time data around September 2 showed approximately $17.1 billion.

This difference demonstrates why billionaire rankings should always be treated as snapshots rather than permanent figures.

3. R. Budi Hartono — Banking and the Djarum Empire

R. Budi Hartono is one of Indonesia's most established billionaires.

His family wealth originated from Djarum, the major Indonesian tobacco company.

However, the Hartono family's business empire has expanded far beyond tobacco.

A major source of their wealth is their ownership of Bank Central Asia (BCA), one of Indonesia's largest private banks.

The family also has interests in:

• Banking

• Tobacco

• Digital businesses

• Electronics

• E-commerce

• Real estate

• Technology

At the end of August 2026, Budi Hartono's wealth was reported at around $15.5 billion in Bloomberg-based data, while other real-time trackers showed somewhat different figures.

His story illustrates how Indonesian billionaire families have diversified from traditional industries into modern financial and technology businesses.

4. Anthoni Salim — The Man Behind Indofood

Anthoni Salim is one of Indonesia's most influential business leaders.

He heads the Salim Group and is closely associated with Indofood, one of the country's largest food companies.

Indofood is famous internationally for products including Indomie, one of the world's best-known instant noodle brands.

The Salim Group has interests in:

• Food

• Retail

• Banking

• Telecommunications

• Energy

• Agriculture

• Consumer products

At the end of August 2026, Bloomberg-based figures put Salim's fortune at approximately $12.9 billion. His wealth increased during the month as several investments performed well.

His business empire is particularly connected to Indonesia's enormous consumer market.

5. Tahir — Banking, Healthcare and Diversified Investments

Tahir is another major Indonesian billionaire with a highly diversified business empire.

He founded Mayapada Group, which operates across several industries.

Its interests include:

• Banking

• Healthcare

• Property

• Retail

• Financial services

• Media

Tahir experienced one of the largest percentage increases among major Indonesian billionaires during August 2026.

Bloomberg-based data showed his fortune increasing by more than 21% during the month to approximately $12 billion.

This sharp movement highlights how quickly billionaire rankings can change when listed investments rise.

6. Sri Prakash Lohia — Manufacturing and Petrochemicals

Sri Prakash Lohia built his fortune through manufacturing and petrochemicals.

He is the founder of Indorama Corporation, a multinational company with operations in areas including polymers, fertilizers and industrial materials.

Lohia was born in India but built a major portion of his business empire in Indonesia.

His wealth demonstrates the importance of manufacturing to Indonesia's billionaire economy.

While technology companies receive much of the attention today, industrial businesses continue to produce enormous fortunes in emerging markets.

7. Otto Toto Sugiri — Indonesia’s Data Center Billionaire

Otto Toto Sugiri represents a completely different generation of Indonesian wealth.

He is the cofounder and CEO of DCI Indonesia, a major data-center operator.

Sugiri started DCI in 2011 and helped build it into one of Indonesia's largest data-center companies.

Before DCI, he founded Sigma Cipta Caraka and cofounded Indonet, which is described by Forbes as Indonesia's first internet service provider.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, streaming, digital payments and online services has created enormous demand for data centers.

As a result, data-center companies have become an increasingly important source of billionaire wealth.

Recent Forbes-based data placed Sugiri's fortune around $8 billion, although real-time figures move with the market.

8. Marina Budiman — The Rise of Data-Center Wealth

Marina Budiman is another major beneficiary of Indonesia's digital infrastructure boom.

She cofounded DCI Indonesia alongside Otto Toto Sugiri and Han Arming Hanafia.

The company's expansion has benefited from increasing demand for digital infrastructure.

Businesses now require massive computing capacity for:

• Artificial intelligence

• Cloud services

• E-commerce

• Financial technology

• Video streaming

• Online gaming

• Enterprise software

Marina Budiman's rise is significant because it shows how Indonesia's billionaire class is moving beyond traditional commodities and manufacturing.

Digital infrastructure is becoming a new source of wealth.

9. Lim Hariyanto Wijaya Sarwono — Palm Oil and Mining

Lim Hariyanto Wijaya Sarwono built his fortune through natural resources and agriculture.

His family controls major interests in palm oil and mining.

Palm oil remains an important part of Indonesia's economy, making the sector a major source of wealth for Indonesian business families.

Lim's position among Indonesia's richest people demonstrates the continued importance of commodities even as technology becomes more prominent.

10. Theodore Rachmat — Diversified Business Investor

Theodore Rachmat completes the top 10 in recent Forbes-based rankings.

Rachmat is associated with a diversified portfolio covering investments, industrial businesses and automotive-related interests.

His career demonstrates another common route to Indonesian billionaire wealth: building and investing across multiple sectors rather than relying on a single business.

The Death of Michael Hartono Changed Indonesia’s Billionaire Ranking

An important development in Indonesia's wealth landscape during 2026 was the death of Michael Bambang Hartono in March at age 86.

Michael and his brother Budi Hartono had long been among Indonesia's wealthiest people.

The brothers built on their family's Djarum tobacco business and expanded into banking, technology, property and other industries.

Michael's death means that older rankings listing the two Hartono brothers together are no longer directly comparable with current individual rankings.

Budi Hartono remains one of Indonesia's wealthiest individuals.

Indonesia’s Billionaire Economy Is Changing

For decades, some of Indonesia's largest fortunes were connected to natural resources.

Coal, timber, palm oil, tobacco and manufacturing created many of the country's biggest business families.

But the new generation is increasingly connected to technology.

Data centers are an excellent example.

Otto Toto Sugiri and Marina Budiman have benefited from Indonesia's rapidly expanding digital economy.

Artificial intelligence could accelerate that trend.

AI requires huge amounts of computing power, which creates demand for data centers, electricity, fiber-optic networks and cooling infrastructure.

This means traditional industries and new technology businesses may increasingly overlap.

Coal Remains a Major Source of Indonesian Wealth

Despite the growth of technology, coal remains extremely important.

Low Tuck Kwong's position near the top of the wealth ranking demonstrates this clearly.

Bayan Resources has made him one of Southeast Asia's most prominent energy billionaires.

Indonesia's commodity sector can produce dramatic wealth changes because mining-company valuations respond to global commodity prices, production levels and investor sentiment.

In August 2026, Bayan Resources' strong share performance helped push Low's fortune sharply higher.

Data Centers Are Creating a New Billionaire Class

One of the most fascinating trends in Indonesia is the emergence of data-center billionaires.

The rise of AI and cloud computing is increasing demand for large-scale computing facilities.

DCI Indonesia is positioned within this rapidly growing market.

The company's founders have therefore benefited from a structural change in the Indonesian economy: the country is becoming increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure.

This could create more billionaires in the future.

Indonesia's next technology fortunes may come from:

• Data centers

• AI infrastructure

• Cloud computing

• Fintech

• Digital payments

• Cybersecurity

• E-commerce

• Software

• Telecommunications

Indonesia’s Billionaires Are Becoming More Diversified

Another important trend is diversification.

Indonesia's richest people rarely rely on a single company.

Prajogo Pangestu has interests spanning energy, petrochemicals, coal and renewable energy.

The Hartono family combines banking, tobacco, technology and other investments.

Anthoni Salim has interests across food, finance, telecommunications and other sectors.

Tahir has investments across banking, healthcare and property.

This diversification can help protect billionaire fortunes when one industry experiences a downturn.

Why Billionaire Wealth Changes So Quickly

It is important to understand that billionaire net worth is not the same as money sitting in a bank account.

Much of the wealth of Indonesia's richest people comes from ownership stakes in companies.

If a billionaire owns billions of dollars worth of shares and those shares rise 10%, their estimated wealth can increase dramatically without them receiving billions of dollars in cash.

The reverse is also true.

A major stock-market decline can erase billions from a billionaire's paper fortune in a single day.

Forbes says its real-time system updates public-company holdings regularly during market hours, while fortunes tied significantly to private companies may be updated less frequently.

Indonesia’s Position in Southeast Asia

Indonesia has become one of Southeast Asia's largest billionaire wealth centers.

At the end of August 2026, the combined fortunes of Indonesia's 35 billionaires rose to approximately $170.2 billion, according to reporting based on Forbes real-time data.

That represented an increase of about $26.2 billion, or 18.2%, in one month.

The increase was particularly notable because Indonesia accounted for the overwhelming majority of the increase in billionaire wealth across the six major Southeast Asian markets tracked in that report.

What Could Create Indonesia’s Next Billionaires?

The next generation of Indonesian billionaires could emerge from several rapidly growing industries.

Artificial Intelligence

AI infrastructure and applications could become major sources of wealth.

Data Centers

Growing digital demand is already creating fortunes in this sector.

Renewable Energy

Indonesia has significant potential in geothermal, solar and other renewable-energy resources.

Electric Vehicles

Indonesia is rich in nickel, a key material for many battery technologies.

Financial Technology

Digital payments and online financial services continue to expand.

E-Commerce

Indonesia has one of Southeast Asia's largest digital consumer markets.

Healthcare

The country's large population creates opportunities for hospitals, pharmaceuticals and medical technology.

Final Thoughts

Indonesia's richest people in 2026 represent a fascinating mixture of old and new industries.

Low Tuck Kwong represents the continuing power of coal and natural resources.

Prajogo Pangestu demonstrates how an entrepreneur can transform a small timber business into a diversified energy and petrochemical empire.

R. Budi Hartono represents the power of family business, banking and diversification.

Anthoni Salim shows the enormous scale of Indonesia's consumer economy.

Meanwhile, Otto Toto Sugiri and Marina Budiman represent a new generation of wealth created by data centers and digital infrastructure.

The country's billionaire economy is therefore changing.

Coal, palm oil, tobacco and manufacturing remain powerful sources of wealth, but technology, AI and data centers are becoming increasingly important.

With Indonesia's large population, expanding middle class, abundant natural resources and rapidly growing digital economy, the country is likely to remain one of Southeast Asia's most important centers of billionaire wealth.

And as markets continue to move, the race for the title of Indonesia's richest person will likely remain highly competitive.