The top four richest expats living in the UAE

Your neighbors in the UAE might be richer than you think. The Emirates is home to some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs and business leaders, individuals who didn’t just relocate but built global empires while living in the country. Here are four of the richest expatriates currently based in the UAE.

1. Pavel Durov – AED 62.4 billion
Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram and VKontakte, moved his company’s headquarters to Dubai in 2017 and has since cemented his presence in the emirate. With Telegram becoming one of the world’s most influential messaging platforms, Durov’s fortune has surged, placing him among the wealthiest residents in the UAE.

2. Yusuffali M. A. – AED 27.5 billion
M. A. Yusuff Ali is the Chairman of LuLu Group International. What began as a single store in Abu Dhabi evolved into a retail powerhouse spanning the GCC and beyond. Today, the group employs more than 65,000 people, making it one of the region’s largest employers.

3. Ravi Pillai – AED 14.7 billion
Ravi Pillai, founder of RP Group, built a diversified empire across construction, hospitality, steel, and energy. Originally from Kerala, Pillai expanded aggressively across the Gulf, becoming a major force in regional infrastructure and industrial development.

4. Sunny Varkey – AED 9.9 billion
Sunny Varkey is the founder of GEMS Education, the world’s largest private K-12 education operator. With more than 60 schools across 14 countries, GEMS has positioned the UAE as a global hub for premium international education.

From tech and retail to construction and education, these expatriate billionaires reflect the UAE’s powerful draw as a global business hub, a place where ambition scales fast and opportunities are built to match.