MOSCOW, April 19: The fortunes of Russia’s 100 richest people leapt by over a third in 2006, growing nearly six times faster than the economy as a whole, the Russian edition of Forbes magazine said on Thursday.

The total wealth of the “golden hundred” hit $337 billion (248 billion euros) in 2006, 36 per cent higher than in 2005, according to Forbes' annual ranking.

Russia's gross domestic product grew by 6.7 per cent in 2006. Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich, a fixture in British tabloids, again took the top spot in the ranking with a fortune of $19.2bn. Natural resources barons filled the other top spots: aluminium magnate Oleg Deripaska took second place with $16.8bn, while steel magnate Vladimir Lisin came in third with 15.1bn.

The state's tightening grip on the oil and gas sectors made itself felt, as only 18 of the 100 richest were in those sectors, down from 41 in 2005. Russia's billionaires also continue to be among the world's youngest: the average age on the list was 45, compared to 62 in the magazine's global ranking.—AFP