Amazing as these stories are. By 2007, 54% of Asia's 160 billionaires, were self-made--that's lower than the global average--67% of World's 946 billionaires ranked on Forbes were self-made--but thanks to a new class of Chinese tycoons, Asia's percentage will likely jump in the next year or so.

It was an inauspicious beginning. Li Ka-shing fled with his family from mainland China as a young child. At age 15 he dropped out of school when his father died. He worked 16 hours a day as a laborer in a plastics company. By 22, he somehow managed to save enough to start his own business. Today he controls $47 billion (market cap) conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa and is worth a recent $23 billion, enough to make him the region's richest self-starter.

Li got further with his education than Taiwan billionaire Y.C. Wang. The son of poor tea merchants, he dropped out of elementary school to help his family by selling rice, bricks and wood, before eventually starting Formosa Plastics, the world's largest producer and processor of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). His recent net worth of $5.1 billion ranks him 16th among Asia's self-made class.

When Indian billionaire G.M. Rao flunked the 10th grade, his father urged him to drop out and work with him. Rao persuaded the village doctor, a family friend, to lean on his father to let him return to school. Rao was the first in his family to go to college, earning a mechanical engineering degree. Now he oversees vast construction and engineering projects such as the expansion of New Delhi's airport.

Five years ago, 39% of the region's billionaires made their fortunes from scratch. The rest inherited all or part of their money. By this past March, 54%, or 87 of the region's 160 billionaires, were self-made.

That's lower than the global average--nearly two-thirds of the 946 billionaires we ranked in March were self-made--but Asia's percentage will likely jump in the next year or so, thanks to a new class of Chinese tycoons. According to our China rich list, published in October, the nation is now home to 66 billionaires (46 more than last year), only three of whom inherited part or all of their fortune.

Asia's Top 20 Self-Made Billionaires:

1. Li Ka-shing
$23 billion

Hong Kong

79. Widowed. 2 children.

Asia's richest self-made person had to leave school at age 15 to support his family after his father died. He worked 16-hour days as a laborer. By 22 he saved enough to start a plastics manufacturing company; supposedly he made plastic flowers. Fortune now centered on conglomerates Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa, through which he is world's largest operator of container terminals, a major supplier of electricity to Hong Kong, a cellphone provider, Aa retailer and a real estate developer. Plans to donate one-third of fortune to charity.


2. Lee Shau Kee
$17 billion

Hong Kong

79. Divorced. 5 children.

Born in Guangdong, settled in Hong Kong and made fortune in property as founder of Henderson Land. Adding to wealth through investments in IPOs such as Nine Dragons. Smart bet: Earlier this year he advised readers to shun U.S. dollar.


3. Sunil Mittal & family
$12.5 billion

India

50. Married. 3 children

Started his first business in 1976 with $1,500 borrowed from his father. Later co-founded Bharti Group with two brothers. Now their Bharti Airtel is nation's largest mobile-phone operator, with more than 50 million customers.


4. Ramesh Chandra
$11.6 billion

India

68. Married, 2 children

Son of a banker, he studied structural engineering in the U.K., later moved into residential real estate, building middle-income housing in southern and eastern India. His publicly listed Unitech, run by his two sons, now expanding from residential development into theme parks and shopping malls.


5. Tulsi Tanti & family
$10 billion

India

49. Married, 2 children

Former textile trader turned to alternative energy when escalating power costs threatened to put him out of business. With three brothers, started a wind power venture in 1995. Now, his Suzlon Energy is the largest wind power company by market cap in the world.


6. Robert Kuok
$7.6 billion

Malaysia

84. Married, 8 children

Southeast Asia's richest, he got start as rice and sugar trader in the 1940s and 1950s. Now heads multinational Kuok Group with interests ranging from shipping to real estate to media. Owns International Shipping, the largest dry bulk shipper in the Pacific Basin; has 10 Coca-Cola bottling plants in China. Also has interests in hotels, including the Shangri-La. Schoolmate of Singapore's former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.


7. Ananda Krishnan
$7.4 billion

Malaysia

69. Divorced, 3 children

Born in Malaysia's Little India, he studied in Melbourne, Australia, got an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. His telecom company, Maxis, is Malaysia's largest mobile-telecom provider. Astro, his satellite-TV arm, just launched a joint venture with India's Sun TV Group in April. He also recently entered the Indonesia pay-TV market.


8. Hui Wing Mau
$7.3 billion

Hong Kong

57. Married, 2 children

Fujian-born real estate mogul worked in a textile factory in the '70s. Now, his Shimao Group is one of the largest real estate developers in China. Recently opened Hyatt on the Bund, overlooking Shanghai's financial district. In November he announced plans to develop an additional 17 luxury hotels in the country by 2010, bringing his portfolio to 20.


9. Stanley Ho
$7 billion

Hong Kong

85. Married. 17 children.

Made his first fortune during World War II running a trading company in Macau. Returned to the island in the 1960s and nabbed a monopoly gambling license, making Macau, and Stanley Ho, synonymous with gambling. Since monopoly abolished in 2002, King of Macau has been losing market share to American competitors. Opened Grand Lisboa, his 17th and largest casino so far, in February.


10. Ng Teng Fong (tie)
$6.7 billion

Singapore

79. Married, 6 children

Started in real estate in 1962 with a small residential development in Singapore. Now, Singapore's richest man's Far East Organization has developed more than 700 hotels, malls and condos, including the Fullerton Hotel. Also has extensive Hong Kong portfolio.


10. Guatam Adani (tie)
$6.7 billion

India

45. Married, 2 children

Dropped out of college and started his Adani Group in the 1980s, importing scarce plastic polymers. Took company public in 1994; moved into ports, call centers, edible oils.


12. Cheng Yu-Tung
$6.5 billion

Hong Kong

82. Married. 2 children.

Reportedly started as a goldsmith's apprentice before moving into construction and real estate. His New World Development conglomerate has interests in property, infrastructure and telecoms. Just listed New World Department Store, with 28 department stores in Hong Kong and mainland China, in a $300 million offering in July.


13. G.M. Rao
$6.2 billion

India

57. Married, 3 children

Son of a commodities trader, he was the first in his family to go to college. Joined the family's small commodities trading company before moving into sugar and alloys. In 1996 he bought a license to build a power plant in Chennai when his original idea, a brewery, was stalled by prohibition. Since then he has won bids to modernize airports at Hyderabad and Delhi. In July he won a $2.7 billion contract to build a new airport terminal in Istanbul in a consortium with Malaysia Airports.


14. Vladimir Kim (tie)
$5.5 billion

Kazakhstan

47. Married

A descendant of Koreans forced by Stalin to move to Kazakhstan. Joined copper producer Kazakhmys in early 1990s when company was privatized; raised his ownership to nearly half. Now heads the London-listed company, today the world's 10th largest copper producer.


14. Terry Gou (tie)
$5.5 billion

Taiwan

57. Widowed. 2 children.

Family fled from China and the army in 1949 and settled in Taiwan. Supposedly borrowed money from mother to start a business in 1974 when he was just 23. It eventually became Hon Hai Precision, now the world's largest contract manufacturer making PCs, iPhones and MP3 players, among other products, with nearly half a million employees. Takes an annual salary of 3 cents and says he lives off the company's dividends. After wife's death from cancer, tabloids have linked him to Hong Kong actress Carina Lau.


14. Masayoshi Son (tie)
$5.5 billion

Japan

50. Married, 2 children

Reportedly made his first fortune while a college student at University of California, Berkeley, importing arcade games from Japan. Went on to found Softbank, Japan's leading Internet and telecom service company. Best known for its Yahoo! Japan unit. Last year launched mobile-telecom group Softbank Mobile after purchasing Vodafone Japan in a deal worth $15 billion.


17. Y.C. Wang & Family
$5.1 billion

Taiwan

90. 9 children.

Son of a tea farmer didn't get past elementary school. Didn't stop him from starting Formosa Plastics, which eventually became Asia's largest petrochemical producer. Fifty-two years after its founding, he retired from board last year; nephew Wilfred Wong is now in charge.


18. Guo Guangchang
$4.85 billion

China

40. Married, 1 child

Son of farmers, he started clinical diagnostics business with $4,500 in savings. Founded Fosun in 1992 with fellow Fudan University grads, moved into real estate, eventually iron, steel and retail. Now has major stakes in five listed and 70 other companies in China


19. Zhang Li
$4.75 billion

China

54.

Started as an executive in the hotel industry. Eventually linked up with Hong Kong partner Li Sze Lim in 1994 to form Guangzhou R&F Properties in 1994. He is its co-chairman and president.


20. Uday Kotak
$4.6 billion

India

48. Married, 2 children

Ardent cricket fan (he played in college), he spurred family's trading business to start finance firm. Snatched prized license to convert it into a bank in 2003. Stock soaring since buying out longtime partner Goldman Sachs last year.


Not all of these self-made billionaires have rags-to-riches stories. Some come from working- or middle-class backgrounds and asked their parents for small loans. India's telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal started his first business in 1976 with $1,500 borrowed from his father. Others traveled overseas to study. Malaysia's Ananda Krishnan got his undergraduate degree in Australia and an M.B.A. at Harvard.

Japan's Masayoshi Son reportedly made his first fortune while still a college student at the University of California, Berkeley, by selling imported Japanese arcade games and installing them around campus. He also earned $1 million off a pocket translator he invented and sold to Sharp (other-otc: SHCAY.PK - news - people ) before returning home to Japan to found Softbank in 1981.

Still, all of these tycoons made their money the old fashioned way--hard work, determination, ingenuity and a little bit of luck. In honor of these achievements, we've gathered together the list of Asia's 20 richest self-made, including such business icons as Stanley Ho, nicknamed the King of Macau, and Terry Gou, whose Hon Hai Precision is the world's biggest contract manufacturer.

Net worths reflect most recently published Forbes magazine figures. March billionaire figures were used for Hong Kong and Taiwan. Regional rich list valuations were used for the other fortunes.

Although these 20 have diverse interests in industries ranging from plastics to telecommunications, property seems to be the most lucrative industry for the self-starters. Seven entrepreneurs made all or part of their fortunes in real estate, more than any other industry. Ramesh Chandra started as an engineer and is now one of India's leading real estate developers. Hui Wing Mau's Shimao Group has plans to develop 17 luxury hotels in China in the next three years.

Ng Teng Fong started with one small project in Singapore and has since developed hundreds of homes, malls and hotels. Being from India or Hong Kong was another trait many shared, with 11 of the top 20 hailing from one of these two countries.

Not surprisingly, many of these self-made tycoons are now enjoying their hard-earned money. Though Y.C. Wang has been known to sport a simple Seiko watch and Ng Teng Fong sometimes brings his own lunch on airplanes, widower Gou has reportedly dropped thousands at Armani, and pals Lee Shau Kee and Cheng Yu-Tung like to play golf at ritzy country clubs together. Which proves that expensive taste isn't an inherited trait.

Source: Forbes