Dollar millionaires or those possessing a personal wealth of over Rs 7 crore rose by 11 per cent to 4.58 lakh households in India at the end of the pandemic-hit 2021, according to a survey.

The survey of 350 such dollar millionaires also indicated that the number of those who classify themselves as happy in personal and professional lives slipped to 66 per cent in 2021, down from 72 per cent in the previous year.

The Hurun Report findings on the dollar millionaires come at a time there is rising concerns about the growing inequality in the country with a population of over 130 crore.

A recently released report by non-profit Oxfam pegged the wealth of the top 100 richest Indians at $775 billion and added that India accounted for 4.6 crore, or half of the overall people on the planet, falling into extreme poverty in 2021.

The report estimated the number of Indian dollar millionaires to increase by 30 per cent to touch 6 lakh households by 2026.

Mumbai is home to the largest number of dollar millionaires at 20,300 households, followed by Delhi at 17,400 and Calcutta with 10,500.

At a time when calls for taxing the super-rich are growing — Oxfam advocated higher taxation to save lives — less than a third among those surveyed felt paying taxes is a determinant of social responsibility, the report by Hurun said.

Similarly, when calls for greater help through philanthropy are growing, only 19 per cent of the millionaires surveyed by Hurun said they believe in giving back to society.

Over two-thirds of those surveyed said they will prefer sending their kids abroad for education, with the US emerging as the favourite destination followed by the UK, New Zealand and Germany.