Wang Jianlin, chairman and president of Dalian Wanda Group, attends the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) in Hong Kong, Jan 18, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese billionaires account for almost a quarter of the world's billionaires, according to business magazine Forbes.

Wang Jianlin, founder of Dalian Wanda Group, was crowned top of Forbes annual Chinese billionaires list, with a fortune of $31.3 billion.

He was closely followed by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, with $31.2 billion to his name.

SF Express's chairman Wang Wei rose to 7th on the list after the logistics company was listed on the A-share market this year, catapulting his personal wealth to $15.9 billion.

One of China's internet triumvirate known as BAT (Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent), Baidu's controller Robin Li dropped out of the top 10, after his wealth slipped to $13.3 billion from $15.3 billion in 2015.

However, the heads of the other two BAT members, Alibaba's Jack Ma and Tencent's Ma Huateng, held their spots, increasing their wealth 24.7 percent to $28.3 billion and 54.7 percent to $24.9 billion, respectively.

Ding Lei, CEO of NetEase, ranked 6th after his fortune reached $17.3 billion on the back of the gaming firm's stock price rises for two consecutive years.