Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee placed 37th in the global ranking of the world's richest people, thanks to a spike in Samsung Electronics' stock price.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on Sunday, Lee's net worth is estimated at 22-point-two billion U.S. dollars or 24-point-four trillion won as of Friday.

His ranking, which stood at 86th place among billionaires in early 2016, entered the top 60 this year and the top 50 in July.

Lee's net worth increased by eight-point-eight trillion won this year, up 56-point-eight percent from a year ago.

The surge comes as the stock price of Samsung Electronics has jumped some 55 percent this year.

Lee came in eighth in the ranking of the 100 wealthiest people in the Asia-Pacific region.