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Top 30 Richest Families in the World

Top 30 Richest Families in the World

When it comes to vast fortunes and intergenerational wealth, a select group of families stand at the pinnacle of affluence and influence. These are the richest families in the world, whose immense fortunes span generations and industries. From business magnates to tech tycoons, their wealth and power have shaped economies and left an indelible mark on the global landscape. In this article, we will take a close at the staggering fortunes of these extraordinary families.

Top 30 Richest Families in the World

The wealth of rich families is a subject of fascination and curiosity for many. Their fortunes can be attributed to various factors, including successful businesses, investments, inheritances, and strategic financial planning. They possess immense influence and economic power, with their fortunes sometimes surpassing the GDP of entire countries. Let us begin our list.

1. Walton Family

Who does not know about the famous brand Walmart, an American department store chain that started in 1950 that the Walton family owns? Undeniably, Walton Family is the wealthiest family in the world. It is the world’s largest retailer by revenue, with a current valuation of over $224.5 billion. Jim, Rob, and Alice are ranked 16, 18, and 19 in the Top 20 Forbes Billionaire List, with a net worth of $65 billion each.

The leading retailer has more than 10,500 stores across the globe as of December 2022, generating revenue more than $573 billion. The Walton family acquires 47% of the stake in Walmart, which is the primary reason for their fortune.

Walmart employees have their own city, considered to be the most populous city in the US. Moreover, Walmart has more than 4720 stores solely in the United States. The group is well-known for big-box stores marked for their low-priced products. However, one thing this famous brand failed to do is it could not bring its big-box consumer lifestyle to New York City.

2. Mars Family

The beginning of the Mars family venture was done by Frank Mars, who started selling molasses candies in 1902 when he was just 19.

In 1998, Mars started the organic business by purchasing seeds; this was the first time he changed his product line. Moreover, it diversified its business by buying VCA, a pet care company that was worth $9.1 billion.

Mars family has acquired the major portion of their wealth by selling Snickers, Milky Way bars, and M&Ms. Additionally, this reputed family have also amassed their fortune by providing pet care products and veterinary services.

The precise value of the Mars family is quite challenging to pen down. However, it is assessed to be around $100 billion. In addition, John and Jacqueline are ranked in the top 50 wealthiest people on the Top 50 Forbes Billionaires list.

3. Koch Family

Koch family has amassed massive wealth as an owner of the industrial conglomerate Koch industries. Fred C. Koch started America’s largest private company, Koch Industries, in 1940.

The total valuation of the Koch family is estimated at $124.4 billion. Koch Industries acquired most of the wealth by co-founding the Wood River Oil and Refining Company. Besides controlling their Koch industries, the Koch family is also known for their political activities, such as financing candidates and libertarian think tanks, lobbying for policy positions, and funding university professorships.

4. Al Saud Family

Abdulaziz Al Saud founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. In less than a century, Saudi has become one of the richest and most prominent nations because of its massive oil supply. One of the family’s youngest members, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is known to have over $1 billion in his personal fortune.

The estimated wealth of this royal family is assessed to be around 100 billion, sharing the wealth of the oil bonanza among its members. However, accessing this family’s wealth is difficult because the House of Saud has more than 15,000 extended members. Out of them, some of them have even established businesses serving state companies such as Saudi Aramco and acquired contracts from the government and various land deals.

The mega-rich family’s sovereign wealth fund PIF accumulates more than $620 billion in assets.

5. Hermes Family (The Dumas)

Who does not know this ultra-luxury brand for apparel? Hermes is a French fashion house and uber-chic luxury brand. It has dazzled the world with its neckties, perfumes, belts, signature carves, and iconic Birkin handbags.

The sixth-generation Hermes family is worth $150 billion. However, the company was founded back in 1837 and started its operation by making riding gear by Thierry Hermes. He began manufacturing it for France’s nobility.

The brand was doing pretty well. However, it would not have reached its current level if Hermes’ descendant Jean-Louis Dumas had taken this onto the world’s stage in the 1970s.

Cross-reference: Hermès’s Refusal to Change Is Its Most Radical Gesture Yet

6. Ambani Family

Dhirubhai Ambani created a forerunner to Reliance Industries in the 1950s. He died in 2002 and is the father of Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani. Unfortunately, he did not leave a will. Both brothers were in a massive feud after the death of their father because of property dispute for couple of years.

However, after the settlement between both of them, the world’s largest oil refining complex was given to Mukesh Ambani. You will be amazed to know that his 27-story mansion is the world’s most costly private residence.

On the contrary, Anil Ambani has gone through a major downfall after his father’s death. His estimated wealth of $42 billion went to 0 by 31st December 2019.

Mukesh Ambani has maintained Ambani’s legacy and is considering moving his family’s holdings into a trust-like structure that will control the Mumbai-listed flagship- Reliance Industries. His estimated net worth as of December 2022 is $93.8 billion, making him the second richest man in India and 8th richest in the world.

7. Wertheimer Family

Listed among the top 10 richest families in the world, The Wertheimer Family is known to have a net worth of $40 billion. As of October 2022, Alain Wertheimer is entitled to be the 26th richest person in the world by Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Alain and Gerard Wertheimer took over their father’s position after he (Pierre Wertheimer) died in 1974. Both became co-owners of the Chanel brand, Alain is the president, and Gerard manages the watch division.

In 1924, their grandfather negotiated a perfume contract with Gabrielle ‘Coco Chanel,’ for which both the brothers are reaping the benefits.

Undoubtedly, the luxury fashion house Chanel is a leading brand in the market. After the brand introduced the ‘little black dress’ to the world, it became even more famous, and that same year it generated a revenue of $15.6 billion, i.e., in 2021.

These 2 young entrepreneurs now run this 110-year-old company. The Wertheimers also own many vineyards and racecourse. Alain and Gerard Wertheimer also have a half-brother named Charles Heilbronn, who looks after the family office, Mousse Partners.

8. Cargill and MacMillan Family

The list of the wealthiest families is incomplete without the name of Cargill and MacMillan family. The family built their fortune as the majority owners of the food and agriculture company Cargill.

Cargill, one of the prominent companies in the world, was founded in 1865 with a one-grain storage warehouse in the United States. Until retiring in 1995, Whitney MacMillan handled all the CEO-level tasks of the company.

The family’s net worth as of 2022 is estimated at $47 billion. The revenue generated from May 2021 to May 2022 was $165 billion.

Currently, the company is controlled by both the descendants of William W.Cargill and John H. MacMillan (son-in-law).

9. Johnson Family of the United States

One of the richest families in the world, the Johnson Family of the United States, has numerous assets under administration.

The Fidelity Management and Research (Mutual-Fund Empire) was founded in the United States in 1946. The company’s founder, Edward C. Johnson II, died in 1984 in Massachusetts of Alzheimer’s disease.

After that, the company redirected its direction from actively managed funds in favor of low-cost index funds by creating a digital asset arm and founding zero-expense ratio funds.

Listed among wealthiest family in the world, Johnson’s family office is based in New Hampshire.

10. Thomson Family

Who does not know about the Thomson family? They are listed among the top richest families in the world; the Thomson family garnered most of the wealth from their media company, named Thomson Reuters.

Thomson family began their business in the 1930s when Roy Thomson opened an Ontario radio station; it was the turning for the family as there was no looking back after that. Roy started his journey by branching out newspapers and eventually became the 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet.

They acquire a 66% hold in financial data and service provider of their media company (Thomson Reuters) through Woodbridge (An investment company).

The exiting chairman of Thomson Reuters, David Thomson (Grandson of Roy Thompson), ranks 26th richest person in the world on the Forbes billionaires list with a net worth of $49.2 billion. Thomson Reuters Corp generated $6.3 billion in revenue the last year, 2021-2022, a 5% increase Y-O-Y.

Cross-reference: The life and times of a newspaper baron

11. Hoffman Oeri Family

The renowned family in the world, the Hoffman Oeri Family, was running a Pharmaceutical company in Switzerland. The company rose to prominence in 1896 for its orange-flavored cough syrup named Sirloin.

In 1991, Roche bought the PCR Testing techniques rights. While in 2009, the world-class oncology drug manufacturer bought biotechnology firm Genentech for $44 billion.

Now, in 2022, the pharmaceutical company Roche is best world’s biggest manufacturer of cancer drugs. They have maintained the consistency and reputation of the company; it has a market value of more than $190 billion.

Today, the Hoffman Oeri Family’s descendants control 45% of the company’s voting rights and 8% interest in the company. Whereas, as per the 1948 agreement, the fourth-generation family members are legally authorized to participate in the shareholding pooling agreement.

In 2021, the family recently got more than $730 million in dividends from Roche.

12. Boehringer and Von Baumbach Families

The Boehringer and Von Baumbach Families are the richest in the world. With an estimated wealth of $59.2 billion, these two families have earned a fortune from their pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, founded in 1885 in Germany by Albert Boehringer.

As of January 2023, the Boehringer Ingelheim is the largest pharmaceutical group in Germany and the 20 largest in the world. The company is operated by Albert’s great-grandson, Hubertus von Baumbach, and employs around 50,000 people.

13. Albrecht Family

The famous Albrecht grocery store was established in Essen, Germany, back in 1913. However, the two brothers, Theo and Kal, changed their destiny by taking over their mother’s thrift store after returning home from World War II. They further changed the store into Aldi (short for Albrecht discount), a national chain of discounted supermarkets to thousands of locations in Europe and worldwide.

However, unfortunately in the 1960s, the 2 brothers split the business because of a disagreement on whether to sell cigarettes in their stores or not; although it seems to be a small dispute, but it led to the division of their business.

The family even bought the Joe’s Chain in 1979, giving them a lock on the healthy segment of the grocery market.

14. Lauder Family

Queens native Estee developed some effective skin creams from her kitchen. Her experiments were so successful that she founded a cosmetic firm with her husband in 1946.

Today, more than six members of the Lauder family own stakes in the publicly traded company; it has 29 brands, including Origins, Clinique, MAC, and many more.

The Lauder brand offer skin and hair care products, including perfumes. While Estee Lauder is no longer alive, the company earned a massive revenue last year in 2022, $17.27 Billion.

15. Ferrero Family

A great combination of cocoa and hazelnuts made everyone fall in love with Nutella. All thanks to Michele Ferrero, who, in the 1940s, wanted to amplify the profits of the family chocolate shop.

Scooping spoonfuls of Nutella has no competition. It leaves a satisfying taste when spread on toasted bread or after your dinner. The company is also known for producing other sweet treats, including Tic Tacs, Mon Cheri, Kinder, etc.

The company has sold enough sugar over the decade, which is one of the reasons it is listed among the top richest families in the world.

Cross-reference: The Nutella Billionaires: Inside The Ferrero Family’s Secret Empire

16. Quandt Family

Herbert Quandt turned BMW from a struggling car maker to prominence in the luxury market. Today, BMW is one of the largest automobile manufacturers, and owning it certainly confers a sense of status.

The Quandt family have been long-time shareholders of BMW AG. The family-owned about half of the BMW ( Bayerische Motoren Werke) group. The other half of the group is divided between public shareholders.

BMW’s current board of directors includes Stefan Quandt, a 23.6% stakeholder, and his sister Susanne Klatten, who holds 19.1%.

17. Pritzker Family

The Pritzker Family inherited wealth from Hyatt hotels. It is a brand acknowledged worldwide. Although many people know Hyatt, a lesser fact known is the name that seeded the renowned dynasties, A.N Pritzker. He and his brother Jack Pritzker were pretty intelligent as they began investing in real estate while working for their father’s law firm, which led to a tremendous increase in their fortune.

In fact, it was in 1953 that they also acquired Colson Corporation, which later became the industrial alliance Marmon Group.

By the mid-1980s, they multiplied their wealth and became the owner of various significant real estate holdings and subsidiaries, such as the Hyatt Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Ticketmaster, which was later sold in 1993.

18. Hartono Family

The Hartono family amassed the majority of its wealth from a cigarette brand. Oei Wie Gwan acquired that brand and changed its name to Djarum in 1950.

The business began as a 10-person operation. However, later it transformed into the world’s largest cigarette manufacturer across Indonesia and the globe. When Oei Wie Gwan died in 1963, 2 of his sons (Michael and Budi) worked smartly and expanded their cigarette business by investing in Bank Central Asia, which proved to be very successful. This stake was also one of the reasons that helped them make up the fortune.

19. Cox Family

The Cox family is one of the richest families in the world, with an estimated wealth of $33.6 billion. James M. Cox started the family fortune in 1898 by creating a cable company. Today, his descendants, including Blair Parry-Okeden, and James C. Kennedy, are the major shareholders.

The family maintained its status among most wealthy families as it controls Cox Enterprises, which generated an annual revenue of $21 Billion in 2022. Cox Communications is another division that the family owns, one of the largest cable companies in the United States and the globe.

The Cox family also multiplied its fortune by investing outside their comfort box and in different sectors which were not the company’s core areas.

20. Duncan Family

Were you wondering how did the Duncan family get filthy rich? Dan Duncan used to work for an oilfield company after leaving the US army. He co-founded Enterprise Products with just one truck and about $10,000 in his hands, yet his hard work and right decisions helped him build such a big empire. The company was dealing as a wholesaler of natural gas liquids.

The company went public in 1998 and was given the title of the biggest midstream energy establishment in the US.

After the death of Dan Duncan in 2010, all four of his children collectively own the biggest stake in Enterprise Products at 8% each. His daughter, Randa Duncan, is the chairman of Enterprise Products.

Cross-reference: My father founded one of the world’s biggest gas and oil companies with just $10,000 – now it’s worth $22billon

21. Kwok Family

Want to know the story of the Kwok family that made them so rich? Hong Kong is one of the most expensive cities in the world. However, the entrepreneurs who hustled in the real estate world here have created wealth like bandits, just like Kwok Tak-Seng.

He amassed most of his wealth by co-founding the predecessor of the real estate company Sun Hung Kai Properties in 1963.

When he died in 1990, his sons Thomas, Walter, and Raymond Kwok assumed control over the real estate company in 1990. It is because the brothers squabbled over the family inheritance soon after their father’s death.

In 2008, their mother took over as chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

22. Dassault Family

Dassault group is a French group of companies established in 1929. The family’s estimated wealth is calculated to be around $41.9 Billion.

Marcel Dassault was the man behind this family’s fortune. He designed a type of aircraft propeller during World War I that the French military had to use to win the war.

After Marcel Dassault died in 1986, the family-controlled Dassault Group now only comprises real estate, software, and media businesses.

One of the leading technology companies, Dassault Systems, generates more than $5 billion in annual revenue and makes 3D design software. In addition, the family invests in private debt, real estate, and other assets through the family office Group Industriel Marcel Dassault.

23. Mistry Family

The Mistry family generated a huge empire after the establishment of their company (Shapoorji Pallonji Group) in 1865. Pallonji Mistry was the founder of the company. The leading group is now running businesses in multiple spans, including engineering, construction, automobiles, etc.

Cyrus Mistry was born in Mumbai, India, to a Parsi family in 1968. He was the younger son of Indian billionaire and construction magnate Pallonji Mistry by his wife, Patsy Perin Dubash. Their other son, Shapoor Mistry, is now running the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, as the younger son died in a car accident in 2022.

They also have some share in Tata Sons, which is the primary enterprise of Tata Group.

24. Van Damme, de Spoelberch and de Mevius Families

Who knew a brewery in St. Louis, a Belgian town populated with new Americans, would open gates for making bucks in billions? In the 1850s, Adolphus Busch and his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser, opened a brewery named Anheuser-Busch.

By the time Busch died in 1913, he had made more than $60 million, and his descendants kept on brewing. You might be glad to know that the company has been pumping out millions of gallons of beer every year since then.

In 2008, Anheuser-Busch InBev merged with the Belgian beverage giant InBev, which means that every bottle of Budweiser purchased in America sends money overseas to the Van Damme, de Spoelberch, and de Mevius Families.

25. Mills family

The journey of accumulating wealth for the Mills Family is pretty interesting and inspiring. They started the business in 1910 when A.L Mills used to sew butcher aprons for the Chicago stockyards. Later, he evolved the business into Medline by starting sewing surgeon’s gowns due to the demand of the local hospitals nearby.

Medline Industries remains one of the world’s biggest companies, generating around $20 billion last year in 2022. They have a net worth of more than $25 billion.

The 4th generation descendants were running Medline Industries until 2020. However, the Mills sold a 79% stake in the company to a consortium of private equity firms in 2021 in an agreement that valued their business at $32 billion.

Cross-reference: Private-Equity Group Reaches Deal to Buy Medline for Over $30 Billion

26. Rausing Family

The Rausing Family ascended to the world’s wealthiest dynasties after ruling the packaging industry.

In the 1920s, Ruben Andersson, a Swedish businessman, tried his hands at the packaging industry. He was doing very well in the business, and soon he changed his surname to Rausing. In the 1950s, he founded the food-packaging firm, Tetra Pak.

Hans Rausing, son of Ruben Rausing, moved to the UK in the 1980s to avoid paying heavy taxes in Sweden. For this, he stepped down from the Tetra Pak and sold his share to his brother Gad for $7 billion.

27. Chearavanont Family

In 1921, Chia Ek Chor, a Thai businessman, opened the doors of the Charoen Pokphand Group. After almost a century, the group is one of the world’s largest animal feed and livestock producers.

The incredibly rich Chearavanont family’s estimated wealth is $26.5 billion in 2022. The Chearavanont brothers are running the Charoen Pokphand Group, a retail, telecom, and food conglomerate.

The family fortune also entered a business to start selling seeds, and as of 2022, it thrives with Slurpees. Several descendants of Chia Ek Chor run this business, including his son, Dhanin, and his sons, Soopakij and Suphachai.

28. Lee Family

South Korea’s filthy rich dynasty- the Lee family’s electronic brand, Samsung is so renowned worldwide that it needs no introduction today.

Samsung is a cell phone manufacturer and maker of numerous other subsidiaries. However, this was not always like this. The beginning of wealth creation of the Lee family started in 1938 when Lee Byung-Chul opened dry goods store with $25. Yes, you have heard that right, just $25.

However, his hard work paid off, and the family expanded the business into electronics, hospitality, advertising, and even weapons making.

29. Hearst Family

The king of the media sector, the Hearst family, started building wealth early in 1887. It was the time when William Randolph Hearst purchased the San Francisco Examiner when he was just 24. After that, William began to acquire media companies, including newspapers, television, and radio broadcasting networks.

William’s grandson is now the chairman of the Hearst Corporation, known as William Randolph Hearst III. He is a well-known businessman and philanthropist today.

30. Brown Family

Do you like drinking Jack Daniel’s? All thanks to the Brown family, who are the producer of the Tennessee whiskey. Not only this, but the family also manufactures Finlandia vodka brands.

But do you know who the man behind this family’s massive wealth was? George Garvin Brown, a pharmaceutical salesman, later founded the company in 1870. In 1890, he partnered with George Forman, his accountant, and renamed the company as Brown-Forman Corp.

After George Brown’s partner died, he purchased George Forman’s shares. Even today, as of January 2023, his family owns a 50% stake in the publically traded company. The chairman of the board is one of George Brown’s grandsons. Later, the company also hopped on the small-batch spirit brands!

Cross-reference: Top 10 Richest Families in the World

What’s it like to Grow Up Mega-Rich?

Besides the ability to buy private jets, living in elite neighbourhoods, traveling to exotic locations and whatnot, the utmost upper echelons of society have many privileges. Now that we have shared the list of wealthiest families with you, let us check out some of the advantages these families and their kids avail in life:

  • The ability to buy status
  • The ability to give back
  • The independence to pursue what matters
  • Accumulating valuable stuff
  • Freedom from worry
  • No need to negotiate or agonize over prices
  • The ability to broaden your horizons

The world’s richest families have left an indelible mark on the global stage, their wealth and influence shaping the course of industries and economies. From the historic legacies of ancient dynasties to the innovative endeavors of modern-day entrepreneurs, these families have amassed unimaginable fortunes.

As we conclude our exploration of the richest families in the world, we are left in awe of their achievements, inspired by their entrepreneurial spirit, and intrigued by the intricate dynamics of family wealth.

Author

Aditya is a skilled researcher with a knack for understanding how companies make money. Since he was a kid, he's been fascinated by different ways to make money. He loves numbers and enjoys finding out how companies make money.

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