Private dynasties
Alghanim family
- Finding
- $1.3B dated individual estimate
- Research boundary
- Larger private group spans numerous markets.
- Source
- Forbes
- As of
- 2020
- Confidence
- Medium
The 2026 global wealth index · provisional
Who holds the world's greatest fortunes?
A clear, searchable guide to the people, industries and places shaping private wealth around the world.
3428Directory profiles
80Countries represented
$20.1TProvisional reported total
18Industries mapped
01 / The index
Wealth, put in context.
Rankings tell only part of the story. This index connects every fortune to its source, geography and industry, making it easier to see where economic power is accumulating—and how quickly it moves.
2026 annual index · provisional
World billionaire directory
Current estimates and positions are a dated external reference snapshot from March 1, 2026. They are provisional while our first-party valuation methodology and rights review are completed.
Supplemental research records are placed near an attributed public figure solely for discovery. They remain NR and are excluded from annual ranks, counts, totals and structured net-worth data.
| Provisional rank | Person | Reported amount | Country | Wealth source | Industry | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon MuskAge 54 | $839BExternal annual reference | USA | Tesla, SpaceX | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 2 | Larry PageAge 52 | $257BExternal annual reference | USA | Technology | Forbes profile | ||
| 3 | Sergey BrinAge 52 | $237BExternal annual reference | USA | Technology | Forbes profile | ||
| 4 | Jeff BezosAge 62 | $224BExternal annual reference | USA | Amazon | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 5 | Mark ZuckerbergAge 41 | $222BExternal annual reference | USA | Technology | Forbes profile | ||
| 6 | Larry EllisonAge 81 | $190BExternal annual reference | USA | Oracle | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 7 | Bernard Arnault & familyAge 77 | $171BExternal annual reference | France | LVMH | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 8 | Jensen HuangAge 63 | $154BExternal annual reference | USA | Semiconductors | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 9 | Warren BuffettAge 95 | $149BExternal annual reference | USA | Berkshire Hathaway | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 10 | Amancio OrtegaAge 89 | $148BExternal annual reference | Spain | Zara | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 11 | Rob Walton & familyAge 81 | $146BExternal annual reference | USA | Walmart | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 12 | Jim Walton & familyAge 77 | $143BExternal annual reference | USA | Walmart | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 13 | Michael DellAge 61 | $141BExternal annual reference | USA | Dell Technologies | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 14 | Alice WaltonAge 76 | $134BExternal annual reference | USA | Walmart | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 15 | Steve BallmerAge 69 | $126BExternal annual reference | USA | Microsoft | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 16 | Carlos Slim Helu & familyAge 86 | $125BExternal annual reference | Mexico | Telecom | Telecom | Forbes profile | |
| 17 | Changpeng ZhaoAge 49 | $110BExternal annual reference | Canada | Cryptocurrency exchange | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 18 | Michael BloombergAge 84 | $109BExternal annual reference | USA | Bloomberg LP | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 19 | Bill GatesAge 70 | $108BExternal annual reference | USA | Microsoft | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 20 | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & familyAge 72 | $100BExternal annual reference | France | L'Oréal | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 21 | Mukesh AmbaniAge 68 | $99.7BExternal annual reference | India | Diversified | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 22 | Giancarlo DevasiniAge 61 | $89.3BExternal annual reference | Italy | Cryptocurrency | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 23 | Thomas PeterffyAge 81 | $82.9BExternal annual reference | USA | Discount brokerage | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 24 | Julia Koch & familyAge 63 | $81.2BExternal annual reference | USA | Koch, Inc. | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 25 | Charles Koch & familyAge 90 | $73.8BExternal annual reference | USA | Koch, Inc. | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 26 | Zhang YimingAge 41 | $69.3BExternal annual reference | China | TikTok | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 27 | Zhong ShanshanAge 71 | $68.1BExternal annual reference | China | Beverages, pharmaceuticals | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 28 | Jeff YassAge 67 | $67.4BExternal annual reference | USA | Trading, investments | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 29 | Dieter SchwarzAge 86 | $67.2BExternal annual reference | Germany | Retail | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 30 | Germán Larrea Mota Velasco & familyAge 72 | $67.1BExternal annual reference | Mexico | Mining | Metals and Mining | Forbes profile | |
| 31 | Gautam AdaniAge 63 | $63.8BExternal annual reference | India | Infrastructure, commodities | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 32 | Tadashi Yanai & familyAge 77 | $61.8BExternal annual reference | Japan | Fashion retail | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 33 | Ma HuatengAge 54 | $53.8BExternal annual reference | China | Online games | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 34 | Robin ZengAge 57 | $53.2BExternal annual reference | Hong Kong | Batteries | Energy | Forbes profile | |
| 35 | Iris Fontbona & familyAge 83 | $52.6BExternal annual reference | Chile | Mining | Metals and Mining | Forbes profile | |
| 36 | Masayoshi SonAge 68 | $51.5BExternal annual reference | Japan | Telecom, Investments | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 37 | Ken GriffinAge 57 | $49.8BExternal annual reference | USA | Hedge funds | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 38 | Jacqueline MarsAge 86 | $49.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Candy, pet food | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 38 | John MarsAge 90 | $49.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Candy, pet food | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 40 | Lukas WaltonAge 39 | $48.9BExternal annual reference | USA | Walmart | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 41 | Giovanni FerreroAge 61 | $48.8BExternal annual reference | Italy | Nutella, chocolates | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 42 | Li Ka-shingAge 97 | $47BExternal annual reference | Hong Kong | Diversified | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 43 | Mark MateschitzAge 33 | $45.8BExternal annual reference | Austria | Red Bull | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 44 | Gianluigi AponteAge 85 | $44.5BExternal annual reference | Switzerland | Shipping | Logistics | Forbes profile | |
| 44 | Rafaela Aponte-DiamantAge 80 | $44.5BExternal annual reference | Switzerland | Shipping | Logistics | Forbes profile | |
| 46 | Andrea PignataroAge 55 | $42.6BExternal annual reference | Italy | Financial software | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 47 | Klaus-Michael KuehneAge 88 | $41.9BExternal annual reference | Germany | Shipping | Logistics | Forbes profile | |
| 48 | Thomas Frist, Jr. & familyAge 87 | $41.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Hospitals | Healthcare | Forbes profile | |
| 49 | Alain WertheimerAge 77 | $39.4BExternal annual reference | France | Chanel | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 49 | Gerard WertheimerAge 75 | $39.4BExternal annual reference | France | Chanel | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile |
Beyond the list
Explore wealth from every angle
Global archive
The richest people ever
Fortunes across centuries, translated into a modern frame of reference.Explore collection →
Dynastic wealth
The wealthiest families
The businesses, inheritances and holdings behind multigenerational fortunes.Explore collection →
Culture index
Fiction’s greatest fortunes
From Wakanda to Wayne Enterprises: imagined wealth, ranked and explained.Explore collection →Research beyond conventional rankings
Unmeasured fortunes
52 research records examine private dynasties, royal houses, political networks and foundation structures that cannot responsibly be reduced to a conventional personal-wealth ranking.
Substantiated
Independent evidence supports private or collective wealth exceeding $1 billion.
Qualified
Likely multibillion-dollar wealth, but shared, dated or not individually divisible.
Control
Oversees major assets that cannot responsibly be treated as personal property.
Historical
Previously extracted, hidden or recovered money—not present-day net worth.
Disputed
Material public claims exist, but ownership or present wealth remains unresolved.
Unproven
A significant subject whose billionaire status has not been established.
Reading rule
These are research records, not a combined ranking. Source-pending figures are leads for review, not verified values; people and families are never added together.
Substantiated
Private dynasties
Brenninkmeijer family
- Finding
- Approximately $39B
- Research boundary
- C&A and COFRA wealth distributed across an extended family.
- Source
- Bloomberg
- As of
- 2025
- Confidence
- High at family level
Private dynasties
Brescia/Breca family
- Finding
- Approximately $7.44B family pool
- Research boundary
- Mining, insurance, banking, fishing and property.
- Source
- Gestión
- As of
- 2025
- Confidence
- Medium-high
Royal houses and rulers
King Maha Vajiralongkorn
- Finding
- More than $30B under discretion
- Research boundary
- Transferred Crown Property assets retain a contested institutional history.
- Source
- The Guardian
- As of
- 2018
- Confidence
- Medium
Royal houses and rulers
King Mohammed VI
- Finding
- $5.7B historical estimate
- Research boundary
- Holding-company interests; previously listed rather than never measured.
- Source
- Forbes
- As of
- 2015
- Confidence
- Medium
Private dynasties
Merck family of Germany
- Finding
- Approximately €24.5B collective
- Research boundary
- Founding family owns 70.274% of Merck KGaA.
- Source
- Merck disclosure
- As of
- 2025
- Confidence
- High
02 / Method
A snapshot, not a scoreboard.
Net worth is an estimate, not a bank balance. The current annual directory is a provisional external reference. Our research programme is building a governed, first-party valuation record with ownership evidence, sources, review dates and clear limits.
Read our editorial methodology →