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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | Eric LiAge 62 | $18.7BExternal annual reference | China | Automobiles | Automotive | Forbes profile | |
| 151 | Zhong HuijuanAge 65 | $18.7BExternal annual reference | China | Pharmaceuticals | Healthcare | Forbes profile | |
| 153 | James RatcliffeAge 73 | $18.4BExternal annual reference | UK | Chemicals | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 153 | Torstein HagenAge 83 | $18.4BExternal annual reference | Norway | Cruises | Service | Forbes profile | |
| 153 | Wang Ning & familyAge 39 | $18.4BExternal annual reference | China | Toys | Media and Entertainment | Forbes profile | |
| 156 | Ludwig MerckleAge 61 | $18.3BExternal annual reference | Germany | Pharmaceuticals | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 157 | Sarath RatanavadiAge 60 | $18.1BExternal annual reference | Thailand | Energy | Energy | Forbes profile | |
| 158 | Edwin ChenAge 38 | $18BExternal annual reference | USA | Artificial intelligence | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 158 | Theo Albrecht, Jr. & familyAge 75 | $18BExternal annual reference | Germany | Aldi, Trader Joe's | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 160 | Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken & familyAge 71 | $17.9BExternal annual reference | Netherlands | Heineken | Food and Beverage | Forbes profile | |
| 160 | Eric SmidtAge 66 | $17.9BExternal annual reference | USA | Hardware stores | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 162 | John CollisonAge 35 | $17.5BExternal annual reference | Ireland | Payment software | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 162 | Patrick CollisonAge 37 | $17.5BExternal annual reference | Ireland | Payment software | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 164 | David SunAge 74 | $17.4BExternal annual reference | USA | Computer hardware | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 164 | John TuAge 84 | $17.4BExternal annual reference | USA | Computer hardware | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 166 | Brad JacobsAge 69 | $17.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Logistics | Logistics | Forbes profile | |
| 166 | Jan KoumAge 50 | $17.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Technology | Forbes profile | ||
| 166 | Zhou Qunfei & familyAge 56 | $17.1BExternal annual reference | Hong Kong | Smartphone screens | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 169 | Lu XiangyangAge 63 | $17BExternal annual reference | China | Automobiles, batteries | Automotive | Forbes profile | |
| 169 | Stephen RossAge 85 | $17BExternal annual reference | USA | Real estate | Real Estate | Forbes profile | |
| 171 | Anders Holch PovlsenAge 53 | $16.9BExternal annual reference | Denmark | Fashion retail | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 171 | Arthur DantchikAge 68 | $16.9BExternal annual reference | USA | Trading, investments | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 171 | Li Shuirong & familyAge 69 | $16.9BExternal annual reference | China | Petrochemicals | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 174 | Wang WeiAge 55 | $16.6BExternal annual reference | China | Package delivery | Service | Forbes profile | |
| 175 | Enrique Razon Jr.Age 66 | $16.5BExternal annual reference | Philippines | Ports | Logistics | Forbes profile | |
| 175 | Mikhail FridmanAge 61 | $16.5BExternal annual reference | Russia | Oil, banking, telecom | Energy | Forbes profile | |
| 177 | George KaiserAge 83 | $16.2BExternal annual reference | USA | Oil & gas, banking | Energy | Forbes profile | |
| 178 | Charles ErgenAge 73 | $16.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Satellite TV | Media and Entertainment | Forbes profile | |
| 178 | Johann Rupert & familyAge 75 | $16.1BExternal annual reference | South Africa | Luxury goods | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 178 | Peter MalloukAge 56 | $16.1BExternal annual reference | USA | Wealth planning | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 178 | Zhang ZhidongAge 54 | $16.1BExternal annual reference | China | Online games | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 182 | Harold Hamm & familyAge 80 | $16BExternal annual reference | USA | Oil & gas | Energy | Forbes profile | |
| 183 | Zou Zhinong & familyAge 57 | $15.9BExternal annual reference | China | Telecom equipment | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 184 | Adam ForoughiAge 45 | $15.8BExternal annual reference | USA | advertising technology | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 185 | Radhakishan DamaniAge 71 | $15.7BExternal annual reference | India | Retail, investments | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 186 | Friedhelm LohAge 79 | $15.5BExternal annual reference | Germany | Manufacturing | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 186 | Peter WooAge 79 | $15.5BExternal annual reference | Hong Kong | Real estate | Real Estate | Forbes profile | |
| 188 | Ray DalioAge 76 | $15.4BExternal annual reference | USA | Hedge funds | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 188 | Wang Liping & familyAge 60 | $15.4BExternal annual reference | China | Hydraulic machinery | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 190 | Donald NewhouseAge 96 | $15.3BExternal annual reference | USA | Media | Media and Entertainment | Forbes profile | |
| 190 | Hussain SajwaniAge 73 | $15.3BExternal annual reference | United Arab Emirates | Real estate | Real Estate | Forbes profile | |
| 190 | Terry GouAge 75 | $15.3BExternal annual reference | Taiwan | Electronics | Technology | Forbes profile | |
| 193 | James DysonAge 78 | $15BExternal annual reference | UK | Vacuums | Manufacturing | Forbes profile | |
| 193 | Shahid KhanAge 75 | $15BExternal annual reference | USA | Sports teams, auto parts | Automotive | Forbes profile | |
| 195 | Antonia Ax:son Johnson & familyAge 82 | $14.8BExternal annual reference | Sweden | Diversified | Diversified | Forbes profile | |
| 196 | Jaime Gilinski BacalAge 68 | $14.7BExternal annual reference | Colombia | Banking | Finance | Forbes profile | |
| 197 | Ann Walton KroenkeAge 77 | $14.6BExternal annual reference | USA | Walmart | Fashion and Retail | Forbes profile | |
| 197 | Xavier Niel & familyAge 58 | $14.6BExternal annual reference | France | Internet, telecom | Telecom | Forbes profile | |
| 199 | Alisher UsmanovAge 72 | $14.5BExternal annual reference | Russia | Steel, telecom, investments | Metals and Mining | Forbes profile | |
| 199 | David Velez & familyAge 44 | $14.5BExternal annual reference | Colombia | Fintech | Finance | 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 →