Other Billionaires

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.

Explore the rankings How we rank wealth
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.

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3,428 provisional annual records + 1 qualified research recordExternal annual reference · USD billions

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 rankPersonReported amountCountryWealth sourceIndustrySourceAs of
2274Forrest PrestonAge 92$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAHealth careHealthcareForbes profile
2274Franziska WuerbserAge 37$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyKitchen appliancesManufacturingForbes profile
2274Fu Guangming & familyAge 72$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaPoultryFood and BeverageForbes profile
2274Fumio KanekoAge 69$1.8BExternal annual referenceJapanWaste managementServiceForbes profile
2274Gabriella MeisterAge 77$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyAppliancesManufacturingForbes profile
2274Gary MichelsonAge 77$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAMedical patentsHealthcareForbes profile
2274George YancopoulosAge 66$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAPharmaceuticalsHealthcareForbes profile
2274Gerry CardinaleAge 58$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAPrivate equityFinanceForbes profile
2274Gideon HamburgerAge 81$1.8BExternal annual referenceIsraelFinancial ServicesFinanceForbes profile
2274Gretel PackerAge 59$1.8BExternal annual referenceAustraliaInvestmentsFinanceForbes profile
2274Grigory BerezkinAge 59$1.8BExternal annual referenceRussiaEnergy tradingEnergyForbes profile
2274Guillaume LampleAge 35$1.8BExternal annual referenceFranceArtificial intelligenceTechnologyForbes profile
2274Hamdi Akin & familyAge 71$1.8BExternal annual referenceTurkeyDiversifiedDiversifiedForbes profile
2274Hans SyAge 70$1.8BExternal annual referencePhilippinesDiversifiedDiversifiedForbes profile
2274Hans-Ueli Rihs & familyAge 82$1.8BExternal annual referenceSwitzerlandHearing AidsManufacturingForbes profile
2274Hari BhartiaAge 69$1.8BExternal annual referenceIndiaDiversifiedDiversifiedForbes profile
2274Herbert SyAge 69$1.8BExternal annual referencePhilippinesDiversifiedDiversifiedForbes profile
2274Huang DawenAge 65$1.8BExternal annual referenceHong KongSiliconManufacturingForbes profile
2274Huang YiAge 64$1.8BExternal annual referenceHong KongCar dealershipsAutomotiveForbes profile
2274Ilson Mateus & familyAge 63$1.8BExternal annual referenceBrazilSupermarketsFashion and RetailForbes profile
2274James FranceAge 81$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSANascar, racingSportsForbes profile
2274JB StraubelAge 50$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSATeslaAutomotiveForbes profile
2274Johanna BraunAge 46$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyMedical technologyHealthcareForbes profile
2274John WilsonAge 88$1.8BExternal annual referenceAustraliaRetailingFashion and RetailForbes profile
2274Jon WinkelriedAge 66$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAPrivate equity, bankingFinanceForbes profile
2274José Coppel LukenAge 67$1.8BExternal annual referenceMexicoDiversifiedFashion and RetailForbes profile
2274Kai-Uwe HollwegAge 59$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyPlumbing and heating suppliesManufacturingForbes profile
2274Kalen JacksonAge 38$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAIndianapolis ColtsSportsForbes profile
2274Karin SchickAge 55$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyInformation technologyTechnologyForbes profile
2274Karl Friedrich BraunAge 43$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyMedical technologyHealthcareForbes profile
2274Kim Sang-beomAge 65$1.8BExternal annual referenceSouth KoreaSemiconductorsTechnologyForbes profile
2274Konstantin DiehlAge 33$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyDefense, aviationManufacturingForbes profile
2274Kwee Liong KengAge 80$1.8BExternal annual referenceSingaporeReal estateReal EstateForbes profile
2274Kwee Liong PhingAge 68$1.8BExternal annual referenceSingaporeReal estateReal EstateForbes profile
2274Kwee Liong SeenAge 73$1.8BExternal annual referenceSingaporeReal estateReal EstateForbes profile
2274Kwee Liong TekAge 79$1.8BExternal annual referenceSingaporeReal estateReal EstateForbes profile
2274Larry CulpAge 62$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAGeneral Electric, manufacturingManufacturingForbes profile
2274Laura DiehlAge 37$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyDefense, aviationManufacturingForbes profile
2274Lee Kar WhattAge 52$1.8BExternal annual referenceMalaysiaDollar storeFashion and RetailForbes profile
2274Lei JufangAge 73$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaPharmaceuticalsHealthcareForbes profile
2274Li JinyangAge 43$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaMiningMetals and MiningForbes profile
2274Li WeiweiAge 49$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaOnline gamesTechnologyForbes profile
2274Liu XiaodongAge 58$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaFlavoringsManufacturingForbes profile
2274Luis RiuAge 66$1.8BExternal annual referenceSpainHotelsReal EstateForbes profile
2274Marius NachtAge 60$1.8BExternal annual referenceIsraelSoftwareTechnologyForbes profile
2274Markus DiehlAge 42$1.8BExternal annual referenceGermanyDefense, aviationManufacturingForbes profile
2274Mati StaniszewskiAge 31$1.8BExternal annual referencePolandAI voice cloningTechnologyForbes profile
2274Michael HsingAge 65$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSASemiconductorsTechnologyForbes profile
2274Michael Minhong YuAge 64$1.8BExternal annual referenceChinaEducationServiceForbes profile
2274Mitchell JacobsonAge 75$1.8BExternal annual referenceUSAIndustrial equipmentServiceForbes 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.

Private dynasties

Alghanim family

Substantiated
Finding
$1.3B dated individual estimate
Research boundary
Larger private group spans numerous markets.
Source
Forbes
As of
2020
Confidence
Medium

Private dynasties

Brenninkmeijer family

Substantiated
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

Substantiated
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

Substantiated
Finding
More than $30B under discretion
Research boundary
Transferred Crown Property assets retain a contested institutional history.
As of
2018
Confidence
Medium

Royal houses and rulers

King Mohammed VI

Substantiated
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

Substantiated
Finding
Approximately €24.5B collective
Research boundary
Founding family owns 70.274% of Merck KGaA.
As of
2025
Confidence
High

This research desk also covers historical extraction, disputed proxy wealth, royal property and foundation-controlled empires.

Explore all investigations →

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 →