Capitalism can be like a warped and extremely un-fun game of Monopoly, and most people are entering the fray much too late to get a slice of the action.
You could likely put all your earnings into extremely profitable wealth funds, make all the right moves in a diverse portfolio and win the lottery multiple times, and still never come anywhere close to the kind of money enjoyed by the top 0.01 percent.
The wealthiest families own roughly a third of the planet’s wealth, but who is the richest family in the world, sitting atop that giant pile of cash and gold coins? The following list includes the richest families and global business dynasties in the world today.
1. Walton Family (Combined Net Worth: $347 Billion)
The Waltons are not only at the top of the list of America’s richest families, but they also dominate the rest of the globe. The family’s net worth of almost $350 billion is thanks to the multigenerational “family” business, Walmart.
2. Al Nahyan Family (Combined Wealth: $305 Billion)
Although the Abu Dhabi Royal family surpassed the Waltons as the wealthiest family globally in 2023, they returned the crown to the Waltons in 2024 after a short reign.
3. Arnault Family (Estimated Wealth: $191.8 Billion)
Third place for the world’s wealthiest families goes to this French family that owns and operates the world-leading LVMH Group, one of the largest luxury goods companies.
4. Hermès Family (Estimated Fortune: $151 Billion)
The luxury fashion powerhouse Hermès family has been raking in their fortune in high-end retail for six generations. This billionaire family from France began selling to European elites in 1837, and now a store can be found on any major city’s main street.
5. Koch Family (Combined Net Worth: $144 Billion)
Like any billionaire family, the founders of Koch Industries accumulated their massive fortune by eliminating the competition. Current Koch family members have taken that strategy into the political realm as significant contributors to the Libertarian field.
6. Al Thani Family (Estimated Net Worth: $133 Billion)
The Al Thani family has been the ruling family of Qatar since the 1850s. As rulers, the family owns some of the largest shares in the country’s vast oil reserves.
7. Mars Family (Estimated Fortune: $120 Billion)
Many of the Mars family members still play a role in one of America’s largest private companies built on candy and chocolate bars, while other family members have pursued philanthropy and other ventures.
8. Ambani Family (Combined Wealth: $116 Billion)
The Indian Ambani Family has been rising in the wealthy ranks as the country advances, and more subscribers from the most populous nation buy into their 4G telecom service.
9. Al Saud Royal Family (Estimated Wealth: $112 Billion)
The Al Saud family, the Saudi royal family, consistently ranks high on this list thanks to the country’s constant cash flow from oil.
10. Helu Family (Combined Net Worth: $90 Billion)
Carlos Slim Helu has significantly built up the family’s fortune by creating and expanding Latin America’s most dominant telecom firm, América Móvil.
11. Bettencourt Meyers Family ($89 Billion)
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and family are the heirs to a massive fortune thanks to the joining of two wealthy families and the continued success of their cosmetics juggernaut, L’Oreal.
12.Wertheimer Family ($81 Billion)
Often nicknamed “fashion’s quietest billionaires,” the secretive Wertheimer brothers enjoy a majority share in the luxury brand Chanel. That cash cow business fuels their other interests, which revolve mostly around wine and horse racing.
13. Thomson Family ($70 Billion)
David Thomson and clan have the reigns of a behemoth media and publishing empire, spanning across key sectors, including Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, Bell Canada and Globe and Mail.
14. Cargill-MacMillan Family ($60 Billion)
This multigenerational family business dynasty was built on the foundation of William Wallace Cargill and his son-in-law, John H. Macmillan Sr. The family owns some of the largest shares of agriculture businesses in the world.
15. Hartono Family ($53.3 Billion)
No list of wealthy families in the world would be complete without mentioning the Hartono brothers, R. Budi and Michael. This dynamic duo took funds from a successful cigarette manufacturer and flipped into a mountain fortune through investments at Bank Central Asia.
16. Johnson Family ($52.7 Billion)
Aside from other ventures, the majority of the Johnson family fortune stems from a major stake in the mutual fund company, Fidelity.
17. Boehringer, Von Baumbach Family ($51.3 Billion)
The Boeringer-Von Baumbachs have become one of the wealthiest families globally by becoming Germany’s second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer.
18. Quandt Family ($47.3 Billion)
BMW billionaire heirs Stephan Quandt and Susanne Klatten would likely not want you looking into the history of their company since the luxury car brand BMW made bank off of government contracts with the Nazis in World War II.
19. Albrecht Family ($46.7 Billion)
The ruling family of the global grocery chain, Aldi, is also the majority shareholder in Trader Joe’s, making it one of the few to go from mom-and-pop shops to a global powerhouse.
20. Hoffmann-Oeri Family ($45 Billion)
The Swiss Hoffmann-Oeri family is another pharmaceutical giant on this list that amassed a jaw-dropping $38 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
