Top 10 Wealthiest Families in the World | richest people in the world

Regardless of your particular financial status, keeping an eye out for the ultra-rich - whether with admiration, envy, or resentment - is perhaps more enjoyable and less demanding than looking for a mortgage, looking for brokers online, or finding yourself. train in complex topics in finance and economics, such as how exchange-traded funds work and the pros and cons of gross domestic product (GDP).

Certainly, the appeal of wealthy families reflects a culture that fetishes wealth and praises the wealthy. The top echelon of business leaders are celebrities of sorts, scrutinized for their ability to play the roles of athletes, actors and politicians.

Successful family businesses can offer universal appeal. Few of us will ever become billionaires, but everyone has a family. In addition, family businesses imply values of authenticity, tradition, heritage, lineage and quality. And wealthy families suggest royalty, especially if the wealth is intergenerational.

For the sake of simplicity, we've limited our list of richest families to those groups who originally made their fortunes through the business, although some heirs who still benefit from the money were not employed in the business.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

• At $ 215 billion, the Waltons are the richest family in the world thanks to their massive stake in Walmart, the world's largest company by revenue.

• The fourth generation of the Mars family, the second richest clan after the Waltons, currently run the eponymous Mars candy company.

• Although estimated at $ 95 billion, the exact wealth of the House of Saud is difficult to assess with precision due in large part to the size of the royal family.

• The least wealthy family on this list is the Albrecht family, who still own $ 41 billion in assets thanks to their popular grocery chains.

• Focusing only on families, this list does not include the richest people on the planet, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates.

1. Walton Family—Walmart

Walton Family—Walmart

Estimated Wealth: $215 billion

The Waltons are the richest family in America and in some ways the richest clan in the world. At the top of the value chain, Jim and Alice Walton are each worth $ 54 billion and rank 8th and 9th respectively on Forbes' annual billionaire list.

Walmart is a retail giant. Founded by Sam Walton in Arkansas in 1962, Walmart is now the largest company in the world, with $ 524 billion and more than 2.2 million associates in the United States. If these people were their own city, it would be the fourth most populous American city, after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. 

The company operates nearly 11,510 retail stores worldwide and 5,347 stores in the United States.

Best known for its big box stores in rural and suburban America, Walmart is celebrated for its low-cost products and criticized for its work practices. Target. 

2. Mars Family—Mars

Mars Family—Mars

Estimated Wealth: $120 billion

Mars is the Walmart of candy: a ubiquitous, cheap and popular multigenerational family business. Today, the company is better known for making M & Ms than for its eponymous Mars bar. In 2017, the world's largest confectionery company branched out with the purchase of VCA, a pet care company, for $ 9.1 billion.

Siblings Jacqueline and John Mars, whose grandfather Frank Mars founded the company, each have a net worth of $ 24.7 billion and are tied for 29th in 2020 on the annual Forbes list. billionaires.

The business is now run by some of their children, the fourth generation of the Mars family.

3. Koch Family—Koch Industries

Koch Family—Koch Industries

Estimated Wealth: $109.7 billion

Charles Koch owes his colossal fortune to an oil company founded by his father, but today he is perhaps best known to the general public for his politics, digging deep into his pockets to make his mark: funding candidates and libertarian think tanks, funding for university chairs and lobbying for political positions, all aimed at promoting a conservative agenda.

Charles partnered with his brother David until his death in 2019. Charles is worth an estimated $ 38.2 billion, tied for 18th place with David's widow Julia Koch and her family on the billionaire list by Forbes.

4. Al Saud—Saudi Royal Family

Al Saud—Saudi Royal Family

Estimated Wealth: $95 billion

The House of Saud, the Saudi royal family, has a monarchical history stretching back almost a century. The family's immense fortune, estimated at $ 95 billion, grew thanks to decades of payments from the Royal Diwan, the king's executive office. Ties with Saudi Aramco, the world's most profitable company and an oil industry giant, ensure that the Saudi royal family continues to accumulate wealth. It is difficult to accurately assess the wealth of the House of Saud, in part because the family has as many as 15,000 extended members, many of whom have founded businesses, received government contracts, and more. 

5. Ambani Family—Reliance Industries

Ambani Family—Reliance Industries

Estimated Wealth: $81.3 billion

Indian industrial conglomerate Reliance Industries, the only Asian company on our list, is perhaps the least known to average readers. Nonetheless, CEO Mukesh Ambani, whose late father founded the company in 1957, is 21st on Forbes' billionaire list, overseeing refining, petrochemicals, oil, gas and textiles; his brother, Anil, manages telecommunications, asset management, entertainment and power generation.

6. Dumas Family—Hermès

Dumas Family—Hermès

Estimated Wealth: $63.9 billion

French fashion house and luxury supplier Hermès dazzled the world with its iconic scarves, ties and perfumes, as well as its iconic Kelly and Birkin handbags. In the 19th century, Thierry Hermès fashioned riding clothes for the aristocracy. Today, the company dresses basketball royalty like LeBron James. Merging old and new technology, Apple Hermès watches sell for between $ 1,300 and $ 2,000 and up. Axel Dumas is currently CEO and President of the company, and Pierre-Alexis Dumas is the artist-director. 

7. Wertheimer Family—Chanel

Wertheimer Family—Chanel

Estimated Wealth: $54.4 billion

The French haute couture house Chanel is legendary for the timeless "little black dress", the perfume n ° 5, and the late renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died on February 19, 2019. The brothers Alain and Gerhard Wertheimer are now co-owners of the company that their grandfather staked with founder Gabrielle Coco Chanel. The brothers are both ranked 48th on Forbes' billionaire list, with a net worth of $ 17 billion each. 

8. Johnson Family—Fidelity Investments

Johnson Family—Fidelity Investments

Estimated Wealth: $46.3 billion

Fidelity Investments was founded by Edward C. Johnson II in 1946 and is one of the largest financial services companies in the world, providing investment services to millions of people. The company is now run by the small- Johnson's daughter, Abigail Johnson, who ranks 124th on Forbes' billionaire list with a net worth of $ 10.8 billion.

9. Boehringer, von Baumbach Families—Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer, von Baumbach Families—Boehringer Ingelheim

Estimated Wealth: $45.7 billion

Boehringer Ingelheim is a German pharmaceutical company with more than 130 years of history. The Boehringer family, along with the von Baumbachs, retained control of the company several generations later.

10. Albrecht Family—Aldi

Albrecht Family—Aldi

Estimated Wealth: $41 billion

Aldi is an international chain of grocery stores that developed when brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht started running their parents' grocery store after WWII. Aldi also owns the popular American grocery chain known as Trader Joe's. Theo Albrecht and his family have a net worth of $ 17 billion and are ranked 51st on Forbes' billionaire list.

The bottom line

Certainly, this list can read as a naked celebration of wealth in an era of growing global inequality and the demise of the middle class, or an implicit endorsement of reckless consumption at a time when the future of wealth itself. is in question due to technological disruption and climate change.

Additionally, the focus on families means the list does not include the three richest individuals in the world - Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates - although technically they all have families.

Which family is the richest on Earth?

According to Bloomberg, with $ 215 billion in estimated wealth in 2020, the Walton family is the richest family in America and possibly the whole world.

Which are the 10 richest families who are the richest?

The 10 richest families by estimated wealth are:

• The Walton family: $ 215 billion

• The Mars family: $ 120 billion

• The Koch family: $ 109.7 billion

• Saudi royal family: $ 95 billion

• The Ambani family: $ 81.3 billion

• The Dumas family: $ 63.9 billion

• The Wertheimer family: $ 54.4 billion

• The Johnson family: $ 46.3 billion

• The Boehringer and von Baumbach families: $ 45.7 billion

• The Albrecht family: $ 41 billion

Who are the richest people in the world?

According to Forbes, the three richest people on the planet were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.