The world’s wealthiest families sit atop fortunes so large that they can reshape economies and indulge in almost anything money can buy. These dynasties come from diverse industries – from retail empires and candy kingdoms to oil dynasties and fashion houses – but they all have one thing in common: staggering net worths built over generations.
Below, we count down some of the richest families on the planet (including both non-royals and royals), ranked by their estimated total family net worth as of 2025.
These families demonstrate that wealth can be a family affair, passed down and multiplied across generations. From scrappy entrepreneurs like Sam Walton and Dhirubhai Ambani, to oil monarchs and fashion dynasty heirs, each had a foundation that the next generation built even higher. Of course, measuring family wealth is tricky – especially with royal dynasties where personal and state assets blur – but one thing’s for sure: each of these clans has more money than they (or their great-grandkids) could possibly spend. Whether they use it to invest in new ventures, give to philanthropy, or occasionally splurge on yachts and art, these families’ fortunes continue to grow, firmly entrenching their legacy in the world of business and beyond. It’s their world – the rest of us just shop in it.
The 10 Richest Families in the World
#10: Thomson Family – $87 Billion (Canada)
Hailing from Canada, the Thomson family has built a media and publishing fortune valued at around $87.1 billion. They are the wealthiest family in the Great White North and among the richest in the world. The Thomson empire began with Roy Thomson, a resourceful Canadian who in the 1930s started acquiring small newspapers. Roy kept buying and expanding, eventually owning a vast chain in Canada and the UK. In the late 20th century, the Thomsons shifted into information services, merging their holdings into what became Thomson Reuters.
Today, their crown jewel is a controlling stake in Reuters, held via their investment company Woodbridge. David Thomson, the 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet, is the current patriarch and keeps a low public profile. The Thomsons maintain their wealth through consolidation and patient reinvestment. Their holdings have expanded into real estate and sports (they own the Winnipeg Jets and have a stake in the Montreal Canadiens), and their fortune could fund Canada’s government operations for months—though they prefer to quietly steer the ship.
#9: Wertheimer Family – $88 Billion (France)
In the world of haute couture, the Wertheimer family stands near the top with an estimated $88 billion fortune. Brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer are the reclusive co-owners of Chanel, the legendary fashion house their grandfather Pierre co-founded with Coco Chanel in 1910. From No. 5 perfume to $5,000 handbags, Chanel remains a global luxury icon.
They’ve kept the company privately held, preserving control and profits across generations. The brothers also invest in wineries and racehorses, with vineyards in France and Napa and thoroughbreds on tracks worldwide. Their strategy of maintaining Chanel’s prestige and scarcity has paid off in massive profits. Quiet, conservative, and classically rich, the Wertheimers are the embodiment of old-world luxury meeting modern money.
#8: Ambani Family – $100 Billion (India)
India’s richest family, the Ambanis, command a $100 billion fortune via Reliance Industries. Founded in 1966 by Dhirubhai Ambani as a textile business, the company exploded into petrochemicals, telecom, and retail under his son Mukesh Ambani. After a dramatic split with his brother, Mukesh retained the core businesses and multiplied their value.
His crowning achievement? Launching Jio, a telecom juggernaut with over 400 million subscribers. His skyscraper residence, Antilia, cost $2 billion and has helipads, a cinema, and parking for 168 cars. Mukesh’s kids are now in leadership roles, ensuring the empire remains family-run. Whether building data networks or hosting $100 million weddings with Beyoncé performances, the Ambanis are always operating on a grand scale.
#7: Mars Family – $133 Billion (United States)
If you’ve ever satisfied a sweet tooth with an M&M’s or a Snickers bar, you’ve contributed a few cents to the Mars family fortune. This family, worth about $133.8 billion, owes its wealth to Mars Inc., the confectionery colossus that produces some of the world’s most beloved candies. The company was founded over a century ago by Frank Mars, who started by selling homemade chocolates from his kitchen. Frank’s son Forrest Mars Sr. later joined the business and created the Milky Way and Snickers bars (legend has it Snickers was named after the family’s favorite horse.
Over generations, the Mars expanded their product line to M&M’s, Twix, Skittles, and beyond – effectively cornering the candy market. They also diversified into pet food (brands like Pedigree and Whiskas), which now accounts for a huge portion of their revenue.
All of this is privately held by the family – Mars Inc. has remained stubbornly secretive and private, often called “anonymous” in its operations. The current Mars heirs, including siblings Jacqueline Mars and John Franklyn Mars (Frank’s grandchildren), keep a low profile. For decades, the family shunned publicity so much that they were dubbed the “secretive candy dynasty.”
#6: Koch Family – $148 Billion (United States)
The $148 billion Koch family fortune springs from a classic American tale of innovation, expansion, and a dash of sibling rivalry. It began with Fred C. Koch, who in 1940 developed an improved process for refining oil into gasoline. That single brilliant idea was the seed of Koch Industries, which Fred’s sons, Charles and David Koch, grew into one of the largest private companies in the world.
Koch Industries today is a conglomerate spanning oil pipelines, chemical production, ranching, commodities trading – you name it. From the asphalt on roads to the Dixie cups and Brawny paper towels in your kitchen, Koch Industries likely had a hand in it. The company’s massive and diversified operations have made it an endless cash geyser for the Koch family, now into its third generation. Charles Koch, the octogenarian patriarch, still helms the company, and until his passing in 2019, brother David Koch was a key partner (other brothers Frederick and Bill were bought out after contentious feuds – every dynasty has its drama). The Kochs maintain their wealth by keeping Koch Industries private and largely family-owned, allowing profits to compound away from prying public eyes. They’re also (in)famous for using their fortune to promote their libertarian-leaning political causes in the U.S. – spending hundreds of millions funding think tanks, lobbying, and election campaigns.
#5: Hermès/Dumas Family – $170 Billion (France)
The Hermès family of France, led by the descendants of Thierry Hermès, parlayed a luxury fashion business into a $170 billion treasure trove. Often referred to as the Dumas family (after a prominent branch), they’ve been purveyors of scarves, neckties, perfumes, and handbags for generations.
Hermès began in 1837 as a high-end harness and saddle maker for Europe’s aristocracy. As modes of transport evolved, the family pivoted to other luxury goods – and thank goodness they did, because their iconic Birkin bags and silk Carré scarves became must-have status symbols worldwide. Today, Hermès International is a publicly traded company, but the family still owns the largest stake and tightly controls the brand’s image of exclusivity. That strategy clearly paid off: demand for $10,000 Birkin handbags and $400 perfumes has kept profits soaring, swelling the family’s wealth.
The family’s current figureheads, such as Axel Dumas (CEO) and cousins from the sixth generation, keep a low profile despite their lofty net worth. They maintain their wealth by keeping it in the family – passing down shares through the generations and resisting any takeover attempts. In a witty twist, Hermès even created an ultra-luxury version of the Apple Watch, reminding the world that if there’s a high-end niche, they’ll fill it (and charge a fortune).
#4: Al Thani Family – $172 Billion (Qatar)
The Al Thani family has ruled the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar since the 1800s, overseeing a giant fortune currently estimated at $172 billion. How did so much wealth end up in a country smaller than Connecticut? The answer lies in Qatar’s massive natural gas reserves. Qatar is one of the world’s top exporters of liquefied natural gas, and the Al Thanis have turned those gas riches into a global investment portfolio.
Through the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the royal family owns swathes of London real estate (from Harrods to the Shard), stakes in companies like Volkswagen, and even an elite football club – Paris Saint-Germain. In fact, a subsidiary of QIA, Qatar Sports Investments, bought 100% of PSG in 2011.
Under former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (who once deposed his own father in a bloodless coup), Qatar leveraged its wealth to gain global influence – launching the Al Jazeera news network and winning the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The current Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, continues to oversee the family fortune. With gas money fueling their spending, the Al Thanis enjoy ultra-luxuries: palatial homes, private Boeing jets, and art purchases like Cézanne paintings. Yet much of their wealth is carefully stewarded via the sovereign fund to ensure generations of Qataris (and their royal family) can enjoy prosperity long after the gas runs out.
#3: Al Nahyan Family – $324 Billion (United Arab Emirates)
The House of Al Nahyan rules Abu Dhabi, the richest emirate of the UAE, and their family fortune is estimated at around $324 billion. Care to guess how this Middle Eastern dynasty earned its massive fortune? Perhaps not surprisingly… One word: oil.
Abu Dhabi sits on a sea of petroleum, and since the mid-20th century, the Al Nahyans have leveraged that black gold into massive wealth. They control the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, which manages nearly $800 billion in assets from oil revenues. In other words, the Al Nahyan family is like an entire venture capital firm – except their capital comes from underground wells.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), the current ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE, presides over this fortune. The family has transformed their desert emirate into a global financial hub, investing oil proceeds into everything from real estate in London to technology companies.
To maintain their wealth, the Al Nahyans continue diversifying: they’ve bought stakes in global businesses and even a Premier League soccer team (Manchester City’s owners include Sheikh Mansour, an Al Nahyan). With a fleet of private jets and palaces galore, this family’s lifestyle is as lavish as their bank account – yet they also ensure the cash keeps flowing by wisely investing their petrodollars for the long haul.
#2: Walton Family – $432 Billion (United States)
The Walton family, heirs to the Walmart retail empire, is the second richest family in the world with an estimated combined net worth of $432 billion. To put that in perspective, their fortune is roughly equivalent to the entire GDP of Denmark.
This mountain of wealth started with family patriarch Sam Walton, who opened a humble discount store in Arkansas in 1962. Sam’s idea of keeping prices ultra-low proved wildly successful – Walmart grew into the world’s largest retailer and the biggest private employer, with over 2.2 million employees globally. Today, Walmart’s trademark blue-and-gray supercenters dot the landscape of America and beyond, raking in hundreds of billions in revenue. How do the Waltons maintain their vast wealth? Largely by holding onto about half of Walmart’s stock through their family investment entity. The three most prominent members – Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton – each sit on tens of billions in Walmart shares and dividends.
Saudi King Salman (C), (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
#1: House of Saud – $1.4 Trillion (Saudi Arabia)
The ruling family of Saudi Arabia, the House of Saud, is in a wealth league of its own with an estimated net worth of $1.4 trillion. Yes, trillion with a “t.” This staggering figure reflects not only their personal holdings but also their control over state-owned assets like Saudi Aramco (the world’s most valuable company), massive real estate holdings, and the Public Investment Fund, which alone has hundreds of billions under management.
The dynasty was founded in 1932 by King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, and for nearly a century, the family has used its vast oil reserves to bankroll everything from golden palaces and private 747s to global investments and diplomatic influence. The current monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, ascended to the throne in 2015 following the death of his half-brother King Abdullah. King Salman is the 25th son of Ibn Saud and has been a central figure in Saudi leadership for decades, having served as governor of Riyadh for nearly 50 years before becoming king.
Now in his late 80s, King Salman has delegated many day-to-day responsibilities to his son and designated heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). MBS has become the face of the monarchy’s modernization efforts and oversees many of the family’s boldest initiatives, including headline-grabbing acquisitions like a $450 million Da Vinci painting and English football club Newcastle United. He also helms the PIF, driving investments into everything from electric vehicles and gaming studios to Neom, the family’s ambitious $500 billion futuristic desert city.
With over 15,000 royal family members, the wealth is broadly dispersed, but the most powerful inner circle, led by King Salman and MBS, controls the lion’s share. Their sovereign fund is actively buying stakes in tech companies, renewable energy, entertainment, and more, positioning the House of Saud for a future beyond oil. Whether they’re funding mega-cities or filling hangars with gold-plated jets, the House of Saud isn’t just wealthy—they’re the richest dynasty the world has ever seen.
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