Emeka Nweze
Secretly, the desire of many of us is to wake up one day in a super wealthy family with an inheritance worth millions, if not billions of dollars. Sadly, very few of us get to live that dream and very very few of us will ever become billionaires in our life time.
Those who come from wealthy families are usually part of businesses that span decades and have become tradition. Inheriting and carrying on with the family business might not be compulsory, but carries a sense of pride, heritage, responsibility and of course wealth.
From a candy dynasty to luxury designer families, here are the top 10 wealthiest families in the world.
1. The Walton family – $190.5 billion
The Walton family is an American family, whose collective fortune makes them the richest family in the world .The majority of their wealth derives from Walmart which was founded by Sam Walton and which they own just under 50% of its stocks. Walmart is the world’s largest retailer and ranks as one of the largest business enterprises in the world in terms of annual revenue as well as the largest private employer anywhere in the world with just over 2.2 million employees. The family has a combined net worth of $201 billion dollars and three of its most prominent members, Jim ($53.4 billion), Rob ($53 billion) and Alice($53.1 billion) have consistently been in the top twenty of the Forbes 400 since 2001.
2. The Mars Family – $126.5 billion
The Mars family owns the confectionery company Mars, Inc., which bears their name. They also own other candy making companies such as Snickers, Milky Way Bars, Twix, M&M’s, as well as a range of PetCare products, drinks, and gum, among others. As of April 2020 the combined private fortune of the family members was estimated at around $126 billion, making them one of the richest families in the world.
3. Koch Family – $124.5 billion
The Koch family is an American billionaire family, known for their control of Koch Industries, a multinational corporation with interest involved in the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance, commodities trading, and investing. The business was started by Fred C. Koch, who developed a new cracking method for the refinement of heavy crude oil into gasoline. The company is the second-largest privately owned company in the United States, with 2017 revenues of $100 billion.
4. Slim Family – $77.1 billion
The Slim Family is an ethnically Lebanese dynastic family that currently resides in Lebanon, Europe, the United States and Mexico. They own Grupo Sanborns SAB, a Mexican global conglomerate company formed in 1990 after the merger of Corporación Industrial Carso and Grupo Inbursa. The family, which consists of Carlos Slim, Carlos Slim Domit, Patrick Slim, Julián Slim, is currently one of the wealthiest families in the world.
5. Ortega family – $73.8 billion
The Ortega family is a Spanish dynastic family that not only the fifth fifth wealthiest family in the world, but also the wealthiest family in Europe. The majority of the family’s wealth comes from the clothing company Inditex and its flagship store Zara. Amancio Ortega is the head of the family, and ranks as the sixth richest person in the world with a net worth of $65.4 billion. As of November 2018, the family has an estimated net worth of $73.8 billion.
6. Wertheimers – $57.6 billion
Brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer own the controlling interest in the House of Chanel as well as investment in Bell & Ross. Their fortune also includes vineyards Château Rauzan-Ségla in Margaux, and Château Canon in Saint-Émilion, as well as a Thoroughbred horse racing stable which the inherited and currently operate.
7. Dumas family – $53 billion
French high fashion luxury goods manufacturer, Hermès was founded by
Thierry Hermès in 1837, but one man responsible for turning the company into a global luxury brand is former chairman, Jean-Louis Robert Frédéric who also served as the company’s artistic director. Today, his nephew, Axel Dumas currently serves as the company’s CEO and chairman, and daughter, Pierre-Alexis Dumas is the artistic director. Hermès remains one of the world’s leading luxury brand.
8. Van Damme, De Spoelberch, De Mevius – $53 billion
These three Belgian companies have been in the brewery industry since the 14th century. The Van Damme clan joined the the De Spoelberch and De Mevius families in 1987, and together, all three companies have an estimated net worth of $53 billion.
9. Porsche-Piëch family – $52.8 billion
The Porsche-Piëch family is a prominent Austrian-German and descendants of automotive pioneer Ferdinand Porsche. Members of the company have full control of the Porsche SE automobile company and majority voting rights over Volkswagen AG, the biggest automaker in the world. The Porsche-Piech family headquarters are in the Austrian town of Zell am See
10. Boehringer/Von Baumbach – $52 billion
Boehringer Ingelheim is a German pharmaceuticals company with history dating back to over 130 years. The company is controlled by the Boehringer family, along with the Von Baumbachs. Together, both families have a combined wealth of $52 billion.
