The richest families on the planet have become wealthier than ever, and the Waltons, the founders of Walmart, remain at the top with a fortune of $513.4 billion. The annual ranking highlights how experience and business size matter in wealth accumulation.
The Walton family, founder of the giant Walmart PHOTO: X/ @nealtaparia
The Walton family, the founders of the giant Walmart, remains at the top of the list again this year, surpassing the half-trillion dollar mark for the first time. According to Bloomberg, the family's fortune is $513.4 billion, and to enter the ranking, a family must now have at least $46.4 billion, up $9.7 billion from last year.
Walmart, the largest global retailer by revenue, posted $681 billion in revenue last fiscal year, operating more than 10,750 stores worldwide. The family owns about 44% of the company, the basis of the largest family fortune in the world.
“Through its stores and website, Walmart serves 270 million customers each week“, the report states.
New entries to the top: Mexico, Chile, Italy and Saudi Arabia
Four families from four continents entered the ranking for the first time. The Larrea Mota Velasco clan of Mexico and the Luksic family of Chile built fortunes from copper mining. Italy's Del Vecchio has prospered through EssilorLuxottica, a company that has benefited from rising sales of smart glasses. And the Saudi Olayan family has established itself in the global market, connecting local businesses to Wall Street.
Other notable families
Al Nahyan – $335.9 billion, United Arab Emirates Wars and oil have strengthened the wealth of Abu Dhabi's ruling family. Sheikh Tahnoon manages about $1.5 trillion in personal and sovereign assets and has invested heavily in artificial intelligence.
Al Nahyan (right) PHOTO: X/ @Mubadala
Al Saud – $213.6 billion, Saudi Arabia The Saudi monarchy has built its vast fortune through oil and government contract investments. The sovereign wealth fund PIF has $1 trillion in assets, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally controls over $1 billion in assets.
Al Saud PHOTO: X/ @TheForexComplex
Al Thani – $199.5 billion, Qatar The family turned offshore gas discovery into global wealth, holding political positions and owning businesses from hotels to banks.
Al Thani PHOTO: X/ @razi6588
Hermes – $184.5 billion, France The French luxury family, known for Birkin bags, continues to run the company after six generations, keeping more than 100 members actively involved.
Axel Dumas, Executive Chairman of Hermes PHOTO: X/ @JodyCavalie
Koch – $150.5 billion, USA The Koch brothers inherited their father's company and built a diversified industrial empire with revenues of about $125 billion a year.
Charles Koch, one of the brothers who inherited his father's company PHOTO: X/@MikeMcClur69771
Trends and perspectives
The top 25 richest families in the world saw a collective increase of $358.7 billion from the previous year, bringing their total wealth to $2.9 trillion. Growth is fueled by stock market appreciation, demand for metals and livestock products, but also by the experience these families have accumulated over decades.
“The real lesson of this year's rankings is that size and influence matter“, the report emphasizes.
Other top names include the Mars, Ambani, Wertheimer, Thomson, Johnson, Cargill, Hoffmann-Oeri, Pritzker, Quandt, Ofer, Del Vecchio, Ferrero and Luksic families, each with diversified businesses and impressive global assets.
