Richer than the Ambanis? The world’s 25 wealthiest family business empires ranked – behind brands from Nutella to BMW, Hermès to Walmart
Billions built on beer, BMW, oil, property, publishing, pharmaceuticals and chocolate spread ... who are the world’s wealthiest families, and how did they get so rich?
While much of world struggles with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, many of the world's richest families are as wealthy – or have become even wealthier – as ever.
Bloomberg ranked the families with the richest fortunes across the globe – together, they possess US$1.4 trillion in wealth from retail industries, media conglomerates, agribusiness companies, tech giants and more.
Bloomberg determined its ranking based on net worth figures from July 24, 2020. It didn’t take into account first-generation fortunes, fortunes controlled by a single heir, or fortunes derived primarily from the state. For the purposes of this list, families whose wealth stems from a joint company or enterprise are being considered as a single entry.
From the billionaire family behind Nutella to the Walmart heirs, here are the richest families in the world, ranked.
25. The Lee family
Net worth: US$29 billion
Source of wealth: Samsung
The Lees are the family behind Samsung, which is now the world’s largest producer of smartphones and consists of 62 companies, according to Bloomberg. The electronics giant has helped the Lees become one of Asia’s richest families.
24. The Pritzker family