People from all walks of life enjoy checking out the super wealthy, whether it’s with admiration, envy, or a bit of resentment. It’s often more fun and less stressful than dealing with mortgages, online brokers, or finance studies wealthiest families in the world.
We’re all kind of fascinated by rich families, thanks to a culture that really idolizes wealth and sees rich folks as almost like celebrities. These big business leaders get looked at like sports stars, actors, or even politicians.
Successful family businesses have a way of capturing our attention. Not many of us will become billionaires, but everyone knows what it’s like to have a family. Family businesses also stand for values like tradition, history, quality, and authenticity. And when wealth stays in the family for generations, it feels kind of royal.
To keep things simple, we’re focusing on families that got rich through business, even if some of the family members who enjoy the money aren’t really involved in the business anymore.
Walton Family
The Waltons These guys are the richest family globally, with an unbelievable $224.5 billion. They’re connected to Walmart, the giant retail store. Jim, Alice, and Rob Walton are each worth around $65 billion and are 16th, 18th, and 19th on Forbes’ billionaire list.
Mars Family
Mars Family This family’s got around $160 billion. They’re behind Mars, the candy company. Nowadays, we know them for M&Ms more than the Mars bar. In 2017, they bought a pet care company called VCA for $9.1 billion.
| Rank | Family | Net Worth (USD) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walton Family | 224.5 billion | Walmart |
| 2 | Mars Family | 160 billion | Mars, Inc. |
| 3 | Koch Family | 128.8 billion | Koch Industries |
| 4 | Al Saud Family | 105 billion | Saudi Aramco |
| 5 | Hermès Family | 94.6 billion | Hermès |
| 6 | Ambani Family | 84.6 billion | Reliance Industries |
| 7 | Wertheimer Family | 79 billion | Chanel |
| 8 | Cargill, MacMillan Family | 65.2 billion | Cargill |
| 9 | Thomson Family | 53.9 billion | Thomson Reuters |
| 10 | Hoffmann, Oeri Family | 45.1 billion | Roche |
Koch Family
Koch Family These guys are sitting on about $128.8 billion. Their company is Koch Industries. Charles Koch’s dad started an oil business, but Charles is known for politics. He spends a lot to push a conservative agenda. He used to work with his brother David, but David passed away. Now, Charles and David’s widow Julia are worth $60 billion each and are 21st on Forbes’ billionaires list.
Al Saud Family
Al Saud Family This royal family’s got roughly $105 billion. They’re connected to Saudi Aramco, a super profitable oil company. It’s hard to know exactly how rich the family is because there are so many members—up to 15,000 of them! They’ve started businesses and got government deals to keep growing their wealth.
Hermès Family
Hermès Family This family’s fortune is around $94.6 billion. They’re in charge of the Hermès company, famous for luxury fashion items like scarves and handbags. Back in the day, they made clothes for fancy horse riding. Now they even have fancy Apple Watches that cost a ton.
Ambani Family
Ambani Family They’ve got about $84.6 billion. They’re the big shots behind Reliance Industries in India. Mukesh Ambani runs things like oil, gas, and textiles, while his brother Anil takes care of telecommunications and other stuff.
Wertheimer Family
Wertheimer Family This family’s wealth is about $79 billion. They’re linked to Chanel, the famous fashion brand. These brothers, Alain and Gerhard Wertheimer, own the company started by Coco Chanel.
Cargill, MacMillan Family
Cargill, MacMillan Family Their fortune is around $65.2 billion. Their company is Cargill, a big agriculture business. It started with a grain storage place in Iowa a long time ago. Both Cargill and MacMillan families have a say in the company.
Thomson Family
Thomson Family They’ve got roughly $53.9 billion. They make their money from Thomson Reuters, a media company. It all started with a radio station and moved into newspapers. David Thomson is the big boss, and he’s worth a ton of money.
Hoffmann, Oeri Family
Hoffmann, Oeri Family Their fortune is about $45.1 billion. They’re connected to Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company. The company makes a lot of money from cancer drugs.
So, these super rich families are kind of like modern-day royalty, making big bucks in their own ways.
