The richest family in the world is the Walton family, whose Walmart stake gave them $513.4 billion in Bloomberg’s December 2025 ranking, the first family fortune to pass half a trillion dollars. The Al Nahyan ruling family of Abu Dhabi follows at $335.9 billion, then the Al Saud family at $213.6 billion.
Those two royal houses are a different kind of number from the Waltons, so this ranking marks them separately. Every dynasty gets a founder, a founding year and a controlling generation, and fortunes are divided among heirs where the family size is documented.
Richest Family in the World: The Short Answer and What Counts as a Family
The Walton family of Walmart is the richest family in the world at $513.4 billion, Bloomberg reported in December 2025 with prices as of 9 December. Bloomberg adds up wealth across a whole extended family and leaves out first-generation fortunes, single-heir fortunes and fortunes whose source is unclear. Twenty-five families cleared a $46.4 billion entry threshold.
The 25 fortunes together reached $2.9 trillion, up $358.7 billion in a year, and the ten below hold about $2.0 trillion of it. A private company has no daily price, so each family figure is an estimate. This article is general information, not financial advice.
Top 10 Richest Families: Fortune, Company, Generations and Type
| # | Family | Wealth comes from | Net worth (December 2025) | Generations | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walton | Walmart | $513.4 billion | 3 | Company family |
| 2 | Al Nahyan | Abu Dhabi: oil and sovereign investment | $335.9 billion | 3 | Ruling family |
| 3 | Al Saud | Saudi Arabia: Aramco and oil | $213.6 billion | 3 | Ruling family |
| 4 | Al Thani | Qatar: gas and sovereign investment | $199.5 billion | 8 | Ruling family |
| 5 | Hermès (Dumas) | Hermès | $184.5 billion | 6 | Company family |
| 6 | Koch | Koch Inc. | $150.5 billion | 3 | Company family |
| 7 | Mars | Mars, Incorporated | $143.4 billion | 5 | Company family |
| 8 | Ambani | Reliance Industries | $105.6 billion | 2 | Company family |
| 9 | Wertheimer | Chanel | $85.6 billion | 3 | Company family |
| 10 | Thomson | Thomson Reuters | $82.1 billion | 3 | Company family |
Three are ruling families, shown in bold. The seven company families hold $1,265.1 billion and the three royal houses $749.0 billion.
The 10 Richest Families, From the Waltons to the Thomsons
1. Walton: The Walmart Stake Past Half a Trillion
Net worth: $513.4 billion | Stake: 44.11% of Walmart | Founded: 1962, Sam Walton | Generations (Bloomberg): 3
Sam Walton opened the first Walmart on 2 July 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Walmart’s April 2026 proxy statement shows Walton Enterprises, LLC holding 3,516,197,849 of 7,970,990,515 shares, or 44.11 percent.
Walmart took in $713.2 billion in the year to 31 January 2026 from 10,955 retail units, with about 2.1 million associates. Two Waltons sit on its board while Greg Penner chairs it and John Furner is chief executive.
2. Al Nahyan: Abu Dhabi’s Ruling House
Net worth: $335.9 billion | Type: ruling family | In Abu Dhabi since: 1793 | Ruler: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed
The Al Nahyan descend from the Al Bu Falah branch of the Bani Yas and settled in Abu Dhabi in 1793, the UAE government says. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed became ruler of Abu Dhabi on 13 May 2022 and UAE president the next day.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority was set up in 1976 by the Abu Dhabi government, not by the family, and Bloomberg noted that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed oversees about $1.5 trillion of assets.
3. Al Saud: The Royal Family and Aramco
Net worth: $213.6 billion | Type: ruling family | Kingdom named: 23 September 1932 | Crown Prince since 21 June 2017
King Abdulaziz renamed the country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by royal decree on 23 September 1932, the Saudi Press Agency records. A June 2017 royal order made Mohammed bin Salman crown prince.
Saudi Aramco anchors the estimate, yet the government, not the family, holds 81.48 percent of its shares, per its 2025 annual report. Aramco earned $104.7 billion of adjusted net income in 2025, and Bloomberg puts the extended family at about 15,000 people.
4. Al Thani: Eight Generations in Qatar
Net worth: $199.5 billion | Type: ruling family | State founded: 1878 | Amir: Sheikh Tamim since 2013
Qatar marks 18 December as the founding of the modern state in 1878 by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, the Amiri Diwan says. Bloomberg counts eight generations of the Al Thani, the most of any family here.
The Qatar Investment Authority was created by Amiri Decision No. 22 of 2005 and began investing in 2006. A decision of 16 May 2023 reorganised it, and Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi became chief executive in 2024.
5. Hermès: Six Generations Since a Paris Workshop
Net worth: $184.5 billion | Family stake: 66.7% of capital, 76.0% of votes | Founded: 1837, Thierry Hermès | Executive chairman: Axel Dumas, sixth generation
Thierry Hermès opened a horse-tack workshop in rue Basse-du-Rempart in Paris in 1837. Axel Dumas, a sixth-generation family member, has been executive chairman since 2013.
At 31 December 2025 the family group held 66.7 percent of the capital, 54.3 percent through the holding company H51. Revenue reached €16 billion in 2025 and recurring operating income €6.6 billion.
6. Koch: Wichita’s Private Conglomerate
Net worth: $150.5 billion | Founded: 1940, Fred Koch | Scale: about 130,000 employees | Co-CEO: Charles Koch
Fred C. Koch co-founded Wood River Oil and Refining Company in 1940. His son Charles joined in 1961, became chairman and chief executive when Fred died in 1967, and the company took the Koch Industries name that year.
Koch is privately held and publishes no market value. It reports revenues above $125 billion and more than $168 billion invested in growth since 2003. Chase Koch is an executive vice president.
7. Mars: Candy, Pet Care and Kellanova
Net worth: $143.4 billion | Founded: 1911, Frank C. Mars | Scale: $65 billion-plus | Generations (Bloomberg): 5
Frank C. Mars began selling butter cream candy from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington, in 1911 and launched the Milky Way bar in 1923. Non-family managers have led Mars since 2001, two years after Forrest Mars Sr. died.
Mars completed its purchase of Kellanova, owner of Pringles and Cheez-It, on 11 December 2025, a $35.9 billion deal including debt. It now calls itself a $65 billion-plus family-owned business.
8. Ambani: India’s Only Family on the List
Net worth: $105.6 billion | Stake: 49.11% promoter group in Reliance | Founded: 1957, Dhirubhai Ambani | Generations (Bloomberg): 2
Dhirubhai Ambani returned to India in 1957 and began trading yarn in Mumbai, Reliance records. Its 1977 share offering was oversubscribed seven times, and the Jamnagar refinery opened in 2000.
Mukesh Ambani is chairman and managing director. His children Isha, Akash and Anant sit on the board, and Anant became an executive director on 1 May 2025. Reliance reported ₹11,75,919 crore of revenue for the year to March 2026. Our profile of Mukesh Ambani’s net worth breaks down the holdings.
9. Wertheimer: Chanel, Still Privately Held
Net worth: $85.6 billion | Founded: 1910, Gabrielle Chanel | Revenue: $19.3 billion | Board: Alain Wertheimer
Gabrielle Chanel opened a hat boutique at 21 rue Cambon in Paris in 1910, and the Société des Parfums Chanel followed in 1924. Chanel Limited calls itself a privately held group, and Alain Wertheimer is a director.
Chanel reported 2025 revenue of $19.3 billion, up 2 percent, and operating profit of $4,712 million. It opened more than 40 boutiques, employed 37,984 people and is run by chief executive Leena Nair.
10. Thomson: Thomson Reuters Behind Woodbridge
Net worth: $82.1 billion | Stake: about 70% via Woodbridge | Founded: 1930s, Roy Thomson | Woodbridge chairmen: David and Peter Thomson
Roy Thomson bought his first Canadian newspaper, The Timmins Press, in the 1930s. Thomson Reuters says Woodbridge, the private vehicle of his family, owned about 70 percent of its shares on 2 March 2026.
Thomson Reuters had 2025 revenues of $7,476 million, 81 percent of them recurring. David Thomson and Peter Thomson chair Woodbridge, and Peter sits on the Thomson Reuters board.
Ruling Families Are a Different Kind of Number
The Al Nahyan, Al Saud and Al Thani fortunes cannot be read like the Waltons’ shares. A Walmart share has a price every second the market is open, while a royal estimate is inferred because oil income, state funds and personal property overlap. ADIA and QIA belong to the state, and Aramco’s filing shows the Saudi government itself holding 81.48 percent.
A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment pool, not a ruler’s bank account. Three tests separate the two types of fortune:
- Legal title: shares in a named company, versus assets held by a state body such as ADIA or QIA.
- Right to sell: the Waltons can sell Walmart shares, but a ruler cannot sell a country’s reserves.
- What the number measures: a stake with a price, versus an estimate of the wealth a family can direct.
Dividing the Fortune: What Each Heir Holds
A family fortune is not one person’s wealth. Dividing Bloomberg’s figures by documented family counts shows the split:
- Walton: Walmart’s proxy names 11 family members as trustees of the four trusts that manage Walton Enterprises. $513.4 billion across 11 is about $46.7 billion each.
- Hermès: Émile Hermès SAS became a simplified company in 2021 so it could have more than 100 partners. $184.5 billion across 100 is $1.8 billion each, before spouses, children and grandchildren in the family group.
- Al Saud: Bloomberg puts the extended family at about 15,000. $213.6 billion across them is $14.2 million each, but the wealth sits with senior royals, so the average describes almost nobody.
Mars and Koch are private companies with no public share register, so no per-head figure can be documented. For a national comparison, see the richest country in the world by GDP per capita.
How Families Keep Control: Trusts, Holding Companies and Private Ownership
Each family holds its stake through a structure built to keep shares inside the bloodline:
- Walton: Walton Enterprises, LLC, managed by four WELLCO management trusts, holds 44.11 percent of Walmart.
- Hermès: the family group holds 76.0 percent of theoretical votes against 66.7 percent of capital. Partners in the active partner must descend from Émile-Maurice Hermès, and transfers need the partners’ approval, per the Hermès universal registration document.
- Thomson: a 2003 trust with a bank trust company as trustee holds Thomson Investments Limited, the holding company above Woodbridge.
- Ambani: a promoter group of 46 holders owned 49.11 percent of Reliance at 31 March 2026.
- Mars, Koch and Chanel: private companies with no public shares at all.
What Happens at Succession: Six Documented Handovers
Ruling houses pass power in days, company families over years:
- Qatar, 25 June 2013: Sheikh Hamad announced he would hand power to his heir apparent, and Sheikh Tamim took up his duties, the Amiri Diwan records.
- Abu Dhabi, 13 and 14 May 2022: Sheikh Khalifa died, his brother Mohamed bin Zayed became ruler that day, and the Federal Supreme Council elected him president unanimously the next.
- Saudi Arabia, 21 June 2017: a royal order replaced Mohammed bin Naif with Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince.
- Thomson, 2006: Kenneth Thomson died at 82, and his 2003 trust kept control of the family holding company.
- Mars, 1999 to 2001: Forrest Mars Sr. died in 1999 and non-family management has led the company since 2001.
- Koch, 1967: Fred Koch died and Charles Koch became chairman and chief executive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the richest family in the world?
The Walton family, at $513.4 billion in Bloomberg’s December 2025 ranking, ahead of the Al Nahyan family at $335.9 billion. Among company owners, Hermès is next at $184.5 billion.
Which royal family is the richest in the world?
The Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi at $335.9 billion, ahead of the Al Saud family at $213.6 billion and the Al Thani family at $199.5 billion. These are estimates, because state assets and personal wealth overlap.
Who is the richest family in India?
The Ambani family, at $105.6 billion, the only Indian family among Bloomberg’s 25. Reliance Industries’ promoter group held 49.11 percent of the company at 31 March 2026.
Who is the richest family in America?
The Waltons, then the Koch family at $150.5 billion and the Mars family at $143.4 billion.
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