Top 10 Wealthiest Families in the World

The top ten wealthiest families have majorly spread across four countries around the world. Headed by a woman, is simply one out of ten. These families did acquire wealth in different ways including a prerogative connection to resources and politics as one of them employs people who are more than two million.

The families are at least each $34bn worth with the top most two of possibly more than $1 trillion worth.  Now those are crazy figures.

The intriguing estimated figures of the net worth were calculated in March this year, 2016.

These families are especially from;

• The royalty.
• The primes of international finance.
• Genesis of entrepreneurs

And even

• Candy maker.

Below is the chart showing billionaires per world region;

Data Source: Forbes

While this one shows how many they are among the top countries;

Data Source: Forbes

Despite all that’s shown in the chart above, among the richest that is to be precise, there are those classified as wealthiest families and not as individuals since their wealth has been a generational one.

Here is the list of top most Heavyweights of the wealthiest and most affluent families;

1. The Rothschild Family, Germany

The Rothschild name, since the late 1700s has been a household name for international banking. They are estimated to be between the net worth of $350 billion and $2 trillion. That ‘simply unbelievable, but, it’s precisely how wealthy the Rothschild’s are.

The original patriarch, Mayer Rothschild, used to be a finance manager as well as an assistant favored of the German royal family. Apparently, such an honor usually doesn’t befall every folk, but just a select few.

Among his duties was to develop, for the German aristocracy, a banking business while he leveraged his position in court. When his five sons became of age (old enough to transact business deals), they were stationed in five major cities in Europe to manage the local business affairs.

These cities that we are raving about actually consisted of;

• London
• Vienna
• Naples
• Paris
• Frankfurt

Hence, as a result, a multi-century financial empire flourished.

Due to their relatively small profiles and private business activities, the Rothschild’s have captured the imagination of economic historians and conspiracy theorists alike. After all, who wouldn’t be astounded by such a complimentary accomplishment?

Moreover, despite the fact that they are still famously and fabulously wealthy, their various holdings are difficult to track and verify due to the many descendants.

2. The House of Saud, Saudi Arabia

Since the 17th century, the al-Saud family ruled the Saudi Arabia with sheer authority. As of now, they are estimated to be of $1.4 trillion net worth.

Although there has been in place a modern government since the ‘30s, the Al-Saud family is headed by King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud as of 2016. Surprisingly not, the larger percentage of their wealth comes from their control over the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, something they are well-reputed for and exquisite.

3. The Walton Family, US

Sam Walton built over a short period, his family's retail shopping empire. In the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, he cut his teeth in various store franchises and hence opened his first Wal-Mart store, then called Wal-Mart Discount City, in July 1962 in Rogers Arkansas.

Walton avoiding larger urban competition and focusing on small towns managed to revolutionize the industry. In 2016, the store has taken things to a whole new level where it operates under the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

This company is the greatest employer in the world as a nongovernment with an approximate 2.1m employees as of 2015; something that is quite exemplary indeed.

The Walton family is estimated to be $152 billion of net worth. Until his last breath back in 1992, Walton had grasped the distribution, suppliers, and the selection contracts while his six heirs own more than half of the Walton Mart Stores stocks.

4. The Koch Family, US

The Koch family determined to be net worth $89 billion, own the Koch Industries, which are among the private companies, the second largest, in the world.

Its history is quite fascinating as it was first launched as an oil refinery by Fred Koch in the ‘4os but with the control of his sons; it took off in 1983 after they bought out brothers Bill and Frederick.

The Koch Company being a multinational amassed has interests in;

• Real estate oil
• Ranching
• Commodity trading
• Chemicals
• Finance
• Fertilizer
• Households goods

5. The Mars Family, US

Most of the Mars fortune drawn is from candy. Yes, you heard it right; candy. Their estimated worth is $80 billion.

The Mars Inc. is the largest private company for candy in the world. The company since 1911 has been producing candy placed on the shelves. The founder of this endeavor, Franklin Mars, is the father to Forrest, who is considered to add the Mars Bar and the M&MS.

The Mars family has a legacy to its name where the head office (HQ) of the time-honored L'Oréal in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine is acquainted with many as Centre Eugène Schueller.

6. The Slim Family, Mexico

In 2016, Carlos Slim Helu was branded by the Forbes magazine as among the world's wealthiest persons in the fourth position. In between 2010 and 2013, he ranked first, above the billionaires of the black gold (oil) industry and even the world’s famous Bill Gates.

Carlos is the founder of the conglomerate Grupo Carso that controls the equity value of approximate 40% on the Mexico stock exchange.

With the help of his sons, he runs the empire, and they are of net worth $77.1 billion.

7. The Cargill-MacMillan Family, US

Founded by William Wallace Cargill, the Cargill Inc. is the only private company that is worth more than the Koch Industries.

The Cargill family owns more than half the company, which is 88% of Cargill to be precise. The family pride in having more known billionaires (14 at that, just to set the statistics right) than other wealthy households with an estimated net worth of $45 billion.

8. The Bettencourt Family, France

Eugene Schueller, a French-German, founded the cosmetic giant L'Oreal S.A. It grew when he developed lone hair dye formula in the early 1900s and sold it to the wealthy Paris people, and the salons of Paris which were the then world's capital of fashion.

After his death and the death of her husband, Andre Bettencourt, the control of the company was assumed by his daughter Lillianne. Lillianne, in the world, is the wealthiest woman as of 2016.

The family's estimated net worth is $42.7 billion.

9. The Renault Family, France

The patriarch of the family, Bernard Jean Etienne Renault, is the CEO of the Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and the Christian Dior.

He is the chairperson of the same. The Renault is another French billionaire family of net worth $37.7 billion. They are famously known for the luxury brands.

The patriarch's two children, Antoine, and Delphine are also part of the activities of the company.

10. The Cox Family, US

Like the Al-Saud family, the Cox family abstruse how to convert or transform the wealth that is generational from administrative access. Serving two terms as the Democratic Ohio governor which was nonconsecutive, James Middleton Cox also ran a campaign for the presidency in 1920 which he didn’t win.

He then built a media brand by acquiring few newspapers, after his political career. He made all this come to pass while keeping close to the Democratic Party establishment and his former running mate, Franklin Roosevelt.

Two of his grandsons run the Cox as of 2016. The Cox net worth estimated is $34.5 billion.

Is the rich getting richer?

Oxfam a charity research is concerned with the way the world's wealth owned. They claim to be a huge rift between the rich and the poor and are calling for the adoption of a seven-point plan by the governments. These would enable to tackle;

• Inequality
• clampdown on tax evasion by companies
• Move towards a living wage for all workers.

Oxfam came with the shocking revelation in 2014, that the 85 richest people, which make 1% of the world's population have the same wealth as the least fortunate individuals who make the 50% of the population (approximately 3.5 billion people).

This comparison as stark as it shows that shares of the world’s wealth owned by the richest people are 44% as of 2009. The shares are bound to increase to 50% in 2016 from the 48% of 2014.

The chart below intelligently provides us with the statistics;

Data Source: Forbes

Why Forbes Magazine Don’t Include Wealthy Families

Despite their famous names and wealth, they are seldom added to Forbes magazine as the most affluent families. It is due to their generational wealth, meaning that since the property is inherited or passed down through descendants, this dilutes the money acquired personally or individually.

Their achievements and fortunes are still considered but still are the wealthiest families in the world.