Wealth comes in many forms. Some people earn their money by founding companies that make it big, but others are born into family fortunes that set them up financially for life. Studies have shown that almost 50% of the ultra-wealthy have either inherited their money or had an affluent upbringing that provided them opportunities to further increase their fortunes. So how many of the world’s richest people have inherited wealth? Madison Trust Company researchers analyzed the net worth of the richest people in the world to determine which of them inherited their wealth and the companies where their fortunes came from.
The Richest Heirs in the World
One of the richest people on the list who inherited their money is Mukesh Ambani. Ambani is an Indian billionaire and chairman of Reliance Industries and is the richest person in Asia. His father, Dhirubhai Ambani, founded Reliance Industries in 1958. The company is headquartered in Mumbai and is responsible for multiple businesses, including energy, retail, natural gas, telecommunications, textiles, and media.
Another heir high on the list is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. She is a billionaire and heiress to the L'Oréal fortune. She is the granddaughter of L'Oréal founder Eugène Schueller and is the richest woman in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. L'Oréal was founded in 1909 and is headquartered outside of Paris in Clichy, France.
Another famous family that ranks highly on the list are the Waltons, heirs to Walmart founder Sam Walton’s fortune. Jim Walton, Rob Walton, and Alice Walton each have a net worth of more than $60 billion. The three heirs have consistently been included among the wealthiest people in America as well as the world for decades. Theirs is one of the most famous large inheritance stories in America.
Some of the world’s wealthiest heirs may have had their fortunes passed down to them through a directed trust, which ensures that the assets being inherited receive legal protection. If you have a significant amount of assets to pass down, it’s an option worth considering.
What Percentage of Billionaires Are Self-Made?
It is estimated that about 27% of the wealthiest Americans are self-made. Some famous self-made billionaires include Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon), Larry Ellison (co-founder of Oracle), Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), and Warren Buffett (CEO of Berkshire Hathaway).
Billionaires Who Inherited Their Fortunes
|
Name |
Net Worth |
Company |
Inheritance |
|
Mukesh Ambani |
$94,600,000,000 |
Reliance Industries |
Mukesh Ambani inherited Reliance Industries from his father, Dhirubhai Ambani. |
|
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and family |
$87,100,000,000 |
L'Oréal |
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the richest woman in the world, is the heiress of Liliane Bettencourt and granddaughter of L'Oréal founder Eugène Schueller. |
|
Jim Walton |
$71,200,000,000 |
Walmart |
Jim Walton is an heir to the Walmart fortune and is a director on the board. |
|
Rob Walton |
$69,300,000,000 |
Walmart |
Rob Walton is also an heir to the Walmart fortune and recently stepped down as chairman. |
|
Alice Walton |
$68,300,000,000 |
Walmart |
Alice Walton is a Walmart heiress and is one of the richest women in the world. |
|
Charles Koch |
$64,300,000,000 |
Koch Industries |
Charles Koch co-inherited a majority ownership in Koch Industries from his father, Fred C. Koch. |
|
Julia Koch and family |
$64,300,000,000 |
Koch Industries |
Julie Koch is the widow of David Koch, who co-inherited a majority ownership in Koch Industries from his father, Fred C. Koch. |
|
Jacqueline Mars |
$54,700,000,000 |
Mars |
Jacqueline Mars is the daughter of Forrest Mars Sr. and an heiress of Mars Inc. |
|
John Mars |
$54,700,000,000 |
Mars |
John Mars is a son of Forrest Mars Sr. and an heir of Mars Inc. |
|
Alain Wertheimer |
$45,100,000,000 |
Chanel |
Alain Wertheimer is a controlling shareholder in Chanel, which was co-founded by his grandfather, Pierre Wertheimer. |
|
Gerard Wertheimer |
$45,100,000,000 |
Chanel |
Gerard Wertheimer is a controlling shareholder in Chanel, which was co-founded by his grandfather, Pierre Wertheimer. |
|
Klaus-Michael Kühne |
$42,000,000,000 |
Kühne + Nagel |
Klaus-Michael Kühne is the majority owner of transport company Kühne + Nagel, which was founded by his grandfather, August Kühne. |
|
Giovanni Ferrero and family |
$35,400,000,000 |
Ferrero SpA |
Giovanni Ferrero is the richest person in Italy and became CEO of his family's company in 1997. |
|
Miriam Adelson |
$35,200,000,000 |
Las Vegas Sands |
Miriam Adelson was married to Sheldon Adelson, founder of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, and is now the majority owner of the company. |
|
Abigail Johnson |
$34,400,000,000 |
Fidelity Investments |
Abigail Johnson is the granddaughter of Edward C. Johnson II, the founder of Fidelity Investments. |
|
Dieter Schwarz |
$30,700,000,000 |
Schwarz Group |
Dieter Schwarz took over the Schwarz Group, which includes popular grocery store Lidl, from his father, Josef Schwarz. |
|
Mackenzie Scott |
$30,600,000,000 |
Amazon |
Mackenzie Scott was married to Jeff Bezos, and their divorce settlement left her with billions of dollars in shares of Amazon. |
|
Lukas Walton |
$24,800,000,000 |
Walmart |
Lukas Walton is the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton and currently works for the Walton Family Foundation. |
|
Azim Premji |
$24,700,000,000 |
Wipro |
Azim Premji dropped out of Stanford University after his father's death to take over Western India Vegetable Products, later called Wipro. |
|
Leonard Lauder |
$19,600,000,000 |
Estée Lauder |
Leonard Lauder and his brother Ronald are heirs to the Estée Lauder cosmetics company fortune. |
|
Donald Newhouse |
$14,100,000,000 |
Advance Publications |
Donald Newhouse inherited the media business of his father, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., which includes Condé Nast and a majority share of Reddit. |
|
Pamela Mars-Wright |
$13,800,000,000 |
Mars |
Pamela Mars-Wright is a fourth-generation heir of the Mars family. |
|
Valerie Mars |
$13,800,000,000 |
Mars |
Valerie Mars is a fourth-generation heir of the Mars family. |
|
Marijke Mars |
$13,800,000,000 |
Mars |
Marijke Mars is a fourth-generation heir of the Mars family. |
|
Victoria Mars |
$13,800,000,000 |
Mars |
Victoria Mars is a fourth-generation heir of the Mars family. |
|
Laurene Powell Jobs |
$10,300,000,000 |
Apple/Steven P. Jobs Trust |
Laurene Powell Jobs is the widow of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and the trust she inherited has stakes in Apple and Disney. |
|
Carl Cook |
$9,800,000,000 |
Cook Group |
Carl Cook is the CEO of medical device company the Cook Group, which was started by his parents in 1963. |
|
Pauline Keinath |
$7,460,000,000 |
Cargill |
Pauline Keinath is the great-granddaughter of William Wallace Cargill, who was the founder of agricultural conglomerate Cargill. |
|
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen |
$7,210,000,000 |
The Lego Group |
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is the grandson of Lego founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen and was CEO of the company from 1979 to 2004. |
|
Georg Schaeffler |
$6,900,000,000 |
Schaeffler Group |
Schaeffler Group was founded by Georg Schaeffler's father, also named Georg Schaeffler, and is now owned by the younger Georg and his mother, Maria-Elizabeth Schaeffler-Thumann. |
|
Ann Walton Kroenke |
$6,870,000,000 |
Walmart |
Ann Kroenke inherited Walmart stock from her father, Bud Walton, who was the brother of Walmart founder Sam Walton. |
|
Ronald Lauder |
$4,300,000,000 |
Estée Lauder |
Ronald Lauder and his brother Leonard are heirs to the Estée Lauder cosmetics company fortune. |
Would you like to display this on your website? Copy and paste the code below!
<center>
<textarea readonly>
<a href="https://www.madisontrust.com/information-center/which-of-the-worlds-richest-people-inherited-their-wealth/">
<img src="https://www.madisontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/worlds-richest-people-inherited-wealth-5.png" alt="Which of the World's Richest People Inherited Their Wealth? - MadisonTrust.com IRA - Infographic" title="Which of the World's Richest People Inherited Their Wealth? - MadisonTrust.com - Infographic></a><br><a href="https://www.MadisonTrust.com" alt="MadisonTrust.com" title="MadisonTrust.com">By MadisonTrust.com</a>
</textarea>
</center>