The Richest Family in the World Heads a Massive U.S. Chain

The Waltons are not only at the top of the list of America's richest families, but they also dominate the rest of the globe. The family's net worth of almost $350 billion is thanks to the multigenerational "family" business, Walmart.

Although the Abu Dhabi Royal family surpassed the Waltons as the wealthiest family globally in 2023, they returned the crown to the Waltons in 2024 after a short reign.

Third place for the world's wealthiest families goes to this French family that owns and operates the world-leading LVMH Group, one of the largest luxury goods companies.

The luxury fashion powerhouse Hermès family has been raking in their fortune in high-end retail for six generations. This billionaire family from France began selling to European elites in 1837, and now a store can be found on any major city's main street.

Like any billionaire family, the founders of Koch Industries accumulated their massive fortune by eliminating the competition. Current Koch family members have taken that strategy into the political realm as significant contributors to the Libertarian field.

The Al Thani family has been the ruling family of Qatar since the 1850s. As rulers, the family owns some of the largest shares in the country's vast oil reserves.

Many of the Mars family members still play a role in one of America's largest private companies built on candy and chocolate bars, while other family members have pursued philanthropy and other ventures.

The Indian Ambani Family has been rising in the wealthy ranks as the country advances, and more subscribers from the most populous nation buy into their 4G telecom service.

The Al Saud family, the Saudi royal family, consistently ranks high on this list thanks to the country's constant cash flow from oil.

Carlos Slim Helu has significantly built up the family's fortune by creating and expanding Latin America's most dominant telecom firm, América Móvil.

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and family are the heirs to a massive fortune thanks to the joining of two wealthy families and the continued success of their cosmetics juggernaut, L'Oreal.

Often nicknamed "fashion's quietest billionaires," the secretive Wertheimer brothers enjoy a majority share in the luxury brand Chanel. That cash cow business fuels their other interests, which revolve mostly around wine and horse racing.

David Thomson and clan have the reigns of a behemoth media and publishing empire, spanning across key sectors, including Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, Bell Canada and Globe and Mail.

This multigenerational family business dynasty was built on the foundation of William Wallace Cargill and his son-in-law, John H. Macmillan Sr. The family owns some of the largest shares of agriculture businesses in the world.

No list of wealthy families in the world would be complete without mentioning the Hartono brothers, R. Budi and Michael. This dynamic duo took funds from a successful cigarette manufacturer and flipped into a mountain fortune through investments at Bank Central Asia.

Aside from other ventures, the majority of the Johnson family fortune stems from a major stake in the mutual fund company, Fidelity.

The Boeringer-Von Baumbachs have become one of the wealthiest families globally by becoming Germany's second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer.

BMW billionaire heirs Stephan Quandt and Susanne Klatten would likely not want you looking into the history of their company since the luxury car brand BMW made bank off of government contracts with the Nazis in World War II.

The ruling family of the global grocery chain, Aldi, is also the majority shareholder in Trader Joe's, making it one of the few to go from mom-and-pop shops to a global powerhouse.

The Swiss Hoffmann-Oeri family is another pharmaceutical giant on this list that amassed a jaw-dropping $38 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic.