We often see celebrities or influential figures in the social media limelight and assume they might be among the world’s richest families.
As we all know, recently a grand wedding of Indian businessman, Mukesh Ambani’s son caught significant attention worldwide, leading many to think of such families as the wealthiest.
Although many major Hollywood and Bollywood stars attended the wedding, the family still doesn’t make it to the list of the world’s 5 richest families.
The families on the list are often not in the spotlight and many people may not even know about them.
Let’s take a quick look at the world’s 5 richest families:
The Hermès Family (Hermès):
Family Wealth: $171 billion.
As per Brand vision insights, Hermes is a successful and luxury fashion brand. Founded by Thierry Hermes in 1837 as a workshop, where he made harnesses and leather items.
Over time, Hermes grew by producing famous items like Birkin bags and silk scarves, which became symbols of wealth and exclusivity.
Hermes keeps production limited to maintain exclusivity and high prices, which boosts its prestiges.
The Wallenberg Family (Sweden):
Family Wealth: €250 billion.
The Wallenberg family manages their significant investments using foundations and holding companies.
While, they may not be widely recognized in some regions, they are very influential in Sweden and Europe.
They focus on industrial sectors with their investment firm, Investor AB, owning shares in major companies like Ericsson and ABB.
The family is also known for founding banks and supporting educational institutions.
The family’s motto is “To move from knowledge to enlightened action.”
The Arnault Family (LVMH):
Family Wealth: Estimated above $191 billion.
Bernard Arnault leads his family’s stake in LVMH, which owns famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moët & Chandon.
The company spans sectors such as fashion, jewellery, champagne and cosmetics.
The Arnault family’s success comes not just from luxury appeal, but also from strategically acquiring smaller luxury brands and expanding them globally.
As Bernard is already the main public figure, his children also hold important positions in the company.
The Koch Family (Koch Industries):
Family Wealth: $116 billion in combined assets.
Fred Koch started the business by inventing a new way to refine oil. His sons, Charles and David Koch, expanded the company into a large conglomerate with investments in various industries, including energy, ranching, consumer goods and technology.
Their success combines strong values with independence, which helped them stand out in American industry.
After David Koch’s death, Charles continues to lead the company.
The Ortega Family (Zara/Inditex):
Family Wealth: $115 billion, depending on stock prices.
Amancio Ortega and his family became wealthy through their company, Inditex, which owns Zara.
Ortega co-founded Zara in 1975 in Spain, creating a new way of quickly delivering trendy clothing to stores.
Inditex later expanded to include other brands like Pull & Bear, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, but Zara remains the most successful.
