We often hear about the world’s richest billionaires and their come-up stories, but what about the world’s wealthiest families?
You might expect the UK Royal Family, one of the most well-known and respected royal families in the world, to be in there somewhere.
Or even the Kardashians – known as America’s ‘most famous’ family, with several of the family members having assest of over $1 billion (approximately £800 million).
However, neither of them are top of the list, or even in the top five. So who is the wealthiest family and how much are they worth?
The wealthiest family on the globe is worth a whopping $432.4 billion, which is over £354 billion.
Compare that the Kardashians who have a collective net worth just under $3 billion (£2.4 billion) and to the Royal family who according to the Fair Observer has a collective net worth estimated between $28 billion (£22 billion) and $90 billion (£73 billion). This family has reached new heights of wealth.
The said family is the Walton Family, who are the founders of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer.
The majority of the family’s wealth derives from the heritage of brothers James Walton, also known as Bud and Sam Walton, who co-founded the retailer in 1962 in nearby Roger, Arkansas.
Today, Walmart is not only the largest retailer but one of the world’s largest business enterprises regarding annual revenue and with more than 2.2 million employees, the world’s largest private employer.
Last year, the business’ global net sales reportedly hit a staggering $643 billion (around £526 billion).
The three most prominent living members, Sam’s children, Jim, Rob and Alice have consistently been in the top 20 of the Forbes 400 list since 2001. Sam’s son, John, also featured on the list prior to his death in 2005, his wife, Chrissty Walton took his place in the ranking.
Additionally two years after the death of her son, Helen Walton, wife of Sam Walton, who also made the list consistently, passed away.
As of December 2014, the family collectively owns just under 50% of Walmart, However, a of December 2024, their net worth put them at the position of the richest family in the world.
