The Net Worths Of The Wealthiest World Leaders
You don't have to be rich to run a country, but it certainly helps. Money opens doors, and it takes a lot of money to open the biggest door in a country. Some of the individuals on this list made their fortune by working hard and making good decisions. Others married into wealth and others still made money dishonestly.
Keep reading to find out how these world leaders stack up against each other when it comes to how much money they have in the bank.
Donald Trump Isn't The Richest Politician
For a long time, Donald Trump's name was synonymous with wealth. When he became the President of the United States, a lot of people thought that his money may have had something to do with it. In reality, Donald Trump is actually the least wealthy politician on this list. He has a net worth of 3.1 billion dollars.
Donald Trump may be rich, but he’s not the richest. He does have quite an interesting relationship with the richest man on this list, though.
Vladimir Putin Is The Wealthiest, Though
That's right, from the least wealthy straight to the most wealthy. With a net worth of seventy billion dollars, Russian president Vladimir Putin is the richest politician in the world.
He’s currently serving his second term as president. He first held the position from 2000-2008, and then he ended up back in office in 2012. Putin is quite a controversial figure. He was a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years before he rose to power.
Michael Bloomberg Is Right Behind Him
Michael Bloomberg was the mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013. He is the founder and the owner of the largest share of Bloomberg LP. Bloomberg is the second wealthiest politician in the world. He rings in just behind Vladimir Putin with a net worth of fifty-six billion.
Bloomberg is the sixth richest person in the United States and the ninth richest person in the world. Bloomberg is known for his generous charitable contributions.
Kim Jong-Un Has More Money Than Donald Trump
Kim Jong-Un has a total net worth of 5 billion dollars. Clearly, that's more than Donald Trump and less than Vladimir Putin. Kim Jong-Un is actually the 17th richest politician in the world.
He’s known for being one of the most powerful dictators still in power. He’s also the first North Korean leader to have been born after the country was founded. He’s also the second-youngest head of state in the world at the moment.
Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Kabeer Owns A Giant Dairy Company
Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer is a man with a lot of power, but he's also a wildly successful businessman. Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer is one of the founders of Almarai, which is one of the largest dairy food companies in the world.
When he’s not busy selling dairy products, he enjoys being a member of the Saudi royal family. This prince is the 12th son of King Abdulaziz.
Maha Vajiralongkorn Showed His Humanity
Maha Vajiralongkorn has been the king of Thailand since 2016. His net worth is around thirty billion dollars.
Vajiralongkorn became the crown prince of Thailand in 1972 when he was 20 years old. His father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on October 13th, 2016, but Vajiralongkorn didn't take over the throne until December of that year. He wanted to take some time to mourn the death of his father. Vajiralongkorn was 64 years old at the time.
Imelda Marcos Has A Lot Of Shoes
Filipino politician and ambassador Imelda Marcos is worth around five billion dollars. What does she buy with all of that money? Shoes, of course. Marcos is well known for her extensive shoe collection.
Imelda was born in Manila in the Philippines. She was married to the Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos until he died in 1989. Imelda and her husband actually hold a Guinness World Record for the "Greatest Robbery of a Government."
Ross Perot Stands Up For What He Believes In
Ross Perot was an Independent Party Presidential Candidate in 1992 and 1996. He funded his campaign with his immense personal wealth. This American business man is worth approximately 3.7 billion dollars.
Perot is the founder and former CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. In the 1992 election, Perot won 18.9% of the popular vote, but he didn't get any electoral votes. Perot is pro-choice and he strongly supports Planned Parenthood. He also believes in increasing taxes for the wealthy.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Is An Avid Equestrian
Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the current Ruler of Dubai. His net worth is around fourteen billion dollars.
In recent years Dubai has really become a leader in urban planning, tourism, and development, and Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum was behind a lot of that progress. This politician is also an accomplished equestrian and an owner of several world-class horses. In 2012, he won the FEI World Endurance Championship on the horse Madji Du Pont.
The Sultan Of Brunei Has A Bunch Of Honorary Degrees
The crown prince and Sultan of Brunei is also known as Hassanai Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah. This sultan has served as the region’s acting Prime Minister since Brunei was first granted independence from Britain in 1984.
The sultan has a number of honorary doctorates and degrees from universities all over the world, including the National University of Singapore, and the University of Oxford in England. It’s estimated that the Sultan of Brunei is worth around twenty billion dollars.
Prince Azim Runs In Famous Crowds
Speaking of wealth in Brunei, let's move right along to Prince Azim, the fourth in line for the Brunei throne. His Royal Highness Prince Haji Abdul Azim is the second born prince and the eldest son of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and is reportedly worth five billion dollars.
Prince Azim is an avid patron for the Make A Wish Foundation in the UK, and also spoke up for people with autism, stating that they should be treated with respect and deserve the same level of care and support as any other person.
The Prince Of Liechtenstein Inherited His Power
The current Prince Regnant of Liechtenstein is Hans-Adam II. He is a direct descendant of the Liechtenstein family, which became sovereign in 1719. They own the Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria.
This is the only remaining European monarchy in which only firstborn males can inherit the throne. Hans-Adam II has ruled for over 20 years and he has complete control over his country. His net worth is estimated to be around 3.5 billion dollars.
Silvio Berlusconi Got In Trouble With The Law
Silvio Berlusconi has been the Prime Minister of Italy on four separate occasions. He is also an Italian media tycoon. In 2009, Forbes ranked him 12th on the list of The World's Most Powerful People due to his influence on Italian politics.
He isn't the most honest politician in the world, though. He’s famous for evading taxes and various other criminal convictions. Berlusconi is reportedly worth 8.5 billion dollars. When you don’t pay taxes, a lot more money stays in your pocket.
Bidzina Ivanishvili Came From Humble Beginnings
Georgian politician and businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili is reportedly worth 6.4 billion dollars. Ivanishvili wasn't always wealthy, though. He was born into a poor family before he made a fortune and became the Prime Minister of Georgia in 2012.
Ivanishvili is a dual citizen of the Russian Federation and Georgia. In March 2012, Ivanishvili was ranked at number 153 in Forbes magazine's annual list of all of the billionaires in the world. Ivanishvili is also the richest person in Georgia.
Mikhail Prokhorov Is Another Famous Russian
Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian politician, political activist, businessman, and he holds an ownership stake in the Brooklyn Nets. He made most of his money by investing in the precious metals sector. Prokhorov ran as an independent candidate in the 2012 Russian presidential election.
He came third in the polls and received 7.94 percent of the total vote. Prokhorov founded a new political party in Russia, the Party of Civic Platform. Forbes estimates that he’s worth 9.2 billion dollars.
Zong Qinghou Saves His Money
Zong Qinghou is a Chinese entrepreneur. He is the founder of the largest beverage company in China, Hangzhu Wahaha Group. He's worth over 10 billion dollars and he's one of the richest men in the world.
Zong isn't just a businessman, though. He's also a delegate to the Chinese National People’s Congress. Apparently, even though he's very wealthy, Zong doesn't like to spend money, and reportedly only spends twenty dollars per day. A penny saved is a penny earned.
Savitri Jindal Took On A Challenge
Savitri Jindal is both the wealthiest politician and the wealthiest woman in India. She got most of her money by marrying Oam Prakash Jindal, the founder of the Jindal Group. Jindal died in 2005 in a helicopter crash and Savitri inherited his entire estate. She also took over his company.
Savitri was able to increase the company's revenue and the Jindal Group is now worth over 18 billion dollars. She is currently the Chairperson Emeritus, Jindal Steel & Power Limited. Her four sons run the four divisions of the company.
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud Lost His Fortune
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He's a member of the Saudi royal family and he’s also a philanthropist, an investor, a businessman, and the fifth richest politician in the world.
In 2008, he was featured on Time magazine’s list of the top 100 most influential people in the world. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud’s estimated net worth was around 20 billion dollars. In 2017, he was arrested for corruption along with other Saudi billionaires. He was able to reach a settlement and in 2018 he dropped off the world billionaire’s list.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Broke A Glass Ceiling
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is the current president of Argentina. She made her fortune by marrying the previous president of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner. Néstor was accused of embezzlement, which may be how he made his fortune. Something suspicious is definitely going on here.
Fernandez isn't the first woman to serve as the President of Argentina, but she is the first woman who was directly elected into office. She was also the first female Argentinian president to be re-elected.
John Key Made His Money Honestly
John Key is the current and 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand. It's estimated that he’s worth around 38.7 million dollars.
Unlike a lot of the other entries on this list, Key seems to have made his fortune in an honest and honorable way. Key began working as a foreign exchange dealer at Elders Finance in Wellington, New Zealand and two years later he was able to rise to the position of head foreign exchange leader.
