Richest People in the World's Richest Countries
Following up on our deep dive into the wealthiest nations in the world, we wanted to peek into what makes these countries tick. And by “tick,” we mean looking at the millionaires and billionaires with GDP-rivalling total wealth.
What follows are the wealthiest individuals in each of the 50 countries that made our list as the wealthiest in the world. They’re either citizens, residents or people whose business is mainly located and operated in the country. We also compared their wealth to the median net wealth in their respective nations, which we obtained from the Credit Suisse “Global Wealth Data Book 2019,” to show just how significant the gap can be.
The list runs from wealthiest person of the 50 to the least wealthy.
United States: Jeff Bezos
Total Wealth: $111 billion
Source of Wealth: Amazon.com
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $65,904
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 168,426,802 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 3
Finally, the richest person in the world also happens to be the wealthiest person in the U.S., Amazon.com CEO, co-founder and 14 percent shareholder, Jeff Bezos. Even after his split from his wife in 2019, and transferring 4 percent of Amazon to her, he remains the wealthiest person in the world.
France: Bernard Arnault and Family
Total Wealth: $76 billion
Source of Wealth: LVMH
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $101,942
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 74,552,196 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 9
Bernard Arnault and his family have accumulated a total wealth of $76 billion, making them the wealthiest people in France. They gained this wealth through LVMH, a luxury goods company that controls 70 brands, including luxury icons like Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
Mexico: Carlos Slim Helú and Family
Total Wealth: $64 billion
Source of Wealth: Telecommunications
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $9,944
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 643,604,183 percent (largest)
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 32
Mexico’s wealthiest people, Carlos Slim Helú and his family, have an enormous total wealth of $64 billion. He and his family earned this status thanks to their controlling interest in America Movil, which is Latin America’s largest telecommunications company. He also owns some construction and mining firms, and a 17 percent share of The New York Times.
Spain: Amancio Ortega
Total Wealth: $62.7 billion
Source of Wealth: Retail fashion
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $95,360
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 65,750,838 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 18
With a total wealth of $72.7 billion, Amancio Ortega is the wealthiest retailer in the world and the wealthiest person in Spain. He amassed this fortune via Inditex, a company he co-founded with his ex-wife. Inditex is best known for the Zara chain of fast-fashion stores.
China: Ma Huateng
Total Wealth: $38.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Internet media
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $20,942
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 185,273,612 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 41
With a total wealth of $38.8 billion, Ma Huateng is China’s wealthiest person. He acquired this wealth as the chairman of Tencent Holdings, a massive Chinese internet company, which he co-founded in 1998. Tencent is best known for its 1-billion-user-strong WeChat app.
Germany: Karl Albrecht Jr. and Beate Heister
Total Wealth: $36.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Supermarkets
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $35,313
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 102,228,641 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 1
With a total wealth of $36.1 billion, Karl Albrecht Jr. and Beate Heister are the wealthiest folks in Germany. They picked up their wealth in 2014 when their father, Karl Albrecht Sr., died and left them to control discount supermarket chain Aldi (pictured).
Canada: David Thomson and Family
Total Wealth: $32.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Media
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $107,004
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 30,372,696 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 8
David Thomson and his family control Thomson Reuters, a media and publishing leader founded by his grandfather, Roy Thomson. The family owns more than 350 million shares of the company, and Thomson serves as the chairman. This and other controlling stakes bring Thomson and family's total wealth to $32.5 billion.
Brazil: Joseph Safra
Total Wealth: $25.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Banking
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $5,031
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 500,894,454 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 37
The wealthiest person in Brazil is Joseph Safra, who holds $25.2 billion in total wealth. He is part of a banking family and continued the family tradition by earning his fortune as the owner of multiple banks, including Banko Safra, J. Safra Sarasin and others.
Russia: Leonid Mikhelson
Total Wealth: $24 billion
Source of Wealth: Natural gas and petrochemical
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $3,683
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 651,642,682 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 40
Leonid Mikhelson is the wealthiest person in Russia, with a monster fortune worth $24 billion. He earned this great wealth as the founder and chairman of Novatek, a natural gas producer. Later in life, in 2017, he purchased a 17 percent stake in Sibur, a petrochemical company, further boosting his wealth.
Italy: Giovanni Ferrero
Total Wealth: $22.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Confections
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $91,889
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 24,377,237 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 15
Giovanni Ferrero is the wealthiest person in Italy, with a total wealth of $22.4 billion. He earned his wealth as the CEO then executive chairman of his family’s namesake confection company, which is best known for Nutella, Kinder chocolates and Tic Tac mints.
Japan: Tadashi Yanai and Family
Total Wealth: $22.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Retail
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $110,408
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 20,107,238 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 4
Having accumulated a total wealth of $22.2 billion, Tadashi Yanai and his family are the wealthiest people in Japan. The became this wealthy thanks to retail sales from Fast Retailing, which is the parent company of the Uniqlo, J Brand and Theory clothing chains. Yanai and family own 44 percent of Fast Retailing.
Austria: Dietrich Mateschitz
Total Wealth: $18.9 billion
Source of Wealth: Red Bull
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $94,070
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 20,091,421 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 16
Dietrich Mateschitz’s total wealth checks in at $18.9 billion, making him the wealthiest person in Austria. Red Bull gave him the wings to reach this fortune after co-founding the drink with Thai businessman Chaleo Yoovidhya in 1987.
South Korea: Lee Kun-Hee
Total Wealth: $16.9 billion
Source of Wealth: Samsung
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $72,198
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 23,407,850 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 14
With $16.9 billion, Lee Kun-Hee is the wealthiest person in South Korea. He acquired this wealth partially as the chairman of Samsung Group, South Korea’s largest conglomerate, but he also has built some wealth based on his wife being the daughter of media tycoon Hong Ra-hee.
United Kingdom: Hinduja Brothers
Total Wealth: $16.9 billion
Source of Wealth: Diversified
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $97,451
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 17,342,048 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 6
With a combined wealth of $16.9 billion, the Hinduja brothers, Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok, are the wealthiest people in the U.K. These brothers own a diverse portfolio of stakes in companies via the Hinduja Group, including trucking companies, lubricants, banking, cable television and real estate.
Sweden: Stefan Persson
Total Wealth: $15.6 billion
Source of Wealth: Hennes & Mauritz
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $41,582
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 37,516,232 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 13
Holding a total wealth valued at $15.6 billion, Stefan Pearson (center) is the wealthiest person in Sweden. Persson earned his fortune as the 32 percent owner and chairman of fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz, which is better known simply as H&M.
Czech Republic: Petr Kellner
Total Wealth: $15.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $20,854
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 74,326,268 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 26
The Czech Republic’s wealthiest person is Petr Kellner at $15.5 billion. He got his start selling office supplies in the 1990s and later started an investment fund that bought a controlling stake in a local insurer. PFF Group, the company Kellner leads, recently purchased a majority share of international finance firm Home Credit.
Chile: Iris Fontbona and Family
Total Wealth: $15.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Mining and beverages
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $19,231
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 80,079,039 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 35
Iris Fontbona and her three sons, one of which died of lung cancer in 2013, inherited Fontbana’s late husband’s mining and beverage businesses. These businesses and other controlling stakes in mining, beer and banking companies have grown their net worth to $15.4 billion and made them the wealthiest people in Chile.
Australia: Gina Rinehart
Total Wealth: $15.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Mining
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $181,361
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 8,381,074 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 7
With a total wealth of $15.2 billion, Gina Rinehart is Australia’s wealthiest individual. She built her wealth with iron ore after taking her father’s bankrupt estate and made it into a massive mining conglomerate.
Ireland: Pallonji Mistry
Total Wealth: $15 billion
Source of Wealth: Construction investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $104,842
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 14,307,243 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 17
Pallonji Mistry is the wealthiest individual in Ireland, with a total wealth of $15 billion. He earned this wealth several ways, including his controlling share of engineering and construction firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He also gains additional wealth from the 18.4 percent stake his family has in Tata Sons, which is a conglomerate of over 100 companies.
Saudi Arabia: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Alsaud
Total Wealth: $14.9 billion
Source of Wealth: Investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $16,599
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 89,764,443 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 38
The wealthiest person in Saudi Arabia is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, with$14.9 billion in total wealth. He has a diverse portfolio of holdings in a wide range of companies, including Lyft, Twitter, Citigroup, Four Seasons and many others.
Netherlands: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Total Wealth: $14.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Heineken
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $31,057
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 45,722,381 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 5
If you recognize her last name, you probably know where Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken gained her $14.2 billion in total wealth to become Netherlands’ wealthiest person. In 2002, she inherited a 23 percent controlling stake in Heineken from her late father, Freddy Heineken, and is now an executive director at the company.
Malaysia: Robert Kuok
Total Wealth: $12.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate, hotels and commodities
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $8,940
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 143,176,733 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 43
With $12.8 billion in total wealth, Robert Kuok is the wealthiest person in Malaysia. He earned his massive fortune via the Kuok Group’s interest in hotels, real estate and commodities.
Singapore: Robert and Philip Ng
Total Wealth: $12 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $96,967
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 12,375,344 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 19
Brothers Robert and Philip Ng head up Singapore’s largest private landlord and property developer, Far East Organization. This has brought the duo a total wealth of $12 billion, making them the wealthiest people in Singapore.
Cyprus: John Fredriksen
Total Wealth: $10.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Fishing and oil
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $28,808
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 37,489,586 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 36
John Fredrickson has a relatively diverse fortune that comes from a fleet of oil tankers, LNG carriers and deepwater drilling rigs. His biggest holding, however, is Mowi, a fishing company that has demolished the competition to become the largest fish-farming business in the world.
Switzerland: Gianluigi and Rafaela Aponte
Total Wealth: $10.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Shipping
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $227,891
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 4,607,465 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 2
In 1970, Gianluigi Aponte (pictured) and his wife Rafaela launched a shipping business that eventually became the No. 2 largest in the world by vessel capacity. Aponte has since retired from his role as CEO but remains the group chairman. The couple also remains Switzerland’s richest with $10.5 billion in total wealth.
Israel: Eyal Ofer
Total Wealth: $9.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate and shipping
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $58,066
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 16,188,475 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 24
Ofer not only inherited his father’s shipping company in 2011, but he also owns Global Holdings, which owns several Manhattan properties. This has led to his immense wealth of $9.4 billion, which makes him the wealthiest person in Israel.
New Zealand: Graeme Hart
Total Wealth: $9.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Packaging
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $116,437
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 7,815,385 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 22
Graeme Hart has a total wealth of $9.1 billion, making him the richest person in New Zealand. He earned his riches in the packaging industry, providing milk jugs, water bottles, paper, aluminum foil and more to companies around the world.
Belgium: Eric Wittouck
Total Wealth: $7.6 billion
Source of Wealth: Sugar and investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $117,093
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 6,490,567 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 12
Eric Wittouck was on his way toward fortune on just his inheritance of his family’s sugar business, but wise money management from New York investment firm Invus pushed this Belgian businessman to the $7.6 billion in wealth he sits at today.
Denmark: Anders Holch Povlsen
Total Wealth: $6.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Retail
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $58,784
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 10,887,316 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 11
Anders Holch Povlsen is the wealthiest person in Denmark, with a total wealth of $6.4 billion. He earned his fortune mostly from the sales accumulated at the retailer Bestseller. His parents founded Bestseller in 1975, and Povlsen took control of it at just 28 years old.
Norway: Odd Reitan
Total Wealth: $6.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate and retail
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $70,627
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 8,636,923 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 10
Odd Reitan earned his $6.1 billion in total wealth in retail. He is not only the sole owner of Reitangruppen, the largest grocery chain in Norway, but Reitangruppen also owns other grocery and convenience stores in Scandinavia.
United Arab Emirates: Majid Al Futtaim
Total Wealth: $5.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate and retail
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $35,315
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 14,441,455 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 25
With $5.1 billion in total wealth, Majid Al Futtaim is the wealthiest person in the UAE. You may think this is oil money, but he earned his fortune through dozens of real estate and entertainment holdings his company, Majid Al Futtaim Holding, acquired.
Portugal: Maria Fernanda Amorim
Total Wealth: $4.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Energy, cork and banking
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $44,025
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 10,902,896 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 28
Portugal’s wealthiest person is Maria Fernanda Amorim, the widow of businessman Américo Amorim. She earned her $4.8 billion fortune by taking over her late husband’s businesses, including energy company Galp, cork manufacturer Corticeira Amorim and financial institution Banco Único.
Croatia: Ivica Todoric
Total Wealth: $4.4 billion
Source of Wealth: Food supply and supermarkets
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $29,183
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 15,077,271 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 49
With a total wealth of $4.4 billion, Ivica Todoris is the wealthiest person in Croatia. He amassed this fortune as the owner of Agrokor, a private firm that handles food supply. He also gained a portion of his wealth as the owner of Croatia’s largest supermarket chain, Konzum.
Finland: Antti Herlin
Total Wealth: $4.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Elevators and escalators
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $55,532
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 7,383,130 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 20
Finland’s richest person, Antii Herlin, checks in at No. 34 on our list with a total wealth of $4.1 billion. Herlin earned most of his fortune in the corporate elevator and escalator business as the CEO and chairman of Kone Corporation, but he also holds shares in Sanoma, a Finnish media company.
Turkey: Erman Ilicak
Total Wealth: $3.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $6,568
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 57,856,273 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 46
Turkey’s richest person is Erman Ilicak, who holds a total wealth of $3.8 billion. Most of his wealth comes from running the Ronesans Holding company, which holds corporate shares in construction, real estate, development, energy, health and education.
Algeria: Issad Rebrab
Total Wealth: $3.7 billion
Source of Wealth: Food, appliances and steel
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $3,267
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 113,253,749 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 47
Algeria’s wealthiest person, Issad Rebrab, has a net wealth of $3.7 billion, which puts him No. 36 on our list. He earned his fortunes as the founder and CEO of Cevital, which is Algeria’s largest privately held company. He also has hands in sugar refining, home appliances, steel and water purification.
Poland: Michal Solowow
Total Wealth: $3.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Construction, investments and chemicals
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $22,600
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 14,159,292 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 23
Michal Solowow began his path to being Poland’s richest person with the sale of his construction company in the early 2000s. He invested heavily in the Polish stock market with his proceeds and is now the main shareholder of recently privatized chemical company Synthos.
Argentina: Alejandro Bulgheroni
Total Wealth: $3.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Oil and gas
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $3,164
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 101,137,800 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 34
Alejandro Bulgheroni is the wealthiest person in Argentina, with a total wealth of $3.2 billion. He started his path toward fortune after taking over his father’s business in 1985. Bulgheroni and his now-late brother sold 50 percent of the company to CNOOC for $3.1 billion in 2011.
Luxembourg: Mansour Ojjeh
Total Wealth: $3.2 billion
Source of Wealth: Techniques d'Avant Garde
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $139,789
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 2,289,164 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 21
With a total wealth of $3.2 billion, Mansour Ojjeh is the wealthiest person in Luxembourg and No. 39 on our list. He earned his fortunes after taking the CEO role at his father’s company, Techniques d'Avant Garde, and turning it into a multi-industry powerhouse that has hands in automotive racing, aviation, agriculture and more.
Greece: Philip Niarchos
Total Wealth: $2.8 billion
Source of Wealth: Art
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $40,000
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 7,000,000 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 29
Philip Niarchos is the wealthiest person in Greece at $2.8 billion in total wealth. He amassed his wealth after inheriting his father’s art collection, which experts call the largest private collection of Van Gogh’s work. "Seine-shore at the Pont de Clichy" is shown here.
Iceland: Thor Bjorgolfsson
Total Wealth: $2.1 billion
Source of Wealth: Investments
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $165,961
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 1,265,357 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 27
Thor Bjorgolfsson did not earn his fortune as the son of Odin. Instead, he gained his $2.1 billion in wealth through crafty investments in telecommunications, cryptocurrencies and startups after going bankrupt in 2008. Bjorgolfsson’s fortune is notable because, at only 1,265,357 percent more than the median wealth in Iceland, his wealth gap is the smallest on our list.
Slovakia: Ivan Chrenko
Total Wealth: $1.6 billion
Source of Wealth: Real estate
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $40,432
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 3,957,261 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 45
Next on our list is Slovakian real estate mogul Ivan Chrenko at $1.6 billion in total wealth. Chrenko dived into the real estate industry in the early 1990s, and grew it into the European real estate powerhouse now known as HB Reavis.
Lithuania: Nerijus Numavicius
Total Wealth: $1.56 billion
Source of Wealth: Retail
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $22,261
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 7,007,771 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 39
Lithuania’s wealthiest person, Nerijus Numavicius, checks in with $1.56 billion in total wealth. He earned his fortune running the Vilniaus Prekyba Group, which is a holding company for various retailers and pharmacy chains in Europe.
Qatar: Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani
Total Wealth: $1.5 billion
Source of Wealth: Hotels and Al Faisal Holding
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $69,671
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 2,152,976 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 33
Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani started building his empire at just 16 years old when he sold car parts in Doha. Today, he is the founder and chairman of Al Faisal Holding and owns over 20 hotels around the world, which help push his total wealth to $1.5 billion.
Romania: Ion Tiriac
Total Wealth: $1.3 billion
Source of Wealth: Banking, insurance and real estate
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $19,582
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 6,638,750 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 44
Ion Tiriac is a well-diversified billionaire who earned his wealth in many ways, but it primarily came from his minority stake in Allianz-Tiriac, a Romanian insurance company. He also dabbles in real estate, auto dealerships and petroleum distribution.
Hungary: Sándor Csányi
Total Wealth (in billions): $1.1
Source of Wealth: Banking and meat production
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $17,666
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 6,226,650 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 31
With a total net wealth of $1.1 billion, No. 46 on our list is Hungary businessman and banker Sándor Csányi. He has collected his fortunes through various means, but most of it comes from his position at OTP Bank and as the operator of the second-largest slaughterhouse in Hungary.
Slovenia: Iza and Samo Login
Total Wealth (in billions): $0.768
Source of Wealth: Outfit7
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $50,380
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 1,524,414 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 30
Samo (left) and Iza Login became wealthy on the backs of the anthropomorphic animal characters in the wildly popular “Talking Tom and Friends” mobile app while the owners of Outfit7. They became the richest couple in Slovenia at $768 million in net wealth following the 2017 sale of Outfit7 to United Luck Consortium for $1 billion.
Costa Rica: Francis Durman Esquivel
Total Wealth (in billions): $0.400
Source of Wealth: Grupo Montecristo, Corporación Yanber and Aliaxis Latin America
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $11,793
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 3,391,700
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 50
Costa Rica is an interesting country because much of the wealth is tied into large, multigenerational families instead of individuals. Add to that limited wealth tracking and an opaque economy, and it compounds the issues with finding any billionaires within its borders. According to a 2017 report by The Costa Rica Star, the wealthiest individual is Francis Durman Esquivel.
He’s earned his fortunes from holding various high-ranking positions in large companies, including the president of Manga Rica, a mango-exporting company; Grupo Montecristo, a large holding company; and as the general director of Aliaxi Latin America, a plastic piping manufacturer and distributor.
Estonia: Kristo Käärmann
Total Wealth (in billions): $0.297
Source of Wealth: Transferwise
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $24,915
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 1,192,053 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 42
As the co-founder and CEO of Transferwise, an easy-to-use and transparent international money-transfer service, Kristo Käärmann ranks No. 49 on our list. Moving other people’s money around the world has pushed his net wealth to $297 million.
Latvia: Olegs Fils
Total Wealth (in billions) (in billions): $0.273
Source of Wealth: ABLV Bank
Country's Median Net Wealth Per Adult: $13,348
Percent More Than Median Net Wealth: 2,045,250 percent
Country’s Rank Among the Wealthiest Nations: 48
Ending our list with $273 million in net wealth is Latvian businessman Olegs Fils. Fils earned his fortunes as the majority stockholder in ABLV Bank.
Related: Richest Countries in the World