Families, dynasties and their heirs

The largest documented family fortune in the world, built on a single retail format and held through Walton Enterprises.

4 generations · 4 documented heirs

The ruling house of Abu Dhabi, whose documented fortune is tied to sovereign and family investment vehicles including ADIA and Mubadala.

1 documented heirs

Qatar's ruling house, with wealth anchored in liquefied natural gas and the Qatar Investment Authority.

1 documented heirs

Six generations of descendants of a Paris harness maker still control the majority of Hermès through H51 and H2.

6 generations · 1 documented heirs

One of the largest private industrial groups in the United States, held almost entirely by two branches of the family.

3 generations · 1 documented heirs

Confectionery and pet-care group that has never been public and reports no external shareholders.

4 generations · 3 documented heirs

India's largest private-sector group, built from a polyester trading business into refining, telecom and retail.

3 generations · 3 documented heirs

The descendants of L'Oréal's founding chemist hold roughly a third of the company through Téthys.

4 generations · 2 documented heirs

Chanel's owners since financing Coco Chanel's perfume business in the 1920s; the company remains private.

4 generations · 1 documented heirs

Canada's wealthiest family, controlling Thomson Reuters through the Woodbridge holding company.

4 generations · 1 documented heirs

Fidelity's founding family retains roughly half of the private asset manager.

3 generations · 0 documented heirs

Owners of Cargill, the largest privately held company in the United States by revenue.

6 generations · 1 documented heirs

Chicago family behind Hyatt Hotels and the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

4 generations · 3 documented heirs

Holds the controlling stake in Volkswagen through Porsche Automobil Holding SE.

4 generations · 0 documented heirs

Turin industrial dynasty whose holdings now sit inside Exor, spanning Stellantis, Ferrari, Juventus and The Economist.

5 generations · 2 documented heirs

Controls Sun Hung Kai Properties, one of Asia's largest property developers.

3 generations · 1 documented heirs

Controlling shareholders of BMW through the Klatten and Quandt holdings.

5 generations · 2 documented heirs

Owners of Tetra Laval, the packaging group behind Tetra Pak.

3 generations · 2 documented heirs

Founding family of the cosmetics group, retaining voting control through high-vote shares.

4 generations · 2 documented heirs

Aerospace and software house controlling Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systèmes.

4 generations · 2 documented heirs

The reigning British royal house; most assets sit in the Crown Estate and Duchies rather than personal ownership.

5 generations · 1 documented heirs

India's oldest large industrial group, held mainly by philanthropic trusts rather than individual heirs.

5 generations · 0 documented heirs

Sweden's leading industrial family, exercising influence through Investor AB and foundations rather than direct personal ownership.

6 generations · 1 documented heirs

Two centuries of chemical industry ownership from a Delaware gunpowder mill.

9 generations · 1 documented heirs

The Augsburg merchant bank that financed Habsburg emperors and controlled European copper and silver.

6 generations · 1 documented heirs

The Florentine bank that financed the papacy and underwrote the Renaissance.

9 generations · 1 documented heirs

An American political dynasty rather than a standing fortune: a president, three senators and multiple ambassadors.

5 generations · 1 documented heirs

Standard Oil built the largest American fortune of the Gilded Age before the 1911 antitrust break-up.

7 generations · 3 documented heirs

The 19th century's dominant banking house, founded in Frankfurt and extended into five European capitals.

8 generations · 1 documented heirs

America's richest family of the mid-19th century, built on steamships and then railroads.

7 generations · 2 documented heirs