Most of these fortunes are in their third generation, except for Thailand’s Chearavanont family, which has already moved into its fourth generation, and China’s Zhang family, which remains in its second, according to a ranking list published by Bloomberg on Monday.
1. The Ambani family, India
Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd., is speaking at an event in Mumbai, India, on March 30, 2024. Photo by Reuters |
The Ambanis continue to top the rankings with $89.7 billion in wealth. The family’s fortune traces back to Reliance Industries, the conglomerate founded in the late 1950s by Dhirubhai Ambani.
After he passed away in 2002, the business was split between his sons, Mukesh and Anil, with the former now at the helm of Reliance.
The conglomerate operates the world’s largest oil-refining complex and has interests in technology, retail, financial services and green energy.
Its shares climbed 12% last year and, this February, it announced plans to invest about $110 billion over the next seven years to develop data centers and other infrastructure across India, as reported by Forbes.
Mukesh resides in a 27-story home that ranks as the world’s second most expensive private residence.
2. The Kwok family, Hong Kong
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Sun Hung Kai Properties Chairman and Managing Director Raymond Kwok (L) and Deputy Managing Director Mike Wong attend a news conference in Hong Kong, Feb. 27, 2015. Photo by Reuters |
The Kwok family holds a fortune of $50.2 billion, built on Sun Hung Kai Properties. The firm, one of Hong Kong’s legendary “big four” property developers, was founded in the 1960s by Kwok Tak Seng and went public in 1972.
In 1990, control of the business passed to his sons, Walter, Thomas and Raymond, who initially ran it together before a feud in 2008 led to Walter’s removal as chairman. Raymond is currently the firm’s chairman and managing director.
For the six months ending December 2025, the developer reported net profit of $1.3 billion, a 36.2% jump from a year earlier.
The group plans to roll out several residential projects in Hong Kong over the next 10 months, including the second phase of luxury residential development Cullinan Harbour in Kai Tak, according to the South China Morning Post.
3. The Lee family, South Korea
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Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong leaves after a court ruling on the controversial 2015 merger case, at the Seoul High Court in Seoul on Feb. 3, 2025. Photo by AFP |
The Lee family, whose wealth is estimated at $45.5 billion, is behind tech giant Samsung, which stands out as the most successful among South Korea’s chaebols—family-run conglomerates that have played a central role in turning the country into a global export powerhouse.
Established in 1938 by Lee Byung Chul, Samsung was later handed down to his son Lee Kun Hee and then to his grandson Lee Jae Yong, who now serves as chairman and plays an active role in driving the company’s expansion into artificial intelligence and robotics.
Jae Yong was previously tied up in legal battles related to a 2015 merger between two Samsung affiliates, a deal seen as key to securing the father-to-son succession at the conglomerate, before he was released on parole in 2021 and granted a presidential pardon in 2022.
The family has also been paying roughly $8 billion in inheritance taxes on Kun Hee’s estate, one of the largest such payments recorded in South Korea, and is set to pay the sixth and final installment this month, according to The Korea Times.
4. The Chearavanont family, Thailand
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Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of CP Group, in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 13, 2020. Photo by Bangkok Post via AFP |
Chia Ek Chor moved from China to Thailand in 1921 and set up a store selling vegetable seeds with his brother.
More than a century later, that business has grown into Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group), one of the world’s largest producers of animal feed and livestock.
The conglomerate also holds stakes in Chinese insurer Ping An, Hong Kong-based group CITIC and telecom unit True Corp.
CP Axtra, the family’s retail arm, in February unveiled a nearly $580 million plan to add 110 stores across Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. It then acquired Malaysian supermarket chain operator The Food Purveyor for around $420 million in March.
Chia’s son, Dhanin Chearavanont, serves as senior chairman of CP Group. The Chearavanont family’s wealth is estimated at $44.8 billion.
5. The Zhang family, China
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Zhang Bo, chairman and CEO of China Hongqiao. Photo from the company’s website |
Zhang Shiping entered China’s textile industry in the 1980s by turning a small state-owned cotton-ginning plant into Weiqiao, which eventually grew into one of the world’s largest cotton textile producers. He later moved into aluminum in 1994 and set up China Hongqiao.
He passed away in 2019, with his son Zhang Bo now heading the aluminum business while his daughter Zhang Hongxia oversees the textile operations. The two businesses underpin the Zhang family’s estimated $44.7 billion fortune.
China Hongqiao ranks among the world’s leading aluminum producers, supplying major Chinese firms such as tech giants Huawei and Xiaomi, along with electric vehicle maker BYD.
The Hong Kong-listed company has gained from a rise in commodity prices fueled by AI and data centers, with its shares surging more than 160% over the past year.
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