There have been many leaders who became incredibly wealthy. In this article, we’ll look at the top 15 richest leaders of all time. They became very rich in various ways, like getting money from their family, being corrupted, running businesses and much more. These leaders are famous for being some of the richest people of all Time.
NOTICE – 1: This data may not be very correct; all of this data was collected by some famous agencies. 2: These are all the richest people in today’s world( 20th and 21st centuries); some of them are still alive.
Muammar Gaddafi: $200 billion
Tied with Putin at the top is the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. In 2011, it was estimated that Gaddafi, who ruled from 1977 to 2011, had hidden away around $200 billion in secret bank accounts, shady investments, and questionable real estate deals. He had obtained this money from Libya’s huge oil profits. Originally, this wealth was supposed to be used to help the troubled country of Libya. But even after Gaddafi’s death, his frozen funds still make money for unknown people. And we still don’t know where a lot of his money is.
Vladimir Putin: $200 billion(est.)
The title of the wealthiest world leader in history belongs to two leaders, and one of them is Vladimir Putin. In 2021, the official salary of the Russian president was about $100,000. However, in 2017, it was claimed that his wealth reached up to $200 billion, as stated by former Hermitage Capital Management CEO Bill Browder during his testimony to the US Senate Judiciary Committee. This substantial fortune is said to be invested in various banks and assets in the Western world, often not directly in his name.
Hosni Mubarak: $70 billion
Another leader who lost his position during the Arab Spring protests was Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak. He was ousted in 2011 after being the president for 30 years. In that very year, both ABC News and the Guardian claimed that Mubarak had taken $70 billion from the Egyptian people. But a report in the Washington Times proposes that the amount might have been an astounding $700 billion.
Ali Abdullah Saleh: $64 billion(est.)
The president of Yemen, who ruled from 1990 to 2012, was extremely corrupt. He was accused of taking a massive amount of money from the people of Yemen before being removed from power during the Arab Spring protests. A report given to the United Nations Security Council in 2015 estimated that he might have had as much as $64 billion.
Suharto: $55 billion(est.)
Suharto held the position of Indonesia’s president for 31 years until he stepped down in 1998. This military ruler, whom Transparency International labeled as the most corrupt world leader of the past two decades in 2004, amassed as much as $35 billion – which would be about $55 billion in today’s value – during his time in power. His critics referred to his regime as one marked by “corruption, collusion, nepotism.”
Ferdinand Marcos: $53 billion
Ferdinand Marcos was a harsh and dishonest leader who ruled the Philippines from 1972 to 1986. He and his wife, Imelda, who was famous for having more than 3,000 expensive shoes, took and misused lots of money. If the reports are true, they could have made around $53 billion disappear during their time in power.
Mahathir Mohamad: $45 billion
Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia was the world’s oldest prime minister. He held this position for a long time, first from 1981 to 2003 and then again from 2018 to February 2020. It’s said that he has around $45 billion saved up, and he might have interests in 50 banks worldwide, all managed through his representative, Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Ibrahim Babangida: $22.7 billion
Ibrahim Babangida was a Nigerian leader who took a lot of the country’s money. He was the president from 1985 to 1993. It’s believed that he moved around $12.4 billion from Nigeria’s oil profits during the 1992 Gulf War, which would be an enormous $22.7 billion today.
José Eduardo dos Santos: $20 billion
The former president of Angola stored away a lot of money during his time in power from 1979 to 2017. He didn’t use it to help his poor citizens but made himself and his family richer instead. Before he passed away, he was believed to be worth about $20 billion. His daughter, Isabel, became Africa’s richest woman, but she got into trouble with corruption charges and legal cases in three different countries. Because of this, her money was frozen, and Forbes doesn’t consider her one of Africa’s richest people anymore.
Mobutu Sese Seko: $12 billion
Mobutu Sese Seko was the president of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 1965 to 1997. Like other leaders we talked about, he wasn’t careful with his country’s money. He took around $5 billion in 1984, which is like $12 billion today. He had fancy houses in Zaire, Paris, and Switzerland, and he liked to splurge on expensive things, like fancy champagne.
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali: $10 billion
The people of Tunisia really didn’t like their former leader, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He and his family had control over a big part of the country’s economy, estimated to be between 30% to 40%. When he was kicked out of power in 2011, their assets were thought to be worth about $10 billion.
Silvio Berlusconi: $6.8 billion
Silvio Berlusconi was Italy’s prime minister three times in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. He began his career in construction but later became a media mogul in 1973, where he made a lot of money. He also owned the AC Milan football club for 31 years and got in trouble for tax fraud. When he passed away in June 2023, Forbes estimated his wealth to be about $6.8 billion.
Adolf Hitler: $6.5 billion
Adolf Hitler, the world’s most despised dictator, took a lot of money from Germany and earned millions by selling his book, Mein Kampf. A 2014 documentary said he had about 1.1 billion reichsmarks, which is like $6.5 billion today.
Sani Abacha: $6.3 billion
Sani Abacha, a military dictator, effectively ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. His tenure was characterized by extensive human rights violations and widespread corruption. After his passing, the Nigerian government uncovered that Abacha had hidden $4 billion in undisclosed bank accounts in Switzerland and other places. In today’s currency, that amounts to a staggering $6.3 billion.
Kim Jong-un: $5 billion
Kim Jong-un, the present leader of North Korea, matches his father’s cruelty and surpasses him in terms of wealth. The supreme leader of the secretive nation, known for his indulgence in luxury, including yachts, high-end cars, caviar, and vintage wine, is estimated to possess a fortune of $5 billion.
Donald Trump: $4.5 billion
