No one gets into politics for the money, but some politicians are richer than others. This got me thinking, “Who are the richest politicians in the world?” Today we will find out!
To define who are the richest politicians, we will evaluate their privately held net worth, that they’ve accumulated over the years.
15. Mitt Romney ($250 Million)
Mitt Romney was most famous for opposing Obama during the 2008 and 2012 Presidential election. He is also quite famous for being the first Latter Day Saints (LDS) Church member to be a candidate for a major party.
However, Romney also had many traditional conservative views. He openly opposed gay conservatives and gay marriage, not to mention his traditional views on abortion.
At heart though, Mitt Romney is a businessman. At only 37, Romney co-founded Bain Capital, a private equity firm, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Romney’s stake in Bain Capital makes up the majority of his wealth.
Most estimates value Romney’s Bain Capital stake at around $250 million dollars, making him one of the richest politicians in the world. In January 2019, Romney became a Utah state senator, succeeding Orrin Hatch.
14. Albert del Rosario ($ 650 Million)
Albert del Roasrio is most famous for being one of the Philippines’ best diplomats. He is also famous for being one of the Philippines’ best business executives, serving with several different companies.
Throughout his career as a diplomat, del Roasario was Secretary of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2016. Prior to that, del Rosario was also the Ambassador for the Philippines to the United States.
Soon after finishing his business career, del Rosario found employment with many of The Philippines’ largest companies, in a business executive capacity.
As a part of his arrangements with the various companies he is an executive of, he gets part of his salary in stock options. It is his stake in these companies that lead to his net worth of $650 million, making him one of the richest politicians.
13. Nelson Rockefeller ($1 Billion)
Nelson Rockefeller probably has one of the most famous last names on the planet. Indeed, Nelson Rockefeller was the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, tone of the richest men to have ever lived.
In 1959, Rockefeller made a successful bid for Governor of New York, serving as governor for 14 years. He is also famous for launching several unsuccessful bids for president in 1960, 1964, and 1968.
After Richard Nixon’s resignation over Watergate in 1974, Nelson Rockefeller was picked by Gerald Ford to become his Vice President until 1977, when Ford ran for re-election without Rockefeller.
However, just like his father and grandfather before him, Nelson was also a businessman, being the president and chairman of the Rockefeller Center. Through these business ventures, Rockefeller was worth $1 billion making him one of the richest politicians.
12. Bill Haslam ($1.8 Billion)
Bill Haslam is known for being the former Mayor of Knoxville as well as the former governor of Tennesse. He is also well known one of the owners of the Tennessee Smokies and the president of Pilot Corporation.
Haslam is also staunchly conservative. As such, he is against abortion and pro-choice conservatives. He is also against things same-sex marriages and illegal immigrants. He is also for tuition-free higher education.
At heart, Haslam is a businessman, and a good one at that. When he became the president of his father’s company in the 1990’s, he expanded it greatly. He even diversified it and bought other companies, like the Tennessee Smokies.
Throughout his business career, Haslam has become richer than most other people on the planet. His net worth is estimated to be $1.8 billion by most outlets, including Bloomberg and Forbes, making him one of the richest politicians.
11. Saddam Hussein ($2 Billion)
Saddam Hussein was best known for being the dictator of Iraq, Saddam also acted in several other government and legal positions during his tenure as President of Iraq.
Soon after becoming President of Iraq, Saddam made himself Prime Minister of Iraq, before passing the position onto a close friend. He also put himself in charge of the military as well as specific regiments solely loyal to him.
During his time in power, Saddam Hussein used his power as President to enter the bank of Iraq. Upon entering the Bank of Iraq, he’d take Bank of Iraq money and deposit it in his own personal bank account, in lieu of $2 billion.
Although Saddam Hussein plundered his wealth from his own people, and the fact he was hanged by his own by people because of it, Saddam Hussein was still seen as one of the richest politicians of his day.
10. Sebastián Piñera ($2.4 Billion)
Sebastián Piñera is most famous for being the two-time president of Chile. With that being said, Sebastián Piñera is also famous for being one of Chile’s best businessmen.
In 2010, Sebastián Piñera successfully ran for the Presidency of Chile, after a failed attempt in 2005. He was the first right-wing Chilean president who was democratically elected since 1958.
However, Sebastián Piñera is also Chile’s prodigal son. He is the third richest man in Chile, and one of the richest politicians in South America and the world.
Sebastián Piñera owns stakes in LAN, Colo-Colo, SAS Airlines and Quiñenco, Enersis, and Soquimic. However, Piñera has also set up shell companies to buy land in Chile, from indigenous Chileans.
9. Donald Trump ($3.1 Billion)
Donald Trump is famous for being the leader of the “Free World”, after facing Hillary Clinton in 2016 for the presidential Election. He is also famous for being the owner and CEO of The Trump Organization.
Trump is also famous for never having been a politician, prior to becoming the president. Trump first ran for president unsuccessfully in 2000, he then ran for presidency unsuccessfully in 2012 before being successful in 2016.
After taking control of his father’s real estate business in 1971, he renamed it to the Trump Organization. He soon expanded the business beyond real estate, and into one of the largest businesses on the planet.
Most, if not all of Trump’s wealth comes from his ownership in The Trump Organization, with his stake being valued at $3.1 billion by most estimates. However, Trump has repeatedly said his net worth is in excess of $10 billion.
8. Kim Jong-Un ($5 Billion)
Kim Jong-Un is famous for being the Third and current Supreme Leader of North Korea. Unlike the other richest politicians in the world, Kim Jog-Un gained his wealth from being in politics, rather than a business before politics.
As a child, Kim Jong-Un spent his time in Switzerland, being educated in the West. He was so good at pretending to be a South Korean, that nobody knew he was the son of a North Korean dictator.
Kim Jong-Un is the youngest son of former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. After the death of his father, Kim Jong-Un became the Third Supreme Leader of North Korea.
North Korea is communist- everything is owned by the people and the government. As worth most other communist countries, the communist elites are the wealthiest- North Korea is no different, having most of his wealth in foreign banks.
7. Imelda Marcos ($5 Billion)
Imelda Marcos is most famous for being the wife of former Fillipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Just as with her husband, Imelda too dabbled in politics, serving in several different capacities.
Not only was she the first lady whilst her husband was dictator, but she was also a house representative, member of parliament and governor, all during her husband’s tenure as president.
As president and first lady, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos plundered the Philippines’ wealth. Once they’d received this money, they transferred them to Swiss bank accounts to avoid the government seizing it.
As a art of plundering the Philippines’ wealth, the Marcos family also plundered a collection of paintings and paintings. This wealth is estimated to be $5 billion today.
6. Silvio Berlusconi ($8.5 Billion)
Silvio Berusconi is most famous for being the former Prime Minster of Italy and current member of the European Parliament. He is also famous for running a cable news empire in Italy, as well a owning several other businesses.
In 1994, Silvio Berlusconi became the leader of Forza Italia, which he led until 2009. He was the Prime Minister of Italy between 1994 and 2013, before serving as one of Italy’s members to the European Parliament.
In the 1960’s, Berlusconi started his construction business. In 1973, Berlusconi started his first cable news station, to service his properties. Berlusconi then set up Fininvest to hold all of his assets.
Fininvest’s largest shareholder is Silvio Berlusconi. Thanks to his stake in Fininvest and his separate construction company, he has an estimated net worth of $8.5 billion.
5. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum ($14 Billion)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is famous for being the Emir of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. However, Mohammed is also a businessman and equestrian.
Upon the death of his brother, Sheikh Maktoum in 2006, Mohammed became the Emir of Dubai and later the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed is also a keen businessman. In October 1985, Sheikh Mohammed inaugurated the first flight of Emirates Airlines. In 2013, Sheikh Mohammed also launched the first Dubai Airshow.
Sheikh Mohammed was also the one who had the Burj Khalifa designed and built in Dubai. Upon its completion, Sheikh Mohammed inaugurated the Burj Khalifa. From these holdings, he is worth $14 billion, making him one of richest politicians.
4. Serge Dassault ($15 Billion)
Serge Dassault was most famous for running his father’s aircraft manufacturing company- Dassault Group. However, Serge Dassault was also an influential conservative politician and former mayor of Corbeil-Essonnes.
As with many other businessmen turned politician, Dassault is very conservative. Even whilst running for mayor, Dassault railed against socialist conservatives, gay rights, abortion and other social issues.
In 1986, his father Marcel Dassault (otherwise known as Marcel Bloch) passed away. After this, Serge became the new owner and CEO of Dassault Group, the conglomerate his father made, that he continued to expand.
The vast majority of Serge’s $15 billion fortune came from his ownership of Dassault Group, as well as a few other holdings in non-Dassault Group businesses that he acquired since 1986. He passed away in May 2018.
3. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Nahyan ($18 Billion)
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Nahyan is famous for being the Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE. However, Khalifa is also a businessman and investor, and one of the best in the Middle East too.
Upon the death of his father in November 2004, Khalifa was made Emir of Abu Dhabi, and one day later was made the President of the UAE. He currently holds both of those positions today.
Despite this, since 2014 Khalifa has been serving in limited capacities due to a stroke he suffered. These roles have been fulfilled by his half brother Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
However, Khalifa is also at the head of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. This firm handles $875 billion in assets, $18 billion of which is owned by Khalifa and his family.
2. Michael Bloomberg ($56 Billion)
Michael Bloomberg is famous for being the former Mayor of New York and candidate for president. Bloomberg is also famous for being the owner, CEO and chairman of Bloomberg L.P., his own company.
The 2001 mayoral election saw him become Mayor of New York, serving as Mayor for nine years. In November 2019, Bloomberg announced his run for the 2020 presidency under the Democratic nomination.
In 1981, at only 39, Michael Bloomberg founded Bloomberg L.P., one of the largest financial data companies on the planet, used primarily by Wall Street traders.
Michael Bloomberg gets the majority of his wealth from his majority stake in Bloomberg L.P. This stake is valued at $56 billion by Forbes. Bloomberg also publishes a rich list each year, however, Bloomberg himself is left off the list.
1. Vladimir Putin ($70 Billion)
Vladimir Putin’s net worth is one of the most contentious on the planet. However, it is generally agreed that the President of Russia is one of the richest politicians on the planet.
Originally, Vladimir Putin was a KGB agent prior to the fall of the USSR. Putin was president of Russia between 2000 and 2008, before being prime minister and then being president of Russia.
Most of Putin’s wealth comes from his office. As president, Putin owns the Russian equivalent of the White House, Air Force One, the fleet of cars that transport him and so much more!
However, when Putin leaves office, all of this will disappear. Putin also has a small fortune which he has acquired over the years, however, this is a closely held secret that Putin has never fully divulged on.
Who is truly the richest politician- Bloomberg or Putin? Tell me in the comments!