Official salaries for world leaders range from the modest to the outstandingly generous. Many premiers past and present boasted outrageous wealth before they bagged the top job, while others got very rich at their nation's expense while in office. Read on to discover who makes the list as we countdown the peak net worth of the most affluent non-royal heads of state and government chiefs ever. Where net worth figures predate 2010 we've adjusted them for inflation to give you an idea of the leader's equivalent wealth today.
All dollar values in US dollars.
William Ruto became Kenya's youngest president in September 2022, succeeding Uhuru Kenyatta who also makes this list – more on him later. While he occupies the lowest spot in our rankings, Ruto is still rich enough for inclusion, boasting an estimated fortune of around $287 million (£236m). Some sources even put his wealth at $450 million (£369m).
Born into poverty, the president sold chickens as a child to make money and has styled himself as a "hustler", working his way up to bigger and better things. He owns hotels in Kenya's biggest cities, Mombasa and Mara, and he's also a shareholder in the Africa Merchant Assurance Company (AMACO).
Born into a relatively impoverished family in Corsica, Napoléon became the self-styled Emperor of France following the French Revolution, conquering vast swathes of Europe during the early 19th century. At the time, the rags-to-riches leader was said to be worth 100 million francs. A franc was worth 20 US cents back then, so Napoléon's fortune amounts to around $400 million (£328m) in today's money.
South Africa's long-time president, Cyril Ramaphosa is one of the world's richest democratic leaders. Forbes last estimated the politician's net worth to be $450 million (£369m) back in 2015, and his wealth may have grown since.
Ramaphosa has acquired these vast sums through a varied business career that has seen him take on directorial and advisory roles for South African companies such as MTN, Alexander Forbes, SABMiller, and Standard Bank, as well as with world-famous firms McDonald's and The Coca-Cola Company.
Another long-term African leader, Paul Kagame has held the position of president since 2000, having led rebel forces in ending the Rwandan genocide. Kagame and his party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, have used their Crystal Ventures holding company to help develop the country's economy. The investment group is said to have at least $500 million (£410m) in assets, ranging from real estate to Rwanda's largest milk processor, along with subsidiaries including a civil engineering firm with lucrative energy contracts abroad. Kagame is the chair of Crystal Ventures, and his net worth has been estimated at $500 million (£410m).
Autocratic leader Ilham Aliyev has been the president of Azerbaijan since 2003. Along with curtailing free speech in the country, the anti-democratic politician's family has been accused of embezzling billions. There's certainly proof of their wealth. At one point, his family and close business associates held as much as $694 million (£568m) in London real estate through offshore companies. Overall, his net worth is estimated at $500 million (£410m).
Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta is the title holder of at least 500,000 acres of prime farmland in his home country. The land was inherited from his father, Jomo Kenyatta, the first leader of Kenya. The politician also has a large stake in the nation's number one dairy company and shares in a commercial bank and TV station. Recent reports have placed his fortune at close to $530 million (£435m).
George Washington, the second wealthiest US president, enslaved hundreds of people to work on his 8,000-acre Mount Vernon plantation, which contained five farms. The Founding Father was also something of a real estate mogul, owning land from Virginia to New York. Washington's peak net worth works out at $553 million (£454m) in today's money.
The president of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea since 1979, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has stayed quiet about his wealth, estimated by Forbes in 2006 at $600 million, the equivalent of $764 million (£627m) in today's money. The International Monetary Fund asked him to declare his net worth in order to secure further bailout money for his impoverished country but failed to garner a response.
His son, former vice president Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, took the opposite approach and flaunted his money lavishly, which turned out to be millions of dollars he had embezzled. Buying everything from a Malibu estate to Bugatti Veyrons, Bentleys, and a Lamborghini, his luxury lifestyle didn’t last. Various governments seized those assets and other properties, and French courts sentenced him to three years in prison.
Rishi Sunak became the third British prime minister of 2022 when he took over from Liz Truss, holding office until Labour leader Keir Starmer replaced him this July. As a result, he instantly joined the list of the richest world leaders. Sunak and his wife have a joint estimated net worth of $828 million (£651m), according to the most recent Sunday Times Rich List, an increase of $155 million (£122m) from last year's ranking.
As prime minister, Sunak earned an annual salary of £167,391 ($213k), according to politics.co.uk. However, the majority of his money has come from a successful business career – he co-founded the investment firm Theleme Partners in 2010 – and from his marriage to Akshata Murty (pictured left), a fashion entrepreneur who owns around $500 million (£393m) worth of shares in her father's tech firm Infosys. Murty also owns a venture capital company and is a director or direct shareholder in five other UK-based firms, according to British newspaper The Sun.
Nursultan Nazarbayev served as president of Kazakhstan from 24 April 1990 until his resignation in March 2019. During his 29 years in office, the strongman leader was accused of widespread human rights abuses, not to mention rampant corruption, and is said to have amassed a fortune of $1 billion (£820m).
Islam Karimov was the leader of Uzbekistan and its precursor, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1989 until his death in 2016. The president ruled the country with an iron fist – human rights abuses were commonplace and the press was severely constrained. Karimov also allegedly enjoyed emptying the state's coffers – his net worth was thought to be $1 billion (£820m).
Ali Bongo Ondimba, the recently ousted president of Gabon, is also said to be worth $1 billion (£820m) and has drawn criticism over his wealth. He's been accused of looting Gabon's oil and natural resources to create his fortune, and in 2009, Transparency International filed a case against his family. The ensuing corruption inquiry revealed numerous assets including 39 properties in France and nine luxury cars, but the case was dropped in 2017.
In January 2019 it was reported that a group of five soldiers tried to overthrow him in a bid to "restore democracy". The coup was unsuccessful. Seeking a third term in office, Ali Bongo was announced as the victor in the country's elections in August this year, although the results of the poll were highly disputed. Just hours later, military leaders declared a coup on national TV and placed him under house arrest. He's since been released and is free to leave the country, although reports claim he has remained in the capital, Libreville.
Cuba's long-time leader, who was prime minister of the Caribbean country from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 2008, may have espoused Marxist-Leninist values based on fair distribution of wealth, but that didn't stop him apparently accruing an immense personal fortune. In 2006, his net worth was estimated by Forbes at $900 million, a staggering $1.15 billion (£944m) in today's money.
The UK's richest-ever prime minister, Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, was the head of government for three terms during the 1850s and 1860s and has a place in history as the longest-serving leader of the Conservative Party. The aristocrat, a major landowner, had a fortune of some $9.3 million, which amounts to $1.3 billion (£1bn) in today's money.
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was the fourth president of Iran. Born into a wealthy family, he was in office from 1989 to 1997 and had several lucrative business concerns, which made him a very rich man indeed. In 2006, the politician, who died in 2017, had a net worth pegged by Forbes at $1.1 billion, the equivalent of $1.4 billion (£1.14bn) today.
The infamous prime minister and then president of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017, Robert Mugabe presided over the economic collapse of the once affluent nation, which he plundered to enrich himself and his family. Leaked US diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks showed the late leader, who owned a number of farms and luxury residences, had an estimated wealth of more than $1 billion in 2001. When adjusted for inflation, that's $1.45 billion (£1.19bn) in today's money.
Syria's brutal leader, who has been president of the war-ravaged country since 2000, has been accused of hoarding up to a staggering $122 billion (£100bn) stolen from state coffers. A more realistic analysis carried out in 2012 and reported in the Guardian newspaper placed his net worth at $1.5 billion (£1.23bn).
China's premier from 2003 to 2013, Wen Jiabao managed to stockpile millions during his 10-year term. A comprehensive review of company and regulatory filings published in the New York Times in 2012 revealed the then Communist Party of China chief had garnered assets amounting to $2.7 billion (£2.2bn).
Former Chilean president Sebastian Piñera generated a vast fortune after founding credit card company Bancard in 1976, before serving two four-year terms as president. The South American leader has a current net worth of $2.7 billion (£2.2bn) according to Forbes, in part due to selling off major assets, including his stake in Chilean airline LAN for $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) and a TV channel to Time Warner for a reported $150 million (£120m).
Daniel Arap Moi was president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. During his time in office, the late politician funnelled upwards of $1 billion into secret bank accounts and private estates around the world. According to Forbes, Moi's assets included ample stakes in several oil companies, a 247,000-acre farm in Australia, and shares in banks and shipping firms. Around the time of his death in 2020 the retired politician was said to be worth as much as $3 billion (£2.5bn).
Saddam Hussein amassed a colossal fortune as president of Iraq from 1979 to his ousting in 2003. Helping himself freely to the Iraqi people's money, the notorious dictator was worth $2 billion in 2003 according to Forbes, which equates to $3.3 billion (£2.7bn) today. His many assets included 89 palaces, numerous luxury cars, and large stakes in media companies such as France's Lagardere SCA.
Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 to his death in 1975 and was responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, mainly republicans and other political dissenters. Upper estimates of the dictator's wealth in 1975 amount to 100 billion pesetas, which works out at around $3.8 billion (£3.1bn) in today's money.
Another dictator who put his people through hell, North Korea's Kim Jong-il had accumulated an estimated $4 billion (£3.3bn) at the time of his death in 2011, while many of his citizens were starving to death. The late despot's so-called slush fund was managed by Ri Su-yong, North Korea's former ambassador to Switzerland, who deposited the cash in clandestine Swiss bank accounts.
North Korea's current leader Kim Jong-un rivals his father in barbarity and beats him when it comes to net worth. The supreme leader of the Hermit Kingdom, who reportedly enjoys the finer things in life from yachts and luxury cars to caviar and vintage wine, is believed to have a fortune of $5 billion (£4.1bn).
America's richest president ever is none other than Donald Trump. The real estate tycoon and media personality was rolling in money when he won the presidency for the first time in November 2016. According to Forbes, Trump's net worth hit $4.5 billion (£3.7bn) in 2016 and although it later declined to around $2.5 billion (£2bn), his fortune has skyrocketed in the wake of his latest election win. Forbes now pegs his net worth at $5.6 billion (£4.4bn).
Military despot Sani Abacha was the de facto leader of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. Widespread human rights abuses and endemic corruption marked his time in office. Following the dictator's demise, the Nigerian government discovered the tyrant had squirrelled away $4 billion in secret bank accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere. In today's money that's a whopping $6.3 billion (£5.2bn).
The most reviled despot in history, Adolf Hitler swindled Germany out of billions. He also made millions from the sale of his book Mein Kampf. According to a 2014 documentary, Hitler had a net worth of 1.1 billion reichsmarks, which is $6.5 billion (£5.3bn) in today's money.
Italy's prime minister for three terms in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, Silvio Berlusconi began his career in construction but entered the world of media in 1973, where he made his fortune. The media mogul was also famous for his 31-year ownership of football club AC Milan and for being a convicted tax fraudster. Forbes estimated his net wealth to be $6.8 billion (£5.6bn) when he passed away in June 2023.
Loathed by his people, ex-Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is thought to have controlled between 30% to 40% of the nation's economy during his time in power. The late president and his family held assets estimated to be worth around $10 billion (£8.2bn) in 2011, the year he was ousted.
Mobutu Sese Seko was president of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 1965 to 1997. Just as free and easy with his people's money as the other dictators in our round-up, the despotic leader helped himself to $5 billion, as estimated in 1984. That's the equivalent of $12 billion (£9.8bn) in today's money. He owned palaces in Zaire and grand residences in Paris and Switzerland and was partial to pricey luxuries, including vintage rosé champagne.
The former president of Angola hoarded enormous sums of money when he was leader of the country from 1979 to 2017. Ignoring the plight of his poverty-stricken people, the late politician chose to enrich himself and his family instead and was worth an estimated $20 billion (£16.4bn) before his death. His daughter Isabel was Africa's richest woman, but corruption charges and cases against her in three different countries have seen her assets frozen. Forbes no longer lists her among Africa's richest people.
Another Nigerian leader who appropriated billions of the nation's money, Ibrahim Babangida was president of the country from 1985 to 1993. The shameless military general is believed to have laundered $12.4 billion off the back of Nigeria's enormous oil windfall during the 1992 Gulf War, a huge $22.7 billion (£18.6bn) in today's money.
Formerly the world's oldest sitting prime minister, Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad had a long stint in power from 1981 to 2003, and then again between 2018 and February 2020. Via his proxy, Tun Daim Zainuddin, the elderly leader, who is now 98, is said to have around $45 billion (£37bn) stashed away and is thought to have interests in 50 banks around the world.
Cruel and corrupt, Ferdinand Marcos was president of the Philippines from 1972 to 1986. Together with his wife Imelda, who became infamous for her collection of over 3,000 high-end shoes, the despot embezzled hundreds of millions and, if reports are correct, up to $53 billion (£43bn) in today's money went missing during his dictatorship.
Suharto was president of Indonesia for 31 years until his resignation in 1998. The military despot, who in 2004 was named the most corrupt world leader of the previous 20 years by Transparency International, plundered up to $35 billion – the equivalent of $55 billion (£45bn) today – during his grip on power through a system his opponents dubbed as "corruption, collusion, nepotism".
The president of Yemen from 1990 to 2012 was as corrupt as they come. Saleh was accused of stealing incredible sums of money from the Yemeni people before his ousting following the Arab Spring protests. A report presented to the United Nations Security Council in 2015 pegged his net worth at up to $64 billion (£53bn).
Another disreputable leader who was overthrown following the Arab Spring protests, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was removed from power in 2011 after serving for 30 years as the country's president. That same year, ABC News and the Guardian alleged the politician had stolen $70 billion (£57bn) from the Egyptian people. However, a report in the Washington Times suggests the sum could have been as much as an eye-watering $700 billion (£570bn).
The dubious accolade of the richest world leader of all time goes to two heads of state. One of them is Vladimir Putin. In 2021, the Russian president's official salary totalled 10.2 million rubles, around $100,000 (£82k). However, he was reportedly worth up to $200 billion (£164bn) in 2017, according to former Hermitage Capital Management CEO Bill Browder, who revealed his estimate under oath to the US Senate Judiciary Committee. The money is allegedly tied up in numerous banks and investments in the West though not always directly in his name.
Tied with Putin in the top spot is Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In 2011, officials estimated that the assassinated despot, who was in power from 1977 to 2011, stashed away $200 billion (£164bn) in secret bank accounts, shady investments, and suspect real estate deals, courtesy of the country's massive oil revenues. Gaddafi's wealth was intended to go into a trust to help stabilise war-torn Libya, but the colonel continues to be controversial even in death, with his frozen funds generating cash for unknown beneficiaries. The whereabouts of much of his money remains a mystery.
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