As well as wielding immense political power, many world leaders are also extremely wealthy. But any list of the richest leaders doesn't just feature the presidents and prime ministers of the world's wealthiest countries – it also includes the heads of some of the world's poorest nations.
From outgoing US President Joe Biden to Vladimir Putin, read on to discover who the world's richest leaders are today and find how they amassed their wealth. The fortunes of many of these powerful people are often shrouded in mystery, so some aren't included here, but estimates do exist as to the true extent of their wealth.
All dollar values in US dollars unless otherwise stated.
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro may have one of the lowest salaries of any South American leader, but he's still estimated to have a fortune of around $2 million (£1.6m), although some have pegged his total fortune much higher. Presiding over a country hamstrung by hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, and power cuts, the socialist leader can certainly afford luxuries that are off-limits to most Venezuelans.
Maduro began his working life as a bus driver before becoming a trade union leader and has led Venezuela since 2013. His time in office has been dogged by controversy, with his oil-rich country often finding itself isolated on the international stage, and Maduro has faced allegations of corruption throughout his time in power.
Malaysia's prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, has clamped down on government spending and even refused to use a Mercedes Benz limousine purchased by one of his predecessors, who's currently in prison on corruption charges. During his election campaign, he pledged not to take the prime minister's salary of about $5,000 (£3.9k) per month, highlighting that Malaysia's minimum wage was only $325 (£251) per month.
But there's still plenty of money for him to draw on elsewhere. Anwar declared $2.4 million (£1.9m) in assets in November 2022, hoping to force opposition candidates to do the same in the run-up to the elections. Cash and investments accounted for nearly $180,000 (£139k) of Anwar's assets, with the majority, $2.2m (£1.7m), comprising a house and three pieces of land.
It’s uncertain how much President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, is really worth. While he was elected in May 2022, the most recent public disclosure of his wealth dates to 2016 at 204 million Philippine pesos, or nearly $3.6 million (£2.8m).
Other estimates suggest he could be worth up to a staggering $3.5 billion (£2.7bn). Marcos' father ruled the southeast Asian country for 20 years until his ouster in the 1980s, plundering as much as $13.5 billion (£10.4bn) from public coffers to fund a lavish lifestyle. The government has spent decades trying to recover the money, successfully seizing paintings, real estate, jewellery, and designer shoes. However, most of it is still missing.
Former minister for finance, Lawrence Wong became Singapore's fourth Prime Minister in May 2024, taking over from Lee Hsien Loong. Wong is not as rich as his predecessor – Lee Hsien Loong sits on the Board of Directors for the sovereign wealth fund GIC Private Limited and is believed to have a fortune of at least $50 million (£38.6m) – but is still worth a very respectable $5 million (£3.9m).
And that number is likely to rise; Singapore's head of government earns an annual salary of around S$2.2 million ($1.6m/£1.2m), making him one of the highest-paid world leaders.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was born into a wealthy political family, with his own father Pierre having served in the top job from 1968 to 1979 and again between 1980 and 1984.
In addition to his annual salary of around CA$400,000 ($293k/£226k), Trudeau also has an inheritance from his father, which in 2013 was estimated to be about $1.2 million in cash and investments, the equivalent of around $1.6 million (£1.2m) in today's money. Before his time in public office, Trudeau also made a sizable sum each year from his public speaking business. His overall net worth has been estimated at between $5-$10 million (£3.9-£7.8m), a figure that's likely to grow significantly in the years to come.
President Joe Biden, who will be succeeded by Donald Trump in January, took on America's top job in January 2021. Following his financial disclosures, his wealth was initially estimated at $8 million (£6.2m). This prompted some people to question why it wasn't higher, considering Biden was worth $2.5 million in 2016, before earning $11.1 million in 2017, $4.6 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019, and $630,000 in 2020.
Forbes suggested that, even with tax, charity donations, household costs and mortgage interest, his net worth should be higher.
Sure enough, the latest Forbes estimates place Biden's net worth at $10 million (£7.8m). But this recalculation isn't the result of business dealings or hidden wealth; rather, Biden is "getting richer by doing what a lot of 80-year-old Americans are doing: sitting on real estate." The President owns two Delaware homes currently valued at a combined $7 million (£5.4m), around $1.8 million more than they were worth in 2021.
Although the fortune of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and his family was estimated to be $1.5 million when he was inaugurated in May 2019, more recent reporting from Forbes suggests he's worth around $20 million (£15.6m).
Prior to serving as the country's sixth president, Zelensky was a noted actor, comedian, and producer. Indeed, he was best known for starring in a satirical TV series Servant of the People, in which he played a history teacher who accidentally becomes the Ukrainian president. Zelensky also has an estimated 25% stake in the broadcasting group Kvartal, which he co-founded.
After a stint in the media, French president Emmanuel Macron became an investment banker for Rothschild & Cie Banque in 2008. Two years later he entered politics, working on the staff of President François Hollande. He leaned heavily on his banking money when he decided to set up his own political party to run for president. It paid off, and he was elected in 2017.
Reports vary as to his net worth, but Spear's Magazine has estimated it at $31.5 million (£24.9m).
William Ruto became the president of Kenya in September 2022, succeeding Uhuru Kenyatta. Although he's not quite as rich as his predecessor, who reportedly has a net worth of $500 million (£395m), Ruto is still one of the wealthiest leaders in the world, with an estimated $400 million (£315m) to his name.
Ruto was deputy president from 2013 to 2022. He appears to have amassed the majority of his wealth through real estate. He reportedly owns the Weston Hotel in Nairobi, as well as hotels worth over $24 million (£18.9m) in Mombasa and Mara. He's also a shareholder in the Africa Merchant Assurance Company (AMACO). Following public anger, Ruto has recently been forced to shelve plans that would have given politicians in the country a significant pay rise. He currently takes home a salary in the region of $15,800 a month (£12.5k). Meanwhile, the minimum wage in Kenya is around $118 (£93) a month.
Cyril Ramaphosa earns an annual salary of around $173,000 (£137k) as South African president following a pay rise for elected officials in July 2023. While his salary is nearly 18 times higher than the average household income of his people, he's reportedly been donating half his salary to charity since 2018.
Ramaphosa stepped down as chairman of the investment firm Shanduka Group in 2015 to avoid a conflict of interest and completed the sale of his stake a year later. In 2015, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $450 million (£355m). It's unclear how his net worth has changed over the last nine years. Rampahosa faced investigation after around $4 million (£3.2m) in cash was found stashed in his house during a supposed burglary at one of his farms. However. a public watchdog cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Paul Kagame has been president of Rwanda since 2000 after he led rebel forces to end the Rwandan genocide that saw more than a million people murdered. Kagame has been key to the African country's economic rehabilitation, and the idea of becoming the 'Singapore of Africa', although this has been matched by an intolerance for dissent.
In 2012, it was reported that Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front were controlling the country’s economy through a holding company called Crystal Ventures. This group is thought to have assets of $500 million (£386m) across everything from private jets to the country’s biggest milk processor. It's been estimated that Kagame, the chairman of Crystal Ventures, is also worth $500 million (£395m).
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan served as mayor of Istanbul and Türkiye's prime minister before being elected as the country's president in 2014. Despite maintaining enough support to stay in power, many have accused him of corruption and autocratic tendencies, and the nation's currency, the Lira, has fallen to an all-time low leaving many households struggling financially.
Meanwhile, in July 2023, local media reported Erdoğan had increased his monthly salary by 39% from $3,829 (£2,954) to $5,360 (£4,135), which puts him on an annual salary of less than $65,000 (£51k).
However, Erdoğan's net worth is the subject of intense scrutiny. He's estimated to be worth around $500 million (£395m) today, although some reports have pegged his fortune as being in the billions.
Azerbaijan's Prime Minister, Ilham Aliyev, earned an official annual salary of $230,000 in 2010, the equivalent of $330,000 (£260k) in 2024 money. However, he and his family have other means to rely on, including large property assets abroad. In 2010, his then-12-year-old son Heydar reportedly purchased nine waterfront mansions in Dubai worth some $44 million ($63m/£50m today), a figure the average Azerbaijan citizen would have to work 10,000 years to accrue.
The Aliyevs hit the headlines again when the Pandora Papers revealed that the British royal family's Crown Estate bought a £67 million ($87m) London property from the president's young son. Both Aliyev and his government have been accused of corruption over the years.
His net worth is thought to be around $500 million (£395m), though other estimates put it as high as $900 million (£710m).
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in control of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea since 1979, when he ousted his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in a military coup. Recent estimates of his wealth are few and far between but Forbes has previously pegged his fortune at $600 million (£473m).
A taste for luxury seems to run in the family. In 2016, his son, Teodoro 'Teodorín' Nguema Obiang (and the country's vice president), saw his fleet of 26 luxury cars, including seven Ferraris, five Bentleys, three Lamborghinis, a Maserati, a McLaren and a Bugatti Veyron seized by Swiss authorities as part of a corruption probe. The fleet was later sold at a charity auction for $27 million (£21.3m). More recently, the VP has had several homes seized by authorities and auctioned off, including an estate in Malibu, California, the proceeds of which funded COVID-19 vaccines in Equatorial Guinea.
In 2012, Syria's leader Bashar al-Assad was estimated to have amassed a fortune of around $1.5 billion, despite moves to freeze his assets in the UK, the US, and Switzerland. For the financial year 2022, the US Department of State put his net worth at an estimated $1-$2 billion (£771m-£1.5bn).
Before the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the Assads and their friends were said to have owned between 60% and 70% of the country's assets, including land, energy plants, and factories.
Xi Jinping may hold the distinguished titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, but he has a very modest salary of just $22,000 (£17k) per year.
However, in 2012, it was revealed that Jinping and his family had hidden investments in multiple holding companies, including a $244 million share of property investment firm Shenzhen Yuanwei, the equivalent of $334m (£264m) in 2024 money. At one point, it was believed Xi had a net worth of $1.5 billion (£1.2bn). However, the true extent of his wealth today is unknown.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is thought to have amassed a net worth of $5 billion (£3.9bn) since 2013. Around that time, US and South Korean officials discovered assets and bank accounts controlled by the supreme leader and his family.
They found that much of his wealth was stashed away in over 200 bank accounts held in China and other countries, including Austria, Luxembourg, Russia, and Switzerland.
All eyes have been on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, yet the finances of Russian president Vladimir Putin are shrouded in mystery. An estimate by former Hermitage Capital Management CEO Bill Browder, given under oath to the US Senate Judiciary Committee, put the former KGB officer's net worth at a staggering $200 billion (£158bn). That would make him one of the richest people in the world today.
However, in 2018, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation said that Putin had officially earned just $673,000 ($881k/£695k in 2024 money) between 2011 and 2016. It also revealed that he had an apartment in St Petersburg and 230 shares in Bank St Petersburg.
A video created by former opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February this year and is widely believed to have been murdered by the Russian authorities, featured an opulent palace by the Black Sea that was allegedly financed by billionaires close to the President as a 'bribe'. Navalny also alleged that Putin is obsessed with money and has plotted to steal the nation's wealth.
Putin denied that the palace belonged to him and described the video as a "compilation and montage". The Pandora Papers have linked the financial affairs of his inner circle to secretive business operations in Monaco, which has reportedly become 'Moscow-on-sea' for wealthy Russians keen to avoid tax. These include Svetlana Krivonogikh, Putin's alleged mistress, who has apparently amassed a secret $100 million (£78.9m) fortune. Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the claims in the Pandora Papers were "unsubstantiated".
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