Richest Politicians in the World

Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun
Net worth: $30B
Country: Thailand
Position: King

Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is the king of Thailand. He inherited the throne and fortune from his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej (his mother is an actual queen: Queen Sikrit). His father passed away in October of 2016, and a distraught Maha needed more time to mourn before taking up his crown.

He ascended to the throne on December 1, 2016. As customary, his father was cremated ten months later. When Maha’s coronation takes place in 2019 he will become the Chakri dynasty’s tenth monarch. He is also one of the oldest princes to assume the throne, becoming king at age 64. In addition to being a king, he is also an ordained monk. Maha’s ordaining took place at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud
Net worth: $17B
Country: Saudi Arabia
Position: Crown Prince

Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud is one of Saudi Arabia’s most recognized people. That is partially to do with his incredible and vast wealth, and his plan to reform many Saudi positions and laws. But he’s also faced extreme backlack for his alleged role in the murder of Turkish journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was deeply critical of the crowned prince; he was eventually found chopped into literal pieces.

Salman is known for being the driving force behind his father, King Salman. Together, both he and his father have also faced criticism for their bombing campaign of Yemen. The campaign induced a famine in 2018 that has led to the starvation of thirteen million civilians. Relations with the rest of the world – even with so much money at stake – have since been put to the test.

Hassanal Bolkiah
Net worth: $20B
Country: Brunei
Position: 29th Sultan of Brunei

Hassanal Bolkiah is the 29th Sultan of Brunei. He is well-known for reinstituting sharia law into Brunei, particularly when it comes to criminal law. He also holds the title as the first-ever Prime Minister of the country. Next to Queen Elizabeth II, the Brunei Sultan is the world’s longest-running monarchy. He will be entering the fiftieth year of his reign.

Brunei has done well under Bolkiah. The leader has helped establish and educational system and low-cost healthcare. He is also very involved in international financial summits. Bolkiah has focused heavily on maintaining Brunei’s economy through the oil and gas industry. He wants to establish a petrochemical industrial sector as well. The banking industry is increasing, and the Bank of Brunei has assets worth $5 billion.

Ibrahim Babangida
Net worth: $50B
Country: Nigeria
Position: Former President

Nigeria’s former President Ibrahim Babangida was a military man credited with leading the coup against his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. He then streamlined Nigeria’s wealth (and his own) through oil, economic reform and international partnerships. Babangida himself owns some of the continent’s most expensive real estate. His rise through Nigeria’s army, culminating in his reign as the Chief of Army, is a highlight of his military career.

Babangida’s wealth is second to none in his home country of Nigeria. Though considered by some to be a controversial leader, it’s tough to argue with his business tactics given his massive wealth. Babangida personally owns over half of the London-based Fruitex International Limited corporation. He also owns nearly a quarter of Nigeria’s second-largest telecom company, Globacam.

https://news.education.investing.com/power-players-the-worlds-top-25-wealthiest-politicians/4/?ref=next

Ahn Cheol-soo
Net worth: $104.4M
Country: South Korea
Position: Former Presidential Candidate

Many South Koreans will remember Ahn Cheol-soo’s two runs for South Korea’s presidency in 2017 and 2012. Cheol-soo jumped between parties before landing at the Bareunmirae Party. As a politician he has opposed key issues including same-sex marriage and the American anti-ballistic defense system known and THAAD. But long before any of his politics, Cheol-soo was first and foremost a keen businessman.

He hit it big with his security software company AhnLab, Inc. He famously turned down a huge offer from John McAfee to buy his company. This decision proved to be the correct one. AhnLab would eventually remain in his own hands and become the country’s second-biggest company of its kind. This massive empire gave Cheol-soo the capital he needed to enter politics, where he remains actively engaged to this day.


Olusegun Obasanjo
Net worth: $32B
Country: Nigeria
Position: Former President

Olusegun Obasanjo is the former president of Nigeria. He was born in Abeokuta, and orphaned by age 22. After his mother’s death he enlisted in the Nigerian Army. He was a devoted soldier in the nation’s Army for years, achieving the rank of captain and then major. He served with the Nigerian sector of the U.N. Forces deployed in the Congo. He also traveled to India, where he was promoted to the rank of major as part of the military’s only engineering unit.

Obasanjo became Chief of Staff in 1975 under the Murtala Mohammed regime, which came into power after a military coup. A later coup would cost Murtala his life, but Obasanjo would survive. After regaining control he instituted a strict military regime. Much of his personal wealth is owed to Nigerian oil.


Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan
Net worth: $23B
Country: UAE
Position: President

Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan is the president of the UAE and Supreme Commander of the Union Defence Force. After he succeeded his father as the Emir of Abu Dhabi, he automatically became president the very next day.

Khalifa made his money from an investment group, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which has a lot of holdings throughout the world. Overall, the al Nahyan family as a collective has about $150 billion. Recently, the Burj Dubai (aka: the world’s tallest structure) was renamed after Khalifa. It is now called Burj Khalifa. As if this weren’t enough, Khalifa also commissioned a huge luxury yacht. Most estimate it will cost between $400 and $600 million, making it the largest in the world.

Cyril Ramaphosa
Net worth: $550M
Country: South Africa
Position: President

Cyril Ramaphosa is not only the most powerful man in South Africa (he’s currently the region’s fifth President), but he’s also the richest. Renowned for building up South African’s trade union, he honed his skills as a politician through both activism and business practices. He was, quite famously, the man that Nelson Mandela supported to be South Africa’s President.

Ramaphosa has several highly lucrative business ventures, but chief among them is Shanduka Group. The mighty conglomerate has vast dividends in telecom, energy, and banking throughout South Africa. Oh, and if you’ve ever eaten at a McDonald’s in South Africa, then Ramaphosa is probably the person to thank. He bought a massive, 20-year franchise to ‘Mickey D’s’ back in 2011, a move which popularized the chain in the region for good.

Gerald Butts
Net worth: $23M
Country: Canada
Position: Former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister

Often cited as one of the most influential behind-the-scenes power players in Canada, Gerald Butts served as Prime Minister Trudeau’s chief advisor for many years until February of 2019. Prior to this he was a major policy-setter and figurehead of the Ontario Liberal Party, leading them to victory in the 2003 and 2007 elections. He spent nearly a decade in the 2000’s as the Principal Secretary to the Premier of Ontario.

In parallel to his political career is his passion for protecting the environment. Famously, Butts spent four years serving as the CEO of Canada’s World Wildlife Fund. During this period (and in the years since) he’s been very vocal about preserving the natural world and offering cleaner alternatives to current fuel systems.

Michael Bloomberg
Net worth: $47.5B
Country: U.S.
Position: Former U.S. Presidential Candidate

Michael Bloomberg was born in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood. Known mostly as a former mayor of New York City, you might be surprised to learn that he wasn’t raised in NYC (though today his businesses are mostly based there). Bloomberg made a run for U.S. president on the Independent Party’s ticket. A run he may yet again make in the upcoming 2020 election. Bloomberg is the eighth richest person in America. He made most of his money from his company, Innovative Market Systems, which provides information to stockbrokers.

Bloomberg’s political affiliations have switched several times. He was a registered Democrat before becoming a Republican, but then he left the Republican Party to joining the Independents. But the rumor is that he’ll rejoin the Democratic Party if and when he runs in 2020.

Abdullah Badawi
Net worth: $20M
Country: Malaysia
Position: Former Prime Minister

One of Malaysia’s richest men is also one of its most powerful. Abdullah Badawi served as the country’s Prime Minister from 2003 until 2009, and continued to serve in Parliament until 2013. His family lineage is steeped in power and religious leadership. He entered politics quickly after receiving his BA in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaysia.

Though his tenure was not without its share of controversies, the country flourished economically under Badawi’s leadership. He won by large margins in his early elections. His popularity eroded in subsequent years, and he was nearly faced with a no-confidence vote by 2008. In addition to politics, Badawi is a celebrated poet. His work has been published in more than 80 languages.

Justin Trudeau
Net worth: $13M
Country: Canada
Position: Prime Minister

Canada’s second-youngest leader was perhaps always destined for politics. After all, his father was Canada’s 15th prime minister. Following studies in environmental geography and literature, Trudeau’s first true step into politics probably began with the delivery of his father’s eulogy. The speech is often cited as a significant historical moment in Canadian politics.

Trudeau spent several years leading Canada’s Liberal Party, culminating in his electoral victory in 2015 as Canada’s newest prime minister. In this role, he’s advocated a consistently progressive platform. Much of his personal wealth was inherited from a prestigious political family lineage. His many fans also consider Trudeau to be one of the most “charming” politicians on the global stage. Little do they know: he’s also one of the richest!

Teo Chee Hean
Net worth: $75M
Country: Singapore
Position: Deputy Prime Minister

The Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Teo Chee Hean, is one of the region’s wealthiest individuals. Before ascending into politics he made a fortune as the head of Singapore’s National Olympic Council. In his youth he was a naval officer in the Republic of Singapore Navy.

Hean held many ranks in government over the years, including Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Defence Minister and Civil Service Minister. He was appointed as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Deputy in 2009 (one of two Deputies) following great popularity in the general election of 2006. A position he retains to this day. His personal wealth has only increased as time goes on, making him one of the richest politicians on the globe.

Clive Palmer
Net worth: $425.8M
Country: Australia
Position: Leader of the United Australia Party

The highly vocal and controversial head of Australia’s United Australia Party is Clive Palmer, one of the country’s richest individuals. He made his early millions in mining ventures. Among his more… Uh, bizarre investments… Is a plan to reconstruct the Titanic (little progress has actually been made so far). He also opened a theme park featuring about 160 robotic dinosaurs called “Palmersaurus,” apparently named after himself.

After transitioning into politics, Palmer briefly served in Australia’s 44th Parliament. During that time, he attended actual government sessions less than any other leader (he reportedly only showed up 64% of the time). The outspoken leader has rallied about everything from abortion rights to Tim-Tam cookies. He currently plans to re-enter politics full-time.

Jack Layton
Net worth: $5.5M
Country: Canada
Position: Leader of the New Democratic Party (former)

Canada’s former Leader of the Opposition is millionaire Jack Layton. He rose through the ranks of the New Democratic Party throughout the 2000s. During this period he also served as the acting mayor of Toronto from time to time in his capacity as a city council member.

Layton passed away in 2011 at age 61 from prostate cancer. His sudden death rocked the political world, and left behind a large grieving constituency. At the time he was leading the New Democratic Party and was wildly popular by liberal Canadians. He was so loved that a TV film was even made about his life, which aired in Canadian television in 2013.


Michael Ashcroft
Net worth: $1.7B
Country: Britain
Position: Former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party

Michael Ashcroft made millions before politics when he founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates. The firm opened in 1972, and Ashcroft is still among the top 100 richest people in the UK. He’d been on the Conservative bench since 2000, though he recently retired from politics in 2015.

Ashcroft is still active in promoting Conservative Party policies. He served as a treasurer to the party before he sat on the bench in the House of Lords. Ashcroft is also a prominent philanthropist. He is a major supporter of anti-crime efforts, and he founded Crimestoppers. Crimestoppers is an anonymous hotline that allows people to report crimes. The institution nets an income of nearly five million pounds per year.


Sebastian Pinera
Net worth: $2.5B
Country: Chile
Position: President

Sebastian Pinera (full name Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique) is the current Chilean President. He has served two terms thus far, making him the second president to ever do so in Chile. Pinera actually lived in New York as a child because his father was the Ambassador to Chile. He may have had connections from birth, but his wealth comes from a smart investment in credit cards he made in the 1970’s.

Before becoming president, Pinera was a humble teacher. He taught from 1971 to 1988 as an economics professor. He also started a foundation for women called The Enterprising Women Foundation. He also started the Future Foundation, which purports to work on justice and anti-corruption efforts in government.



Lee Hsien Loong
Net worth: $106.2M
Country: Singapore
Position: Prime Minister

Singapore’s Prime Minister also happens to be one of the richest politicians of all time. Lee Hsien Loong, the third (and current) leader of Singapore, was originally a military man in his youth. He received training and education in the United States before being an officer in Singapore’s army. From there he began a very successful career in politics.

Loong’s father was the first Prime Minister of Singapore, meaning he was born into affluence to begin with. But he became even richer than his father through heading the Monetary Authority of Singapore for many years. He also has experience as a software engineer, and apparently designs computer programs in his spare time.

Bill Haslam
Net worth: $1.8B
Country: U.S.
Position: Former Governor of Tennessee

Bill Haslam was the Republican governor of Tennessee until 2019. His first venture into politics was when he became the mayor of Knoxville in 2003. But many years before that, Haslam made his millions in business. His father founded Pilot Corporation, a huge petroleum company with headquarters in Knoxville. The company also own the popular Flying J chain, the largest chain of truck stops in the US.

Haslam’s conservative views eventually gave way to a Democratic replacement in January of 2019. He has controversially opposed same-sex marriages


Bidzina Ivanishvili
Net worth: $4.5B
Country: Georgia
Position: Former Prime Minister

Bidzina Ivanishvili was the prime minister of Georgia from 2012 until 2013, and the single-richest person in Georgia. This is quite the accomplishment considering he rcame from such poor roots. He was born in Chorvila in near-poverty. He was one of five children, and his father was a factory worker. Despite great odds, Bidzina graduated high school and then went on to college.

He achieved a Ph.D. in engineering at a university in Moscow. He made his wealth first through importing telephones, and then through buyouts of underwater businesses that he turned around and sold for millions. His business partner was Vitaly Malkin, a businessman in Russia who is now known for his political involvement and attempts to unseat Putin as the president. Despite being out of office for quite awhile now, Ivanishvili remains active in the Georgian Dream party.


Zong Qinghou
Net worth: $10.8B
Country: China
Position: National People’s Congress Delegate

Zong Qinghou made his fortune in the beverage business when he founded Hangzhou Wahaha Group. Hangzhou distributes teas, milks and soft drinks. Qinghou himself has very little formal education; he worked on a salt farm after graduating from secondary school. He managed to find work at a mini-grocery selling milk, and grew his business from there.

Zong’s business became popular in China because people appreciated a Chinese business pushing back against larger, foreign businesses that tended to monopolize the country. This soon gave way to Qinghou’s political career. He’s been a delegate for the NPC since 2002, and he won reelection to that position in 2007. He has a daughter who went to the states for college, but she returned after graduating and renounced her US naturalization.


Naguib Sawiris
Net worth: $3B
Country: Egypt
Position: Leader of the Free Egyptians Party

Naguib Sawiris is one of Egypt’s richest, but also its most controversial. He made his wealth through his family business, a massive holdings conglomerate. The firm, Orascom Group, has dividends across almost every Egyptian industry including transportation, telecom, technology and more. Sawiris is also the chairman of the parent company of Weather Investments. So yeah, he has a lot of money.

Following the Arab Revolution in 2011, Sawiris started the Free Egyptians Party. He also offered to buy a small island to house refugees in need of shelter, but stumbled into too much red tape before he could put that idea into action. He’s received international awards from Italy and France for his diplomatic ventures to those countries.


Sonia Gandhi
Net worth: $2B
Country: India
Position: Former Chief of the Indian Congress Party

Sonia Gandhi was born in a small Italian village. From those humble beginnings she’s since become one of the richest politicians in the world – and one of the richest women on planet Earth. She found her way into Indian politics when she married Rajiv Gandhi, president of the Indian Congress Party.

Gandhi was assassinated in 1998. In the aftermath of his death, Sonia took over his role. She was quite reluctant at first. But the party practically begged her to do it. Eventually, she decided to take over as the leader of the ICP, serving as president for nineteen years. She adhered strongly to a centrist position during her time as the leader of the party.


Taro Aso
Net worth: $13.7M
Country: Japan
Position: Finance Minister

Taro Aso is both the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Japan. He has been involved in Japanese politics since 1979, when he initially served in Japan’s House of Representatives. He worked his way up, holding a number of positions during his long career. He’s served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General and President of the Liberal Democratic Party. He’s also notable for being a member of the Montreal Olympics while he was on the shooting team for Japan.

In some countries, however, Taro Aso has been accused of revising or censoring history. For example, Aso maintains publicly that the Japanese army never committed any war crimes in the Pacific during World War II. A position that American histories fiercely deny. These public statements may all be for the cameras, though. Aso’ frequently been spotted side-by-side with American leaders, so perhaps it’s all water under the bridge.


Olusegun Obasanjo
Net worth: $32B
Country: Nigeria
Position: Former President

Olusegun Obasanjo is the former president of Nigeria. He was born in Abeokuta, and orphaned by age 22. After his mother’s death he enlisted in the Nigerian Army. He was a devoted soldier in the nation’s Army for years, achieving the rank of captain and then major. He served with the Nigerian sector of the U.N. Forces deployed in the Congo. He also traveled to India, where he was promoted to the rank of major as part of the military’s only engineering unit.

Obasanjo became Chief of Staff in 1975 under the Murtala Mohammed regime, which came into power after a military coup. A later coup would cost Murtala his life, but Obasanjo would survive. After regaining control he instituted a strict military regime. Much of his personal wealth is owed to Nigerian oil.


Uhuru Kenyatta
Net worth: $500M
Country: Kenya
Position: President

Uhuru Kenyatta is the current president of Kenya. He was born in Nairobi to Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of Kenya. His political career began as an MP for Gatundu South. He was also involved with the National Alliance and the Kenya African National Union. But his primary political leadership comes from the Jubilee Party of Kenya. Prior to politics, he was a bank teller at Kenya’s national bank.

He first ran for Kenyan president in 2007, but withdrew after polls showed slim chances of success. Kenyatta would later face charges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which claimed that he perpetrated violence during the aftermath of the 2007 Kenyan Crisis. Kenyatta took another shot at the presidency in 2013. After a contested election, he was declared the winner by the high court.


Raila Odinga
Net worth: $500M
Country: Kenya
Position: Leader of the Opposition

Raila Odinga Kenya’s former prime minister. He was succeeded by current president Kenyatta – making him today’s opposition leader. He was also recently appointed as Kenya’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development. His ceremony took place at the African Union Commission this past year. His father, Jaramogi Odinga, served as Kenya’s first vice president.

Odinga has a tumultuous history with the government of Kenya. He was accused (along with his father) of instigating a failed coup in 1988. The extent of his involvement remains unknown to this day. Regardless, Odinga was placed under house arrest for over half a year, and then re-imprisoned shortly thereafter. Upon his release he fled to Norway, claiming that the Kenyan government was attempting to assassinate him. When he deemed the coast to be clear, he returned to his homeland to pursue a political career.

Kim Jong-un
Net worth: $5B
Country: North Korea
Position: President

Everyone known the name Kim Jong-un. North Korea’s de facto dictator labels himself as the “Supreme Leader” of North Korea. He came into office in 2011 following the death of his father. Kim holds a degree in physics from Kim Il-Sung University, along with a degree from Kim Il-Sung Military University. His life, conduct and beliefs have always been something of a mystery. The closed-off North Korean country is said to “worship” him like a god, though whether that’s actually how the people feel is a matter of much debate.

Among other rumors if the belief that Kim Jong-un ordered the assassination of his own uncle and half-brother. The alleged executions were preceded by allegations of “treachery” by the North Korean leader. Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump famously warred on Twitter before finally holding a one-on-one summit to discuss nuclear disarmament. Nearly a year later, those talks seem to have amounted to little.


Donald Trump
Net worth: $500M
Country: U.S.
Position: President

Though it’s far short of the “many billions” he’s often claimed, Donald Trump’s net worth of roughly $500 million is still nothing to sneeze at. Prior to winning the electoral college in America, he was a reality TV show host. But for the most part he owes his fortune to an inheritance of his father’s real estate company. Trump’s many business efforts (his own brand of steaks, casinos and a university, for example) often landed him close to bankruptcy.

All the money in the world can’t seem to buy Donald Trump out of his legal woes. After being elected president, six of Trump’s associates were charged with a myriad of white-collar crimes by special prosecutor, Robert Mueller. Rumors of a financial deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin for a Trump Tower in Moscow may eventually put “the Don” in federal prison.

More...
https://news.education.investing.com/power-players-the-worlds-top-25-wealthiest-politicians/4/?ref=next

Where is Russian president Mr putins? he should be the richest, meanwhile IBB and obasanjo wealth when put together can feed this nation for the next 20 years imagine the generation the two have ruined. Am so sorry for my unborn child.

all this billi blli and milli milli una try

Op, na the one I know of I go talk.


How on Earth will Obj and IBB have such sum


Where did you gather this from?

Babangida 50 billion dollars ? from where ? Do you know what 50 billion dollars is

And you forgot to put Jose Eduardo dos Santos the former president of Angola..He is the richest black man. No African or black man both dead or alive is up to his wealth, even dangote is a learner.

SarkinYarki:
Babangida 50 billion dollars ? from where ? Do you know what 50 billion dollars is

yes he is even more than that.he has many oil block, he is the biggest problem Nigeria ever had

viyon02:
yes he is even more than that.he has many oil block, he is the biggest problem Nigeria ever had

lol you nor know your ynash

lordkush:
lol you nor know your ynash

but honestly this man rubbish Nigeria to what it is today.

These figures are rubbish.

Zombicmodz:
These figures are rubbish.

Unfortunately they are true. The OP actually copied it from BBC & I have read it like twice from that. BBC can't just wake up & post trash like Naija bloggers

BlackSpanner:


Unfortunately they are true. The OP actually copied it from BBC & I have read it like twice from that. BBC can't just wake up & post trash like Naija bloggers

Donald trump worth 500 million ?

That's an insult

Zombicmodz:


Donald trump worth 500 million ?

That's an insult

The report is based on asset tracked listed under the individuals name, or linked to them from reliable sources.
Trump is good at hiding his assets. He has a lot of foundations managed by trustees, so they will be excluded.

all I know is that, Babagidda is the richest politician in the world.