“Who Are France’s Biggest Riches in 2022, According to Forbes?”
Bernard Arnault became the richest man in the world according to Forbes in a few minutes. Then Elon Musk quickly regained his leadership position. Who are France’s biggest riches in 2022 according to Forbes ranking after the boss of LVMH?
The 73-year-old French businessman and CEO of the luxury group LVMH became the richest person in the world in a matter of minutes on December 9, with a fortune worth approximately 176 billion euros. Bernard Arnault is not the only one in France, other families or personalities are well positioned in the Forbes world ranking, such as the Bettencourt family and businessmen Francois Pinault and Rodolphe Saade.
Bernard Arnault, the LVMH empire is on the heels of Elon Musk
With a fortune estimated at 187 billion dollars or 176 billion euros, Bernard Arnault is on the world podium. After being in third position in 2020 and 2021, he was promoted to the first few minutes ahead (in 2022, ahead of Elon Musk due to the erosion of the latter’s fortunes). At the time of this writing, it sits comfortably in third place behind Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. In France, Bernard Arnault is the richest person who dominates the LVMH empire, which has 70 well-known brands.
The Bettencourt Family is ranked second in France
In second place in France is the Bettencourt family, more precisely, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L’Oréal, the French cosmetics industry group. Ranked 14th in the world, she is the richest woman in the world with a fortune of more than 71 billion euros.
The Saadé Family and maritime transport on the French catwalk of Forbes
The Saadé family, ranked 31st in the world ranking (as of 2022), completes the French podium. Rodolphe Saadé, son of industrialist Jacques Saadé (who died in 2018) and president of CMA CGM, one of the world’s largest shipping companies with a fleet of 500 ships, is estimated to be worth €39 billion.
François Pinault and the Kering Group are the 4th richest people in France
The podium is closely watched by the Pinault family in the person of François Pinault. He is the chairman emeritus of luxury group Kering, which owns fashion brands Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Gucci. His fortune is estimated at 38 billion euros, making him the 32nd richest person in the world.
The house of Chanel is in the 5th and 6th positions in the Forbes ranking in France
The luxury house Chanel represents the 5th and 6th places, with the personal fortunes of Alain Wertheimer, the president of the French luxury brand, and his brother, Gerard Wertheimer, who is also the owner of Chanel (about 29.7 billion euros each).
Lactalis and the Besnier family are 7th in the fortunes of France
In the 7th French position, Emmanuel Besnier is the CEO and main shareholder of the family company Lactalis, one of the largest dairy companies in the world with a turnover of 20 billion dollars. At the time of filing, his fortune was estimated at 22.4 billion euros. The group currently employs 85,000 people and has more than 266 factories in 94 countries.
Entrepreneur Xavier Niel is the 8th richest man in France
New technology entrepreneur Xavier Neal took the 8th place with a fortune worth 8.5 billion euros. He ranked 230th in the world as of 2021. Xavier owns Illiad, the parent company of Niel Free. He also has other strings, including financing the Station F incubator in Paris, creating 42 computer schools and participating in large groups such as Unibail.
Dassault and its successors round out Forbes’ French TOP 10
The Dassault family completes the TOP 10 of great French fortunes. With 8 billion euros each, Laurent Dassault, Thierry Dassault and Marie-Hélène Habert-Dassault, inherited from their father Serge Dassault, who died in 2018, place themselves in the Forbes ranking. Dassault Group is an aerospace and software conglomerate. It comprises, among others, Dassault Aviation, Dassault Systèmes, Immobilière Dassault, Dassault Wine Estates, as well as the daily Le Figaro and the auction house, Artcurial.
TOP 20 of France’s biggest fortunes at the end of 2022
Fortunes vary widely, here is a ranking of France’s top 20 fortunes:
1. Bernard Arnault and his family – $158 billion
2. Francois Bettencourt Meyers and family – $74.8 billion
3. Rodolphe Saade and his family – $41.4 billion
4. François Pinault and his family – $40.4 billion
5. Alain Wertheimer – $31.2 billion
6. Gerard Wertheimer – $31.2 billion
7. Emmanuel Besnier – $23.5 billion
8. Xavier Niel – $8.9 billion
9. Laurent Dassault – $8.4 billion
10. Thierry Dassault – $8.4 billion
11. Marie-Helene Habert-Dassault – $8.4 billion
12. Jean-Michel Besnier – $8.2 billion
13. Marie Besnier Beauvalot – $8.2 billion
14. Vincent Bolloré and his family – $7.5 billion
15. Kerry Perrodo and family – 7 billion dollars
16. Alain Merieux and his family – $6.7 billion
17. Patrick Drahi – $6.6 billion
18. Nicolas Puech – $6.6 billion
19. Stefan Bansel – $4.6 billion
20. Martin & Olivier Bouygues – $4.2 billion
TOP 20 richest people in the world at the end of 2022
Fortunes vary greatly, here is a ranking of the top 20 fortunes in the world:
1. Elon Musk – $219 billion
2. Jeff Bezos – $171 billion
3. Bernard Arnault and his family – $158 billion
4. Bill Gates – $129 billion
5. Warren Buffett – $118 billion
6. Larry Page – $111 billion
7. Sergey Brin – $107 billion
8. Larry Ellison – $106 billion
9. Steve Ballmer – $91.4 billion
10. Mukesh Ambani – $90.7 billion
11. Gautam Adani – $90 billion
12. Michael Bloomberg – $82 billion
13. Carlos Slim Helu and his family – $81.2 billion
14. Francois Bettencourt Meyers and family – $74.8 billion
15. Mark Zuckerberg – $67.3 billion
16. Jim Walton – $66.2 billion
17. Zhong Shanshan – $65.7 billion
18. Alice Walton – $65.3 billion
19. Rob Walton – $65 billion
20. Changpeng Zhao – $65 billion
