Top Ten Richest People of all Time
This ranking of the richest people of all time is based on hours of interviews with academic economists and historians. To read more about how the order was determined despite the difficulty of comparing wealth across a wide range of time periods and economic systems, read this.
When it comes to the 20 richest people in history, these massively wealthy tycoons don't even get a look-in. From 19th-century American industrialists to the African king who once owned half the world's gold, here are the most moneyed people of all time, as guesstimated by leading economists and historians and adjusted for inflation.
While it is virtually impossible to separate Stalin’s wealth from the wealth of the Soviet Union, his unique combination of economic might and complete control of the USSR lead multiple economists to nominate him as one of the richest people of all time.
The richest among the Rothschilds was the head of its English branch—Nathan Mayer Rothschild—the richest person of his time. Bernstein and Swan in All the Money in the World (2008) mention the top three richest Americans ever—all tycoons of the Gilded Age—respectively: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Cornelius Vanderbilt; Henry Ford was ranked only 12th.
Who had more money, John D. Rockefeller or Genghis Khan? It’s a simple question with a very difficult answer. This ranking of the richest people of all time is based on hours of interviews with academic economists and historians.
This ranking of the richest people of all time is based on hours of interviews with academic economists and historians. To read more about how the order was determined despite the difficulty of comparing wealth across a wide range of time periods and economic systems, read this.
As the richest living person, Bill Gates’ wealth is refreshingly easy to determine. As of this year, Forbes estimates the Microsoft founder’s net worth at $78.9 billion. That’s about $8 billion more than Zara co-founder Amancio Ortega, the second-richest person in the world.
When we think of the world’s all-time richest people, names like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and John D Rockefeller immediately come to mind. But few would have thought, or even heard of, Mansa Musa I of Mali – the obscure 14th century African king who was today named the richest person in all history.
When it comes to the 20 richest people in history, these massively wealthy tycoons don't even get a look-in. From 19th-century American industrialists to the African king who once owned half the world's gold, here are the most moneyed people of all time, as guesstimated by leading economists and historians and adjusted for inflation.