The latest Richest People In The World list by Forbes Magazine has seen three Swiss citizens named in the top 200. However, as Switzerland is well known for its high quality of life and low taxes, the richest jet setter in the alpine nation is not actually Swiss.
For this year, Forbes revealed that Bernard Arnault is by far and away the richest person in the world. The entrepreneur is best known for his ownership of luxury goods group LVMH, which counts Tiffany & Co., Dior, Marc Jacobs and Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer among its rich list of owned brands.
The Frenchman's fortune now totals 233 billion US dollars, a far distance ahead of magnate and part-Swiss entrepreneur Elon Musk with 195 billion. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos (194 billion), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (177 billion) and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison (141 billion) rounded out the top five for 2024.
This year, the richest Swiss people in the world were found to be Gianluigi and Rafaela Aponte, valued at 33,1 billion francs each and placing 48th on the list. The couple, based in Geneva, are the co-owners of the Mediterranean Shipping Company or MSC, one of the largest logistics companies in the world. For reference, with their 33,1 billion franc fortune, you would be able to fund Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) for three years.
Healthcare and biotech magnate Ernesto Bertarelli took third on the Swiss-only list with assets of 11,2 billion US dollars, though placed 180th in the international ranking. Alongside his business dealings, Bertarelli is perhaps most famous for winning the America’s Cup sailing tournament in 2003 and 2007.
In terms of family dynasties, the controversial Blocher family were the main feature in Switzerland, with Rahel placing seventh and Magdalena taking ninth. For context, Christoph Blocher, the head of the family, father to both billionaires and former federal councillor, is widely accredited for making the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) the dominant force in politics by adopting and pushing a Eurosceptic, anti-Islam and anti-immigration agenda.
In all, here are the Swiss people with the highest net worth in 2024, according to Forbes Magazine (in US dollars):
According to Forbes, all but three of the Swiss top 10 saw their assets grow in 2024, the outliers being Ivan Glasenberg, Rahel Blocher and Magdalena Martullo-Blocher.
However, when it comes to people and companies based in Switzerland, the country finds itself higher on the billionaire list. For richest resident, Chanel co-owner and media recluse Gérard Wertheimer is top, placing 40th on the Forbes list with assets of 36,8 billion US dollars.
For the richest company, logistics group Kühne + Nagel, owned by German citizen Klaus-Michael Kühne, placed top, with the man holding assets worth 39,2 billion dollars. The company, and possibly Michael Kühne himself, are based in Schindellegi, Canton Schwyz.
For more information about the study, check out the Forbes website.