The German business magazine, Handelsblatt and US Forbes magazine have tracked down who are the ten richest people in Germany for 2023. Here is the current ranking:
10th place: Michael Gastauer
Michael Gastauer is a fintech extraordinaire who has spent several years working in the finance industry. With his current venture Black Banx retaining a revenue of $1.1bn, Gastauer isn’t short of business success. The entrepreneur has $9.8 billion in shares, and around $400 million in cash and other assets, bringing his total assets to 10.2 billion USD.
9th place: Andreas von Bechtolsheim and family
Andreas von Bechtolsheim, a computer scientist, ranks ninth in the list of the wealthiest Germans. He co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and invested in Google in 1998. The entrepreneur presently has approximately 10.3 billion US dollars in assets.
8th place: Thomas Strüngmann and family
Twins Thomas and Andreas Strüngmann, as well as their families, are each worth over $12.2 billion. Both co-founded Hexal and own 50% of the pharmaceutical company Biontech. The discovery of the coronavirus vaccine, as well as the subsequent rapid increase in Biontech’s stock market value, greatly boosted the Stüngmanns’ assets in a short period of time.
7th place: Karl Albrecht Junior and family
Karl Albrecht Junior, like the previous year, will be among the wealthiest Germans in 2023. Beate Heister and Karl Albrecht Junior are the children of Karl Albrecht, who owned most of the store chain Aldi Süd. The siblings acquired the family fortune after his death in 2014. Karl Albrecht Junior and his family currently own over 15.7 billion US dollars.
6th place: Theo Albrecht Junior and family
Theo Albrecht, the first of the two Aldi heirs, is ranked sixth. He is the son of Aldi Nord founder Theo Albrecht Senior. Theo Albrecht was the heir to his father’s money. According to Forbes, it is currently worth $16.3 billion. As a grocery store, Aldi benefited enormously from Covid-19.
5th place: Reinhold Würth and family
Reinhold Würth is ranked seventh among German billionaires in 2023. Beginning in 1954, the entrepreneur grew the screw business Würth into a world leader in fastening and assembly technologies. The 87-year-old’s fortune is now valued at $16.6 billion.
4th place: Stefan Quandt
Stefan Quandt is Johanna and Herbert Quandt’s son. The 56-year-old possesses more than 23 percent of the shares of the German automobile manufacturer BMW. His fortune is currently valued at roughly $24.7 billion USD.
3rd place: Susanne Klatten
Susanne Klatten, the second BMW heiress, is ranked third among Germany’s wealthiest persons in 2023. She is the wealthiest lady in Germany, surpassing her brother Stefan Quandt. You own nearly a quarter of BMW. Her assets are currently worth roughly $27.8 billion USD.
2nd place: Klaus-Michael Kühne
Klaus-Michael Kühne ranks second in the 2023 list with assets of 32.1 billion US dollars. His logistics company, Kühne + Nagel, has grown from a family enterprise to a global force. The corporation operates in over 100 countries and employs over 60,000 people.
The 85-year-old is also well-known in the sporting community. He made an investment in Hamburger SV, which is currently playing in the second Bundesliga.
1st place: Dieter Schwarz
Dieter Schwarz is ranked first in Forbes’ list of the wealthiest Germans. He owns the Schwarz Group, which comprises the bargain retailers Lidl and Kaufland. According to Forbes, the millionaire withdrew from management in 1999 and today has assets worth roughly $39.2 billion. According to the yearly Manager Magazin report, Schwarz is the wealthiest German. Schwarz gained significantly from increased sales at the grocery brands Lidl and Kaufland. At the same time, Black was ranked among the wealthiest Europeans.