The Richest Presidents and Prime Ministers in the World: Top Billionaire Leaders
Updated on
Published on
Money is not the same thing as power, but it explains a lot about how leaders operate. Here is the clearest snapshot of the richest presidents and richest prime ministers today, built on verifiable numbers. We focus on leaders whose fortunes are tracked by established billionaire lists and on clearly documented events such as major sales, public filings, and official salaries. Where a precise personal net worth cannot be verified, we explain the best available number and the limits around it. That makes this ranking a reliable view of the richest presidents and richest prime ministers in 2025, with necessary caveats where transparency is limited.
At a glance
- Donald Trump is the richest president by a current, real-time valuation that is actively maintained. (Forbes)
- Najib Mikati is the richest sitting prime minister with a verified billionaire profile. (Forbes, Forbes Middle East)
- Confirmed billionaire leaders also include Andrej Babiš, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Thaksin Shinawatra, Petro Poroshenko, Silvio Berlusconi and the late Sebastián Piñera. (Forbes)
- The highest official head-of-government salary remains Singapore’s prime minister at roughly 1.69 million dollars per year. (Forbes)
Methodology
- Primary inputs are current billionaire valuations with visible update dates. (Forbes)
- Secondary inputs include credible reporting on disclosed salaries, transactions, and filings. (Forbes, Reuters)
- Exclusions: rumor-level claims without documentation. Royal or state-linked wealth is flagged as opaque and contextual rather than ranked.
Donald Trump, President of the United States
Trump leads presidents on a current, trackable billionaire valuation that keeps growing. (Forbes)
- Real-time valuation: sits near six billion dollars. (Forbes)
- Share transfer: in Dec 2024 he moved 114.75 million DJT shares into a revocable trust overseen by Donald Trump Jr., per filings and Reuters. (Reuters)
- Liquidity: Trump Media reported about 759 million dollars in cash and short-term investments while pursuing a 2.5 billion dollar bitcoin treasury plan. (Reuters)
- Property stress and cash engines: coverage shows 40 Wall Street under pressure while Florida golf and resort assets are major cash producers. (Forbes, Reuters)
Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of Lebanon
Mikati is the clearest answer for richest sitting prime minister on a verified billionaire profile (Forbes).
- Current valuation: around 3.1–3.2 billion dollars on regional and global lists. (Forbes Middle East)
- Cornerstone exit: the Mikati family sold Investcom to MTN for about 5.5 billion dollars in 2006. (Reuters)
- Holdco today: wealth consolidated in M1 Group across telecom, real estate and retail. (Forbes Middle East)
Andrej Babiš, Former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Babiš remains a staple in any list of billionaire prime ministers due to Agrofert’s scale. (Forbes) Forbes
- Agrofert scale: 245 billion Czech crowns in 2022 sales per company disclosures. (Agrofert)
- Governance backdrop: an EU audit found a conflict of interest in 2021 regarding trust-controlled assets. (Reuters)
- Portfolio changes: Agrofert sold media units MAFRA and LONDA in 2023. (Reuters)
Bidzina Ivanishvili, Former Prime Minister of Georgia
Ivanishvili remains the richest person in Georgia and a long-time fixture on billionaire lists. (Forbes)
- Current valuation is about 2.7 billion dollars. (Forbes)
- Financial footprint: historic links to Cartu Bank and Cartu Group documented across Reuters coverage. (Reuters)
Sebastián Piñera, Former President of Chile
Piñera twice led Chile and remained a documented billionaire until his death in 2024. (Forbes)
- Valuation at death: about 2.7 billion dollars. (Forbes)
- Conflict management: he sold his LAN stake as he entered office, with Reuters detailing the transactions. (Reuters)
Thaksin Shinawatra, Former Prime Minister of Thailand
Thaksin’s fortune is rooted in telecom and one of Southeast Asia’s most notable exits. (Forbes)
- Cornerstone sale: the Shinawatra and Damapong families sold 49.6 percent of Shin Corp to Temasek for 73.3 billion baht. (Reuters, Temasek release)
- Current standing: listed on Thailand’s 50 Richest 2025 at about 2.1 billion dollars. (Forbes)
Petro Poroshenko, Former President of Ukraine
Poroshenko is one of the few recent presidents with a current billionaire valuation on record. (Forbes)
- Real-time profile shows a return to billionaire status in 2025. (Forbes)
- Independent echo: a Kyiv outlet summarizing 2025 disclosures cited about 1.8 billion dollars. (Kyiv Independent)
Silvio Berlusconi, Former Prime Minister of Italy
Berlusconi’s media empire left him among the richest prime ministers in modern history. (Forbes)
- Valuation at death was about 6.8–6.9 billion dollars. (Forbes)
- Succession: Marina and Pier Silvio now jointly control roughly 53 percent of Fininvest. (Reuters)
- Empire snapshot: Fininvest stakes include MediaForEurope and Mondadori. (Reuters) Reuters
Saad Hariri, Former Prime Minister of Lebanon
Hariri appears in historical lists as a documented billionaire during the last decade. (Forbes)
- Profiled at 1.5 billion dollars in 2018. (Forbes)
- Corporate headwinds: extensive reporting on Saudi Oger debt distress and restructuring. (Reuters)
Business and Politics Go Hand-in-Hand
Power leaves footprints, but money leaves a map. Looking at the richest presidents and the richest prime ministers is really a look at how influence is built, guarded, and sometimes reinvented long after a term ends. Some leaders turned empire builders before they took office, others learned to grow fortunes while navigating cabinet rooms and crises. The common thread is not the size of a paycheck; it is the choices that compound over the years.
FAQ
Who is the richest president in the world in 2025?
Donald Trump, based on a current real-time valuation that is actively maintained.
Who is the richest prime minister right now?
Najib Mikati on a verified billionaire profile, with royal prime ministers noted separately due to opaque finances.
Which other presidents are confirmed billionaires?
Petro Poroshenko and the late Sebastián Piñera both appear with documented valuations.
Which other prime ministers are confirmed billionaires?
Andrej Babiš, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Thaksin Shinawatra and Saad Hariri have documented billionaire profiles.
Are royal prime ministers included in the ranking?
No. Personal finances are too opaque for a fair comparison, so they are treated as context only.
Why do figures change during the year?
Real-time lists and new disclosures update valuations and can move leaders up or down.
