Recommended Free Tools
Arabian Business’s 2011 ranking put Prince Alwaleed bin Talal first, with estimated wealth of $21.30 billion. Mohammed bin Issa Al Jaber and the Olayan family followed. The magazine’s figures were estimates of private wealth, not audited personal balance sheets.
Who were the 50 richest Arabs in 2011?
The table below reproduces the 50 entries in the ranking attributed to Arabian Business by Argaam’s December 18, 2011 report. Amounts are estimated wealth in US dollars, billions. Names are rendered in readable English transliteration; spellings can vary between outlets.
| Rank | Name | Estimated wealth (USD billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Alwaleed bin Talal | 21.30 |
| 2 | Mohammed bin Issa Al Jaber | 12.75 |
| 3 | Olayan family | 12.40 |
| 4 | Issam Al Zahi | 10.70 |
| 5 | Mohammed Al Amoudi | 10.40 |
| 6 | Nasser Al-Kharafi | 8.70 |
| 7 | Bukhamseen family | 7.25 |
| 8 | Bin Laden family | 7.20 |
| 9 | Bugshan family | 7.00 |
| 10 | Said Khoury | 6.50 |
| 11 | Juffali family | 6.20 |
| 12 | Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair | 6.10 |
| 13 | Tareq Abdullah Al Qahtani | 6.10 |
| 14 | Kanoo family | 6.00 |
| 15 | Sulaiman Al Rajhi | 5.95 |
| 16 | Majid Al Futtaim | 5.80 |
| 17 | Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel | 5.30 |
| 18 | Abdullah Al Futtaim | 5.20 |
| 19 | Mubarak Al Suwaiket | 5.00 |
| 20 | Naghi family | 5.00 |
| 21 | Abdullah Al Rasheed | 4.60 |
| 22 | Omar Hamad Al Mana | 4.50 |
| 23 | Sawiris family | 4.20 |
| 24 | Shoman family | 4.20 |
| 25 | Mohammed Sherbattly | 4.00 |
| 26 | Gargash family | 3.90 |
| 27 | Mohammed Kamal Jamjoom | 3.80 |
| 28 | Saad Hariri | 3.80 |
| 29 | Abdul Latif Al Fozan | 3.45 |
| 30 | Al Fardan family | 3.42 |
| 31 | Abdullah Al Othaim | 3.35 |
| 32 | Bahaa Hariri | 3.35 |
| 33 | Ahmed Baeshen | 3.30 |
| 34 | Faisal Al Ayyar | 3.25 |
| 35 | Adel Al Aujan | 3.25 |
| 36 | Ayman Hariri | 3.15 |
| 37 | Saeedan family | 3.10 |
| 38 | Nayla Hayek | 3.10 |
| 39 | Abdul Aziz Al Sulaiman | 3.00 |
| 40 | Hussein Qazzaz | 2.80 |
| 41 | Osama Abudawood | 2.75 |
| 42 | Wafic Said | 2.70 |
| 43 | Mohammed Al Khereiji | 2.60 |
| 44 | Mansour Ojjeh | 2.60 |
| 45 | Darwish family | 2.55 |
| 46 | Mohammed Abu-Ghazaleh | 2.40 |
| 47 | Zamil family | 2.40 |
| 48 | Jamil Shuaib | 2.20 |
| 49 | Miloud Chaabi | 2.10 |
| 50 | Mohamed Shafik Gabr | 2.00 |
How much wealth did the richest Arabs have in 2011?
Al Bayan reported the combined estimated wealth of the 50 entries as $256.67 billion and described that as a 4.76% increase from the previous year. Argaam rounded the 2011 total to about $257 billion and compared it with $245 billion for 2010. These are the outlets’ reported ranking totals, not independently confirmed, like-for-like valuations.
How to read the estimates
The ranking included both individuals and families, so its entries do not all represent an individual’s personal net worth. Private assets are difficult to value when ownership and financial details are not public. Al Bayan quoted Arabian Business editor-in-chief Hassan Abdel Rahman explaining that secrecy around fortunes and private property made annual estimates difficult. The same report said the top three estimates drew on information from private offices and accounting circles; it did not provide a complete methodology.
#1 Best Overall
Where contemporary reports differ
The fourth-ranked Issam Al Zahi illustrates the limits of treating the figures as exact: Al Bayan’s article text gives $10.7 billion, matching Argaam’s table, while Al Bayan’s own reproduced table lists $10.2 billion. This table uses Argaam’s $10.7 billion figure. Reports also disagree on the number of newcomers: Al Bayan says eight, while Argaam says 19, so there is no single consistent count to present as settled.
The list is Arabian Business’s 2011 ranking as reproduced in contemporary coverage; it should not be confused with Forbes’ global billionaire list or later Forbes Middle East rankings.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #2
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
