The latest dated national ranking in the available 2026 figures puts the Boehringer Ingelheim shareholder family first, followed by Dieter Schwarz and the Merck family. These are estimated fortunes, and the list ranks both individuals and families—not individuals alone.
Who are the richest people in Germany in 2026?
In its ranking published September 30, 2026, manager magazin placed the Boehringer Ingelheim shareholder family at the top, with Dieter Schwarz second and the Merck family third. The figures are estimates in euros.
| Rank | Person or family | Estimated wealth | Associated business or holdings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boehringer Ingelheim shareholder family | €66.7 billion | Boehringer Ingelheim |
| 2 | Dieter Schwarz | €53.7 billion | Lidl, Kaufland and other Schwarz Group businesses |
| 3 | Merck family | €50.7 billion | Merck |
| 4 | Susanne Klatten and Stefan Quandt family | €33.3 billion | BMW and other holdings |
| 5 | Albrecht and Heister families | €29.8 billion | Aldi Süd |
| 6 | Andreas von Bechtolsheim | €27.7 billion | Arista Networks |
| 7 | Reimann family | €21.5 billion | JAB Holding |
| 8 | Henkel family | €19.6 billion | Henkel |
| 9 | Theo Albrecht junior family and Babette Albrecht family | €17.8 billion | Aldi Nord |
| 10 | Hasso Plattner family | €15.6 billion | SAP |
manager magazin reports that Dieter Schwarz’s estimate rose from €46.5 billion in the prior year and the Merck family’s from €24.5 billion. Those year-over-year figures are the publisher’s estimates, not audited statements of net worth.
Why another 2026 list has a different leader
A ranking is a dated estimate, not a universal live ledger. Handelsblatt’s January 21, 2026 snapshot of Forbes’ real-time ranking named Reinhold Würth and family as Germany’s richest, ahead of Dieter Schwarz and Klaus-Michael Kühne. Its reported figures were in US dollars:
#1 Best Overall
| Handelsblatt-reported Forbes rank, January 21, 2026 | Name | Estimated wealth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reinhold Würth and family | $41.9 billion |
| 2 | Dieter Schwarz | $39.2 billion |
| 3 | Klaus-Michael Kühne | $38.9 billion |
This snapshot, reported by Handelsblatt, is not directly comparable with manager magazin’s September euro ranking. The lists have different dates, currencies, family aggregation and valuation approaches. The January table is a historical snapshot of Forbes, not its current ranking.
How the wealth estimates are calculated
manager magazin’s dated list
manager magazin says all wealth figures are estimates: “Bei allen Vermögensangaben handelt es sich um Schätzungen.” It describes using archives and registers and consulting asset managers, lawyers, bankers and representatives of people on the list. Publicly traded shares are valued at closing prices as of the editorial cutoff; private companies are assessed using revenue, profitability and market position, with conservative valuations. Counted assets can include company stakes, land and real estate, shares and art.
Rank #2
The publisher says the adjusted combined wealth of Germany’s 100 richest rose 3.4% to nearly €784 billion over the prior twelve months. It also counts 257 billionaires in Germany, including individuals and large families that jointly control qualifying wealth, and describes that as a record. Those totals follow manager magazin’s own scope and should not be treated as interchangeable with other billionaire counts.
Forbes’ real-time estimates
Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires list says public holdings update every five minutes while markets are open, with a 15-minute delay. Fortunes substantially tied to private companies update daily; major private-company values may be adjusted using FactSet industry- or region-specific indices. As a result, its estimates and ranks can move with markets and changes in private-company valuations. A figure taken from this list should always be accompanied by its retrieval date.
How Germany’s billionaire totals compare
UBS’s Billionaire Ambitions Report 2025, drawing on the UBS/PwC Billionaires database and its wealth-assessment methodology, reports 156 German billionaires in 2025, up from 117 in 2024. It puts their combined wealth at $692.1 billion in 2025, up 26.7% from $546.2 billion in 2024. These are year-specific US-dollar database figures, not a direct match for a magazine ranking with a different date, threshold or convention for counting families.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check before comparing rankings
- Publisher and list: Identify whether the figures come from manager magazin, Forbes or another source.
- Date: A dated annual list and a frequently updated real-time estimate can show different positions.
- Currency: Keep euros and US dollars separate unless a conversion date and method are stated.
- Who is grouped: Some entries represent an individual; others combine a family’s wealth.
- Valuation method: Check how the source treats public shares, private businesses and other assets.
For a literal German-language search, the question is “Wer zählt 2026 zu den reichsten Deutschen?”—“Who are the richest people in Germany in 2026?” The useful first step in interpreting any result is to check which publisher and date its ranking represents.
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