Money
Ranked: Who Are the Richest People in Africa?
Ranked: Who Are the Richest People in Africa?
The African continent is home to 46 billionaires, the second-lowest total of any global region.
The number of wealthy individuals in Africa is growing, however. Total private wealth is expected to rise 30% over the next decade, led by growth in the billionaire and millionaire segments.
Visualized here are Africa’s richest, using data collected by Forbes, on billionaires who reside on the continent and have their primary business there.
Breaking Down Africa’s Billionaires
The richest man in Africa is also the richest Black man in the world. Once a small sugar trader, Aliko Dangote now has a net worth of $13.5 billion. He is the 86th richest person in the world, and single-handedly makes up 25% of the total wealth of African billionaires.
His company, the Dangote Group is now an African conglomerate with interests in a range of sectors, including sugar, cement, and real estate.
Rank | Name | Net Worth (billions, USD) | Industry | Citizenship |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aliko Dangote | $13.5 | Manufacturing | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
2 | Johann Rupert & family | $10.7 | Fashion & Retail | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
3 | Nicky Oppenheimer & family | $8.4 | Metals & mining | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
4 | Abdulsamad Rabiu | $7.6 | Diversified | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
5 | Nassef Sawiris | $7.3 | Construction & Engineering | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
6 | Mike Adenuga | $6.3 | Diversified | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
7 | Issad Rebrab & family | $4.6 | Food & Beverage | 🇩🇿 Algeria |
8 | Naguib Sawiris | $3.3 | Telecom | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
9 | Patrice Motsepe | $3.2 | Metals & mining | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
10 | Mohamed Mansour | $2.9 | Diversified | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
11 | Koos Bekker | $2.6 | Media & Entertainment | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
12 | Strive Masiyiwa | $1.9 | Telecom | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
13 | Mohammed Dewji | $1.5 | Diversified | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
13 | Aziz Akhannouch & family | $1.5 | Diversified | 🇲🇦 Morocco |
13 | Youssef Mansour | $1.5 | Diversified | 🇪🇬 Egypt |
The top three—Alike Dangote, Johann Rupert, and Nicky Oppenheimer—account for 40% of the total wealth of those ranked.
A Look Through the Rest of the Richest People in Africa
At number two on the list is Johann Rupert. The chairman of Swiss luxury goods company, Compagnie Financiere Richemont, started his career with a banking apprenticeship in New York, before returning to South Africa and eventually pivoting to retail.
Through the rest of those ranked, a range of diverse business activities have allowed these billionaires to garner their wealth.
Nicky Oppenheimer (3rd) and Patrice Motsepe (9th)—have made fortunes in the mining industry, a sector which contributes nearly 10% to sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP. Meanwhile, Naguib Sawiris (8th) and Strive Masiyiwa (12th) have built telecom empires.
Billionaire Wealth Mirrors Country Wealth
Only seven out of the 54 African countries are represented on Africa’s rich list, and even amongst them, three countries (Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria) account for more than two-thirds of the top-ranked billionaires.
Country | Rank in African Economy | Individuals on Top 15 Billionaire List |
---|---|---|
🇳🇬 Nigeria | #1 | 3 |
🇿🇦 South Africa | #2 | 4 |
🇪🇬 Egypt | #3 | 4 |
The home countries for these billionaires reflects the nations’ contribution to the African economy as a whole. Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt have the top three GDPs in Africa.
Algeria—where Issad Rebrab (7th) is from—is ranked fourth, and Morocco—where Aziz Akhannouch (13th) is based—is fifth.
What’s Next For Africa’s Richest?
Africa has routinely been touted to become a future economic powerhouse as its demographic dividend pays off in the next few decades. However, its biggest challenge will be developing its economic and social infrastructure to retain local talent to make their fortunes at home.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Forbes.
Data note: Forbes calculated net worths using stock prices and currency exchange rates from the close of business on Friday, January 13, 2023. For privately held businesses, they used estimates of revenues or profits and applied prevailing price-to-sale or price-to-earnings ratios for similar public companies. Some list members grew richer or poorer within weeks or days of their measurement date.
Personal Finance
Mapped: The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State
Families in expensive states require over $270,000 annually to live comfortably.
The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Families in the top five most expensive U.S. states require an annual income exceeding $270,000 to live comfortably.
This visualization illustrates the income necessary for two working adults with two children to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in each state.
“Comfortable” is defined as the income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% allocated to necessities like housing and utilities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.
The calculations for family income needed in each state were done by SmartAsset, using the cost of necessities sourced from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated on Feb. 14, 2024.
Massachusetts Tops the List
Massachusetts is the most expensive state to live comfortably in, requiring a total family income of about $301,184. Hawaii ($294,611) comes in second, followed by Connecticut ($279,885).
Housing is one main reason Massachusetts is an expensive state to live in, particularly in the Boston area. In addition, the state also has a high cost of living, including expenses such as healthcare and utilities.
Rank | State | Income for 2 working adults raising 2 children |
---|---|---|
1 | Massachusetts | $301,184 |
2 | Hawaii | $294,611 |
3 | Connecticut | $279,885 |
4 | New York | $278,970 |
5 | California | $276,723 |
6 | Colorado | $264,992 |
7 | Washington | $257,421 |
8 | Oregon | $257,338 |
9 | New Jersey | $251,181 |
10 | Rhode Island | $249,267 |
11 | Vermont | $248,352 |
12 | Minnesota | $244,774 |
13 | New Hampshire | $244,109 |
14 | Alaska | $242,611 |
15 | Maryland | $239,450 |
16 | Nevada | $237,286 |
17 | Virginia | $235,206 |
18 | Illinois | $231,962 |
19 | Arizona | $230,630 |
20 | Pennsylvania | $230,464 |
21 | Maine | $229,549 |
22 | Delaware | $228,966 |
23 | Wisconsin | $225,056 |
24 | Utah | $218,483 |
25 | Michigan | $214,490 |
26 | Nebraska | $213,075 |
27 | Georgia | $212,826 |
28 | Montana | $211,411 |
28 | Iowa | $211,411 |
30 | Idaho | $211,245 |
31 | North Carolina | $209,331 |
31 | Ohio | $209,331 |
33 | Florida | $209,082 |
34 | Indiana | $206,003 |
35 | New Mexico | $203,923 |
36 | Wyoming | $203,424 |
37 | Missouri | $202,259 |
38 | North Dakota | $202,176 |
39 | Texas | $201,344 |
40 | South Carolina | $200,762 |
41 | Kansas | $196,768 |
42 | Tennessee | $195,770 |
43 | Oklahoma | $194,106 |
44 | Alabama | $193,606 |
45 | South Dakota | $192,608 |
46 | Kentucky | $190,112 |
47 | Louisiana | $189,613 |
48 | West Virginia | $189,363 |
49 | Arkansas | $180,794 |
50 | Mississippi | $177,798 |
Meanwhile, Mississippi is the least expensive state for a family to live comfortably, requiring $177,798 per year. Arkansas ($180,794) comes in second, followed by West Virginia ($189,363). In common, all these states share low prices of housing.
Learn More About Cost of Living From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out this graphic, which ranks the median down payment for a house by U.S. state.
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