Germany wealth rankings for 2026

The 2026 Manager Magazin ranking of the 500 wealthiest Germans identifies the Boehringer Ingelheim shareholder family as the wealthiest in the country, with an estimated fortune exceeding 66 billion euros. This marks a return to the list for the family following a previous absence due to an agreement made during the publication’s early years.

Dieter Schwarz, founder of the Schwarz Group (Lidl and Kaufland), holds second place with a fortune of 53.7 billion euros. Although his personal wealth increased by approximately 7.2 billion euros, he was surpassed by the Boehringer Ingelheim dynasty. The Schwarz Group is currently undertaking its largest single investment to date, an 11 billion euro data center project in Lübbenau, Brandenburg.

In third place, the Merck KGaA family holds 50.7 billion euros. Their wealth has seen significant growth, driven by the artificial intelligence boom and high demand for semiconductor materials, alongside biotechnology and lab technology. Other notable mentions in the upper rankings include the BMW heirs and the Aldi Süd families.

Nationally, the total adjusted wealth of Germany’s 100 richest individuals rose by 3.4 percent over the last twelve months to nearly 784 billion euros, a growth rate lower than the nearly 9 percent increase seen in the Dax stock index. The report notes a record high of 257 billionaires and billionaire families in the country. In regions such as Swabia, much of this wealth has been accumulated over decades through industries like dairy, paper, and heavy industry, with a significant portion being passed down through inheritance.