REUTERS/Rick Wilking
The Waltons are once again the world's wealthiest family, ranking ahead of Gulf royalty, luxury fashion houses, and industrial dynasties.
The heirs to the Walmart fortune have grown their wealth by 66% since last year to a record $432 billion as of December 5, meaning they've regained the No.1 spot on Bloomberg's annual list of the world's richest families.
That wealth figure exceeds the market value of some of America's biggest companies including Home Depot ($412 billion), Procter & Gamble ($402 billion), and Netflix ($396 billion).
Abu Dhabi's ruling family, the Al Nahyans, topped the ranking last year with an estimated $305 billion fortune that dwarfed the Waltons' $260 billion. The two clans switched places this year with the Al Nahyans now worth $324 billion, more than $100 billion less than the Waltons.
Qatar's ruling dynasty, the Al Thanis, placed third this year with $173 billion to their name. France's Hermès family, which includes the Birkin maker's artistic director and executive chairman, landed in fourth with $171 billion. Rounding out the top five were the Kochs, the legendary US industrialists worth an estimated $149 billion.
The richest families on the planet also include Saudi Arabia's rulers, candy dynasties Mars and Ferrero, and the Wertheimer family behind Chanel.
Walmart founder Sam Walton's three surviving children — Jim, Rob, and Alice — have each grown about $43 billion richer this year, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The trio joined the $100 billion club in September and ranked among the 15 richest people on the planet as of December 12 with north of $112 billion to each of their names.
Lukas and Christy Walton, the son and widow of Sam's late son, John T. Walton, also feature on Bloomberg's rich list with net worths of about $40 billion and $18 billion each.
The five Waltons' combined fortune has ballooned by more than $150 billion this year, representing a big chunk of the 25 richest families' total wealth gain of $407 billion.
The Walton family's wealth bump has been fueled by a roughly 80% surge in the retailer's stock price this year. Sam Walton gave each of his four children a 20% stake in the family enterprise early on, and his three surviving kids each own upward of 11% of Walmart — now a company valued north of $750 billion — through a family trust. They've also raked in more than $15 billion from stock sales and dividends over the years, Bloomberg says.
