Dieter Schwarz, the founder of supermarket chains Lidl and Kaufland, has once again become Germany’s richest person. The 86-year-old topped the latest list of the 500 wealthiest Germans, published on Wednesday by Manager Magazin, with an estimated fortune of €46.5 billion. Last year, Schwarz also led the ranking, with an estimated net worth of €43.7 billion.
Following Schwarz are BMW heirs Susanne Klatten and Stefan Quandt, who together hold an estimated €36.1 billion. Schwarz had overtaken Klatten and Quandt in both 2022 and last year, regaining the top spot from the BMW heirs.
The families Albrecht and Heister, who control Aldi Süd, are ranked third, with an estimated fortune of €27.7 billion. The Merck family, owners of the pharmaceutical and chemical company of the same name, previously ranked third but have now fallen to fourth place on the list.
This year marks the 25th edition of the list by Manager Magazin. According to the publication, the combined wealth of the top 100 richest Germans has nearly tripled since 2001, rising from €263 billion to €758 billion. In comparison, Germany’s gross domestic product has only doubled during the same period.
The magazine reports that Germany currently has 256 billionaires, up from 249 in the previous year, a new record. For the first time, more than half of the 500 richest Germans have a fortune exceeding €1 billion. To compile the rankings, the magazine conducted research in archives and registers and consulted asset managers, lawyers, and bankers.
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