Saudi Royal Family Net Worth: The Saudi royal family is one of the most powerful and important in the world. They are in charge of the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia, which has a lot of oil and is in a good spot for trade. But just how rich are they? And where do they get their money?
About the Family’s Size and Structure
This is the Saudi ruling family, also called the House of Saud. They are the children and grandchildren of Muhammad bin Saud and his brothers, who started the Emirate of Diriyah in the 18th century. The family has grown over time with births and marriages, and now there are between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
But not every person is as important or has as much power. In Saudi Arabia, the King is the most important person. He is also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, which means he is in charge of the most important religious places in Islam, which are Mecca and Medina. Salman bin Abdulaziz is the current king.
He took the throne in 2015 after his half-brother Abdullah died. The crown prince, who is next in line to the throne, and other high-level officials are chosen by the king. Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, is the current crown prince. He is the son of the king and has been generally seen as the real leader of the country since 2017.
Based on the sons of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, who united Saudi Arabia in 1932 and is known as the modern founder of the country, the family is split into several groups. Abdulaziz had 45 kids by 22 wives. Many of them were important people in the military and government. Here are some of the most well-known branches:
His favorite wife, Hassa bint Ahmed al-Sudairi, had seven boys, who were known as the Sudairi Seven. Queen Salman (since 2015), Crown Prince Sultan (from 2005 to 2011), Crown Prince Nayef (from 2011 to 2012), Crown Prince Salman (from 2012 to 2015), Prince Ahmed (who used to be an interior minister), and Prince Abdul Rahman (who used to be deputy defense minister).
These are the Shammar, who are the children of Abdulaziz and Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin al-Shammar. The former king Abdullah (2005–2015), the former head of the National Guard, the former head of intelligence and ambassador to the US and UK, the liberal Prince Talal, and the former deputy defense minister, Prince Mansour, are some of them.
These are the Thunayan, who are the children of Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi al-Shuraim. He was king from 1975 to 1982. Others on the list are Prince Muqrin, who was crown prince and security chief, Prince Badr, who was governor of Al-Jouf, Prince Mamdouh, who was governor of Tabuk, and Prince Mashhur, who was governor of Najran.
Their Wealth Sources and Estimates
The Saudi royal family’s money comes from many places, such as oil sales, real estate, investments, and other business operations. The Saudi Aramco family owns a big part of the state-owned oil company that makes and sells the most crude oil in the world.
In 2019, Saudi Aramco had a part of its stock listed on the Riyadh stock market. This was part of the biggest IPO in history, which raised $25.6 billion. As of October 2023, the market value of the company was about $1.8 trillion. This makes it one of the world’s most valuable businesses.
Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Saudi Telecom Company, the Saudi Electricity Company, and the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation are all state-owned businesses that are run by the royal family.
Aside from that, the family also owns a lot of land and property in Dubai and other places. Some figures say that the family owns around 60% of all the land in Saudi Arabia. This includes farms, resorts, hotels, mosques, shopping malls, historical places, and palaces.
The family also owns homes in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Geneva, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Istanbul, and Morocco, among other places.
The family also has businesses in many different fields, including finance, banking, media, technology, entertainment, retail, agriculture, mining, defense, and more. Citigroup, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, Disney, Fox, CNN, Harrods, Four Seasons, and Savola Group are just a few of the big and well-known companies that the family owns shares in.
It’s hard to say how much the Saudi royal family is worth because they don’t share their assets or financial details with the public. The royal family’s net worth has been estimated to be anywhere from $500 billion to $3 trillion.
This number includes the market value of Saudi Aramco and all of its fossil fuel reserves. It makes this family the richest in the world and the richest in known history.
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The Family’s Difficulties and Controversies
Riches and power have brought the Saudi royal family many problems and problems with the law, both in Saudi Arabia and around the world.
Human rights activists, political dissidents, religious extremists, regional foes, and foreign governments are just some of the groups and movements that have spoken out against and criticized the family. Some of the problems and events that have hurt the family’s image and credibility are
The repression of civil and political rights, such as freedom of speech, assembly, association, and religion. People who disagree with the family, like journalists, blogs, academics, lawyers, women’s rights activists, and minority groups, have said that they shut them down.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and critic of the crown prince, was killed by a group of Saudi officials inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. This was the most well-known case. The CIA and other intelligence agencies came to the conclusion that MBS ordered the killing. However, the Saudi government said they had nothing to do with it and had no knowledge of it.
Getting involved in civil wars and proxy wars in other countries, like the one in Yemen, the international crisis in Qatar, the political crisis in Lebanon, and the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
People say that the family has an aggressive and meddling foreign policy, often working with the US and Israel to counter the impact of Iran and other Middle Eastern enemies.
The worst case was the Saudi-led military involvement in Yemen since 2015. It has been a disaster for millions of people, causing them to go hungry, get sick, have to move and die.
How much they depend on oil income and how easily the economy can change and shock them. The family has been working hard to make the economy less dependent on oil exports, which bring in about 70% of the country’s government income.
Some of the projects and changes that the family has made are Vision 2030, a plan to change the country’s social and economic sectors by 2030, NEOM, a project to build a futuristic megacity on the coast of the Red Sea, and the Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that wants to invest in both domestic and international markets.
But these attempts have run into many problems and challenges, such as low oil prices, budget deficits, public debt, unemployment, corruption, social resistance, and damage to the environment.
In Conclusion
With a net worth of over $1 trillion, the Saudi royal family is one of the wealthiest in the world. The family is very wealthy because they make a lot of money from oil, real estate, stocks, and other businesses.
As the head of Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the US and Israel, and a leader of the Muslim world, the family also has a lot of power in the Middle East and beyond. But the family also has to deal with a lot of problems and issues, such as violations of human rights, conflicts in the area, and a heavy reliance on oil for income.
It will rest on how the family deals with these problems and changes in the world and how their wealth and future will turn out.