Education and great wealth often go hand in hand. While exceptions exist, many of the world’s richest people attended college and earned degrees that helped shape their careers and fortunes.
Some completed undergraduate studies; others pursued graduate degrees. Below is a country-by-country look at what the richest person in each listed nation studied in college, along with concise summaries of their careers and sources of wealth.
40. Vietnam: Pham Nhat Vuong
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College degree: Unknown
College: Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute
Year graduated: 1993
Net worth: $6 billion
Bottom Line: Pham Nhat Vuong
Pham Nhat Vuong is Vietnam’s first billionaire.
Pham Nhat Vuong studied economics related to mineral extraction in Moscow. He launched a successful instant noodle business in Ukraine before returning to Vietnam, where he founded and leads Vingroup, a vast conglomerate with interests in real estate, healthcare, retail and more.
39. Nigeria: Aliko Dangote
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College degree: Business studies and administration
College: Al-Azhar University
Year graduated: 1977
Net worth: $8.1 billion
Bottom Line: Aliko Dangote
Aliko Dangote and his daughter at the 2014 Time 100 Gala.
Aliko Dangote built his fortune through Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement producer, and holdings in commodities including sugar, salt and flour. He also developed the Dangote Refinery, one of the largest refinery projects on the continent.
38. Switzerland: Ernesto Bertarelli
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College degree: Unknown (MBA)
College: Babson College; Harvard University (MBA)
Year graduated: 1989
Net worth: $8.2 billion
Bottom Line: Ernesto Bertarelli
Ernesto Bertarelli with his wife, Kirsty, in 2007.
Ernesto Bertarelli attended Babson College and later earned an MBA from Harvard. He inherited and grew the biotech firm Serono before selling it to Merck, and now oversees family investments across multiple sectors.
37. Israel: Eyal Ofer
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College degree: Law
College: Unknown
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $8.2 billion
Bottom Line: Eyal Ofer
Eyal Ofer is active in shipping and real estate.
Eyal Ofer inherited part of his father’s shipping business and expanded it into global shipping and real estate holdings, including a stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises.
36. Yemen: Shaher Abdulhak
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College degree: Unknown
College: Unknown
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $9 billion
Bottom Line: Shaher Abdulhak
Shaher Abdulhak has significant influence in Yemen.
Shaher Abdulhak is a private businessman whose company, Shaher Trading, operates across sectors including hospitality, beverages, petroleum, telecommunications and real estate.
35. Colombia: Luis Carlos Sarmiento
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College degree: Civil engineering
College: National University of Colombia
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $9 billion
Bottom Line: Luis Carlos Sarmiento
Luis Carlos Sarmiento and his son.
Using his civil engineering background, Sarmiento began in construction and real estate and later invested heavily in banking. His Grupo Aval controls significant stakes in Colombia’s financial sector.
34. Cyprus: John Fredriksen
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College degree: No degree
College: N/A
Year graduated: N/A
Net worth: $10 billion
Bottom Line: John Fredriksen
John Fredriksen built wealth in the oil industry.
Norwegian-born John Fredriksen gave up Norwegian citizenship in favor of Cyprus. He amassed his fortune in oil trading, tanker ownership and offshore drilling, and also holds substantial seafood industry assets.
33. Singapore: Robert and Philip Ng
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Philip: Civil engineering (King’s College, London University)
Robert: Law (college unknown)
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $10.1 billion
Bottom Line: Robert and Philip Ng
Philip Ng and Robert Ng.
Brothers Robert and Philip Ng control Far East Organization, Singapore’s largest private property developer. Robert manages operations in Hong Kong while Philip heads Singapore activities.
32. Germany: Georg Schaeffler
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College degree: Business and economics
College: University of St. Gallen
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $10.1 billion
Bottom Line: Georg Schaeffler
Georg Schaeffler studied business and economics.
Georg Schaeffler inherited and led his family’s industrial business, now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of bearings and precision components. He has also worked abroad, including time spent as a lawyer in the United States.
31. Malaysia: Robert Kuok
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College degree: Bachelor of arts/science (uncertain)
College: Raffles College
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $11.1 billion
Bottom Line: Robert Kuok
Robert Kuok’s companies invest across Asia.
Robert Kuok attended Raffles College and went on to build the Kuok Group, with major holdings in hotels, real estate and commodities. He is also the founder of Shangri-La Hotels.
30. Bangladesh: Moosa Bin Shamsher
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College degree: Economics (B.A.); Ph.D. in Economics
College: Faridpur Rajendra College; California State University, Northridge (Ph.D.)
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $11.1 billion
Bottom Line: Moosa Bin Shamsher
Moosa Bin Shamsher earned a Ph.D. in economics.
Moosa Bin Shamsher earned advanced degrees in economics and built wealth through trading and business ventures. His reputation has been marred by allegations related to financial misconduct.
29. Ireland: Pallonji Mistry
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College degree: Civil engineering
College: Imperial College London
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $11.5 billion
Bottom Line: Pallonji Mistry
Pallonji Mistry built a construction empire.
Pallonji Mistry is a construction magnate who founded a major engineering and construction group based in Mumbai. He later became an Irish resident for personal and business reasons.
28. New Zealand: Graeme Hart
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College degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA)
College: University of Otago
Year graduated: 1987
Net worth: $12.9 billion
Bottom Line: Graeme Hart
Graeme Hart is a strategic investor.
After leaving school early and working in trades, Graeme Hart later earned an MBA and became a serial acquirer, building a private investment company that controls major packaging and consumer goods manufacturers.
27. Philippines: The Sy Family
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College backgrounds for family members vary; institutions include:
- Teresita Sy-Coson: Assumption College
- Elizabeth Sy: Maryknoll College
- Henry Sy Jr: De La Salle University
- Hans Sy: De La Salle University
- Herbert Sy: De La Salle University
- Harley Sy: De La Salle University
Net worth: $13.9 billion
Bottom Line: The Sy Family
The Sy family grew SM Investments from a small shoe store into a retail giant.
The Sy siblings transformed a modest retail business into SM Investments Corp., a conglomerate spanning malls, retail, banking and property, with family members holding degrees from Philippine institutions.
26. Netherlands: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
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College degree: Law
College: University of Leiden
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $14.5 billion
Bottom Line: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is a major stakeholder in Heineken.
Charlene studied law at Leiden and later inherited a controlling stake in Heineken. She serves as an executive director and oversees the family’s brewing and investment interests.
25. Thailand: Dhanin Chearavanont
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College degree: Unknown
College: Education University of Hong Kong
Year graduated: 1956
Net worth: $14.7 billion
Bottom Line: Dhanin Chearavanont
Dhanin Chearavanont is chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group.
Dhanin Chearavanont heads Charoen Pokphand Group, a multinational conglomerate known for agriculture, animal feed and retail. Details of his specific course of study are not widely documented.
24. Croatia: Luksic Family, Andrónico Luksic Craig
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College degree: Business
College: Babson College
Year graduated: N/A
Net worth: $15 billion
Bottom Line: Luksic Family, Andrónico Luksic Craig
Andrónico Luksic Craig is chairman of Quiñenco.
The Luksic family built a diversified empire spanning mining, banking and beverages. Andrónico Luksic Craig studied business at Babson before joining the family enterprise as a leader of its holdings.
23. Uzbekistan: Alisher Usmanov
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College degree: International law
College: Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Year graduated: 1976
Net worth: $15.7 billion
Bottom Line: Alisher Usmanov
Alisher Usmanov invested in metals and mining.
Alisher Usmanov earned degrees in law and additional postgraduate qualifications in finance. He built major holdings in mining and metals, notably Metalloinvest, after early ventures in manufacturing.
22. Chile: Iris Fontbona
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College degree: No degree
College: N/A
Year graduated: N/A
Net worth: $15.9 billion
Bottom Line: Iris Fontbona
Iris Fontbona is a leading figure in the Luksic family business.
Iris Fontbona, widow of Andrónico Luksic Abaroa, oversees vast mining and beverage interests and is central to the Luksic family’s control of major Chilean resource companies.
21. Australia: Gina Rinehart
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College degree: Economics (did not graduate)
College: University of Sydney
Year graduated: Did not graduate
Net worth: $16.2 billion
Bottom Line: Gina Rinehart
Gina Rinehart is an Australian mining magnate.
Gina Rinehart briefly studied economics before joining her family’s mining firm. She transformed Hancock Prospecting into a leading mining and resources enterprise.
20. Indonesia: R. Budi Hartono
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College degree: Economics
College: Diponegoro University
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $16.3 billion
Bottom Line: Robert Budi Hartono
The Hartono brothers made their initial fortune in tobacco.
Robert Budi Hartono and his brother Michael built wealth in the clove cigarette industry (Djarum) and later made significant investments in banking, including Bank Central Asia.
19. Brazil: Jorge Paulo Lemann
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College degree: Economics
College: Harvard University
Year graduated: 1961
Net worth: $16.3 billion
Bottom Line: Jorge Paulo Lemann
Jorge Paulo Lemann holds dual Brazilian and Swiss citizenship.
Jorge Paulo Lemann began in investment banking and later helped build Anheuser-Busch InBev through strategic acquisitions, becoming a major figure in global beverages and investments.
18. Sweden: Stefan Persson
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College degree: Unknown
College: University of Stockholm
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $17.9 billion
Bottom Line: Stefan Persson
Stefan Persson is chairman of H&M.
Stefan Persson, whose family founded H&M, attended the University of Stockholm. He led and expanded the global fashion retailer into an international chain with thousands of stores.
17. Sri Lanka: Mahinda Rajapaksa
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College degree: Law
College: Sri Lanka Law College
Year graduated: 1974
Net worth: $18 billion
Bottom Line: Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2018.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is a prominent Sri Lankan politician who has served as president and prime minister. His career has been marked by controversy, including allegations concerning state funds.
16. Czech Republic: Petr Kellner
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College degree: Industrial economics
College: University of Economics
Year graduated: 1986
Net worth: $18.7 billion
Bottom Line: Petr Kellner
Petr Kellner founded the PPF Group.
Petr Kellner founded and grew the PPF Group, an investment fund with interests across finance, media and industry, and supported many educational initiatives through his family foundation.
15. Saudi Arabia: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud
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College degree: Business administration
College: Menlo College; also attended Syracuse University
Year graduated: 1979
Net worth: $18.7 billion
Bottom Line: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud
Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud is an investor and philanthropist.
Prince Alwaleed pursued broad education across institutions in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United States. He founded Kingdom Holding Company and has invested internationally in media, hotels and finance.
14. South Korea: Lee Kun-Hee
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College degree: Economics; MBA
College: Waseda University; George Washington University (MBA)
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $19.8 billion
Bottom Line: Lee Kun-Hee
Lee Kun-Hee led Samsung Group.
Lee Kun-Hee earned an MBA and transformed Samsung into a global electronics leader. His leadership turned the company into a dominant force across semiconductors, mobile devices and consumer electronics.
13. Brunei: Hassanal Bolkiah
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College degree: No degree
College: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Year graduated: 1967
Net worth: $20 billion
Bottom Line: Hassanal Bolkiah
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchs.
The Sultan graduated from Sandhurst and presides over Brunei’s extensive oil and gas wealth, which underpins his personal fortune and the country’s economy.
12. United Kingdom: Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja
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Gopichand college degree: Unknown (Jai Hind College)
Srichand college degree: Unknown (Davar’s College of Commerce)
Gopichand year graduated: 1959
Srichand year graduated: 1952
Net worth: Gopichand: $21 billion; Srichand: $12.6 billion
Bottom Line: Gopichand and Srichand Hinduja
The Hinduja brothers run the Hinduja Group across diverse industries.
The Hinduja siblings oversee a multinational conglomerate with interests in automotive, energy, banking, media and healthcare, sustained by decades of family enterprise and global expansion.
11. Russia: Vladimir Potanin
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College degree: International economic relations
College: Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Year graduated: 1983
Net worth: $22.6 billion
Bottom Line: Vladimir Potanin
Vladimir Potanin is a leading Russian oligarch.
Potanin studied international economics and became influential in metals and mining during Russia’s transition to a market economy, building major industrial holdings.
10. Syria: Joseph Safra
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College degree: Bachelor’s degree
College: Whittingham College
Year graduated: Unknown
Net worth: $22.9 billion
Bottom Line: Joseph Safra
Joseph Safra led the Safra banking group.
Joseph Safra earned a bachelor’s degree and joined his family’s long-established banking business, building Safra Group into an international banking and investment operation.
9. Austria: Dietrich Mateschitz
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College degree: Marketing
College: Vienna University of Economics and Business
Year graduated: 1972
Net worth: $27.5 billion
Bottom Line: Dietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz co-founded Red Bull.
Dietrich Mateschitz studied marketing and later co-founded Red Bull, combining product innovation with bold global marketing to create a dominant brand in energy drinks and sports sponsorships.
8. China: Li Ka-Shing
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College degree: No degree
College: N/A
Year graduated: N/A
Net worth: $29.4 billion
Bottom Line: Li Ka-Shing
Li Ka-Shing is a major Asian entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Li Ka-Shing left school early but became a self-made industrialist, starting in plastics and expanding into real estate, ports and utilities. He is also a notable philanthropist supporting education.
7. Japan: Tadashi Yanai
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College degree: Economics and political science
College: Waseda University
Year graduated: 1971
Net worth: $31.3 billion
Bottom Line: Tadashi Yanai
Tadashi Yanai founded Fast Retailing, parent of Uniqlo.
Tadashi Yanai studied economics and political science and founded Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo, which became a global retail success through a focus on value, design and scalability.
6. Canada: David Thomson
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College degree: History
College: Selwyn College, Cambridge
Year graduated: 1978
Net worth: $38.2 billion
Bottom Line: David Thomson
David Thomson chairs Thomson Reuters.
David Thomson earned a degree in history and chairs Thomson Reuters, a leading global information and media company founded by his family.
5. Mexico: Carlos Slim Helú
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College degree: Engineering
College: National Autonomous University of Mexico
Year graduated: 1961
Net worth: $51.7 billion
Bottom Line: Carlos Slim Helú
Carlos Slim founded Grupo Carso, a diversified conglomerate.
Carlos Slim trained as an engineer and began his career in finance and entrepreneurship. He built Grupo Carso, a broad conglomerate with holdings in telecommunications, retail, industrial and financial services.
4. Spain: Amancio Ortega
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College degree: No degree
College: N/A
Year graduated: N/A
Net worth: $67 billion
Bottom Line: Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega co-founded Inditex, owner of Zara.
Amancio Ortega left formal schooling early and built Inditex with partners, launching Zara and other global fashion brands. He later invested heavily in international real estate.
3. India: Mukesh Ambani
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College degree: Chemical engineering
College: Institute of Chemical Technology – Mumbai
Year graduated: Likely in the 1970s
Net worth: $85.1 billion
Bottom Line: Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani chairs Reliance Industries.
Mukesh Ambani studied chemical engineering before leading Reliance Industries, a conglomerate active in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, retail and telecommunications. Under his leadership, the company has become a major economic force in India.
2. France: Bernard Arnault
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College degree: Engineering
College: École Polytechnique
Year graduated: 1971
Net worth: $110.9 billion
Bottom Line: Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault leads LVMH, the world’s largest luxury-goods group.
Bernard Arnault trained as an engineer and used his business acumen to build LVMH into a global luxury powerhouse through strategic acquisitions and brand management.
1. United States: Jeff Bezos
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College degree: Electrical engineering and computer science
College: Princeton University
Year graduated: 1986
Net worth: $175.3 billion
Bottom Line: Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon and led its global expansion.
Jeff Bezos graduated summa cum laude from Princeton with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He founded Amazon eight years after graduation; the company’s growth into the world’s dominant e-commerce and cloud computing platform made him the richest person on this list.
Note: Rankings and educational details are compiled from publicly available sources and reported figures. Where information could not be verified, entries are noted as unknown. Net worth figures reflect estimates at the time of reporting and may change over time.