Overview

• Manager Magazin released the 25th annual ranking of the 500 richest Germans.
• The combined wealth of the Top 500 rose by roughly 2% to about €1.2 trillion, while the Top 100 saw no net increase.
• Germany now counts 256 billionaires, up by seven from last year, and for the first time a majority of the Top 500 are billionaires.
• Dieter Schwarz ranks first at €46.5 billion, followed by BMW heirs Susanne Klatten and Stefan Quandt at €36.1 billion and the Aldi Süd Albrecht/Heister family at €27.7 billion, with the Merck family down to fourth.
• The magazine notes a 27% DAX rise over the past year buoyed some fortunes but flags policy and geopolitical headwinds, and the VdK social association criticizes widening inequality.