These Are The World’s Youngest Billionaires

Age: 38
Est. Net Worth: $125. billion*
Country: U.S.

Mark Zuckerberg is perhaps the face of the phrase “Young Billionaire.” The Facebook CEO is worth $127.7 billion as of 2021, according to Forbes, and he made his fortune when he was still in college at Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, he invented a social networking site that was originally just for rating coeds on campus.

Mark Zuckerberg @isearch247 / Twitter.com

The site bloomed, and it has since become Facebook, the largest social networking site in the world. Billions of people use Facebook, and Zuckerberg has a lot of authority over the corporation. He serves as the controlling shareholder, CEO, and chairman of Facebook, Inc.  

Age: 36
Net Worth: $15.6 billion*
Country: United States

Since February of 2021, Walton has seen his fortune decrease by almost $7 billion, which for most billionaires would be enough to slide them off this elite list of people. Lukas Walton, however, is not like most billionaires. His grandfather was Sam Walton, the man who founded Walmart. After Lukas’s father and Sam’s son John died in a plane crash in 2005, Lukas became the heir to the Walmart empire.

Lukas Walton @sanmonbunshi1 / Twitter.com

Lukas Walton spends his time between his homes in Wyoming and Illinois, and because of his Chicago home, he was listed as the richest person in the state of Illinois in September 2020. The passion that Walton had when he studied environmentally sustainable business while at Colorado College still has not faded away. Lukas makes a point of investing in eco-friendly companies and charitable causes.

Age: 40
Est. Net Worth: $3.6 billion*
Country: U.S.

Lynsi Snyder is the heiress to In-N-Out, a beloved burger chain that is popular on the West Coast. She is a businesswoman, and she is deeply involved in the company that her grandparents, Harry and Esther, founded. In-N-Out is still kept within the family.

Lynsi Snyder @aortiz0115 / Pinterest.com

The Glendora, California native holds the distinction of being the youngest female billionaire in America. The thirty-nine-year-old is the sole beneficiary of her family’s trust funds, and she received complete control over the company when she turned thirty-five. She is the majority shareholder and the sole owner of the fast-food chain, which operates nearly 300 restaurants in five states. 

Age: 29
Net Worth: $4.4 billion*
Country: Norway

Gustav Magnar Witzoe became a billionaire at such a young age due to some forward-thinking by his father, the founder of SalMar. SalMar is not only one of the world’s largest producers of farmed salmon, but it also owns a significant amount of the United Kingdom’s second-largest salmon farming company, Scottish Sea Farms.

Gustav Magnar Witzoe @Gustav Magnar WitZøe Live / Facebook.com

In order to prevent his son from incurring any future inheritance taxes on his fortune, Gustav Sr transferred 47% of the company into his son’s name. Unlike some other billionaires on this list, the younger Gustav does hold an active role within SalMar and has become an integral part of his family’s business. More recently, he has also begun to branch out into the real estate and tech start-up industries.

Age: 41
Est. Net Worth: $14.7 billion*
Country: U.S.

Brian Chesky is the co-founder of Airbnb, which helped make him a billionaire before he turned forty. Chesky came up with the idea when the Industrial Designers Society of America hosted a conference in San Francisco. At the time, all the hotels were booked. Chesky and his roommate bought three air mattresses and rented out their apartment to help them afford rent that month.

Brian Chesky ©Kurt Krieger - Corbis/Getty Images

They marketed, tongue in cheek, the idea as an “Airbed and Breakfast.” Later, that became Airbnb, a peer-to-peer lodging company that would gross billions. Chesky was named to the “100 Most Influential People” in 2015 by Time.

Age: 27
Net Worth: $1.4 billion*
Country: Norway

Katharina is the other, and older, half of the Andresen sisters, who inherited a combined 84% stake in their family’s investing company Ferd. She was formerly the youngest billionaire in the world. A position that she held for three years in a row, starting from the time she first inherited her fortune at the age of 19 in 2016. 

Katharina Andresen @Katharina.G.andresen95 / Facebook.com

A year into her 3-year reign, Katharina ran into trouble with the law and was fined $32,000 for driving under the influence at the Tony Ski Resort near Lillehammer. Katharina has since settled down a bit in her wild ways and is living a quieter life with her current partner, fellow Norwegian, Fredrik Kvasnes.

Age: 35
Est. Net Worth: $7.98 billion*
Country: Australia 

Born in Perth, Australia, Melanie Perkins would grow up to become one of the richest Australians, with a net worth of nearly $8 billion. Perkins became a billionaire after co-founding Canva with her now-husband, Cliff Obrecht, who she married in 2021.

Melanie Perkins @BizBuzzAmerica / Twitter.com

She is one of the youngest female CEOs and billionaires in the world, and one of very few female CEOs to head a tech startup valued in the billions. She and her husband got exciting news in April of 2021, when Canva hit a $15 billion valuation. As of this year, Perkins is the second-richest female in Australia.  

Age: 34
Est. Net Worth: $7.98 billion*
Country: Australia 

Cliff Obrecht is a billionaire in his thirties, thanks to his founding of Canva. He co-founded the online presentation-making company with Melanie Perkins, who is also in her thirties. Obrecht serves as the Chief of Operations of the Internet business, which was valued at $15 billion in April of 2021.

Cliff Obrecht @StartupDailyANZ / Twitter.com

Obrecht was born in Australia, and he runs his company out of Sydney, Australia. Canva’s graphic design platform took off rapidly after it was founded in 2012. The platform is free for users, though it requires a paid subscription for those who want additional functions with Canva Pro and Enterprise.

Age: 31
Net Worth: $1 billion*
Country: Germany

Ludwig Theodor Braun, like his sister, Eva Maria, is a sixth-generation member of the B. Braun family empire. Unlike his sister, however, Ludwig did not receive a 12% stake in the company. Ludwig received a 10% stake due to his lesser role within the family business. Ludwig’s other sister Anna Maria is currently the company’s CEO in charge of operations.

@Braun/Twitter.com

B. Braun might have started as a small pharmacy in 1839, however, today the company employs more than 64,000 people worldwide and is integral in the supply of medical equipment, such as those needed for infusions, throughout most of Europe.

Age: 30
Net Worth: $1.3 billion*
Country: Germany

Being the daughter of publishing mogul Hubert Burda and owning a 25% stake in the Burda Media Group, Elisabeth Furtwaengler was not going to be held back from finding what she’s passionate about in life. In school, Elisabeth studied art history at the University of Cambridge, as well as, music conservatory in California. 

Elisabeth Furtwaengler @bizwal / Twitter.com

Although Furtwaengler is a member of the board of directors for Burda Media, she has still found the time to follow her dreams. Elisabeth has remained active as a singer-songwriter, and goes by the stage name “Lisa Fou”. Along with her mother, doctor and actress, Maria Furtwaengler, Elisabeth has founded the MaLisa foundation whose aim is to create a better life for women of all ages worldwide. 

Age: 26
Net Worth: $1.5 billion*
Country: China

Titanium dioxide is an essential chemical that is used in the production of many papers, plastics, and pharmaceuticals all over the world. Considering how important it is to everyday life, the companies that produce titanium dioxide are worth billions of dollars. In turn, those who have invested in these companies tend to be pretty well off as well. 

Wang Zelong @TheFinanceMemo / Twitter.com

Wang Zelong is one of those men. Due to the stakes that he has in two titanium dioxide companies, CNNC Hua Yuan and Lomon Billions Group, at just 24 years old, Zelong became the youngest billionaire in Asia and the second youngest in the world.

Age: 30
Est. Net Worth: $1 billion*
Country: Germany

Although, both she and her father look over the business, Lisa Draexlmaier is currently the sole owner of the auto parts company that her family founded more than 6 decades ago. Auto parts maker, Fritz Draexlmaier Holding GmbH, provides parts to companies such as BMW, Bugatti, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Porsche, just to name a few.

Lisa Draexlmaier @Success Myanmar / Facebook.com

More recently, the company has refocused its business plan toward the manufacturing of components for vehicles that will be part of the future of the automotive industry. In doing so, the focus has been geared toward electric components, and Fritz Draexlmaier has added Tesla to its list of clients. With all of its clients and the large demand, Lisa Draexlmaier’s company is one of the 100 top automotive suppliers in the world and had a 2019 sales total of $5.5 billion.