Rishi Sunak is now one of the richest leaders in the world. How do others compare?
By Rhythm Sachdeva, CTVNews.ca Writer
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TORONTO, Ontario (CTV Network) — As former U.K. treasury chief Rishi Sunak takes the mantle from Liz Truss, becoming Britain’s next prime minister, he is now the country’s first prime minister of colour and, at 42, the youngest one in 200 years.
He is also rich. Estimated to be worth around C$1.1 billion (730 million pounds) by the Sunday Times Rich list, he and his wife are worth almost twice as much as Queen Elizabeth II who was estimated to be personally worth around C$657 million by Forbes.
Sunak initially made his fortune through his work at investment bank Goldman Sachs as a hedge fund manager in the U.S., where he met his wife, Akshata Murty. Murty is the daughter of the billionaire founder of Indian tech giant Infosys and has a giant stake in the company, and most of Sunak’s fortune is tied to his wife.
The future U.K prime minister also has a portfolio of four properties worth more than C$23 million spread out across the globe, according to The Guardian.
Sunak’s wealth has raised previously eyebrows at Downing Street, especially in April, when it emerged that Murty did not pay U.K. tax on her overseas income. The practice was legal, but it was criticized at a time when Sunak was raising taxes as treasury chief.
Now as one of the richest leaders in the world, how does he compare to popular leaders of other countries? These are their estimated worths:
CANADA: PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU WORTH $1.2 MILLION Justin Trudeau’s campaign for the Liberal leadership in 2013 revealed to the Ottawa Citizen that his personal fortune was worth $1.2 million CAD.
Most of this is inherited from his family; whose fortune dates back to the 1920s. Charles-Émile Trudeau, his grandfather was an attorney and businessman who built his fortune by building gas stations in the Montreal area and investing in various mining and property ventures. Some of the money that Justin’s father, Pierre Elliott, inherited from his father was eventually given to Justin and his brothers. Details about Trudeau’s exact inheritance are still unclear.
Trudeau receives an estimated yearly salary of $368,400 CAD as Canada’s prime minister. This comprises a base income of $189,500 for his position as PM and an additional $178,900 for his work as a member of parliament for Papineau. In addition, he receives a $2,000 car allowance each year.
While their methodology isn’t disclosed, Trudeau is estimated to be worth around C$10 million, according to the website Celebrity Net Worth.
UNITED STATES: PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WORTH $10.9 MILLION U.S. President Joe Biden and his wife Jill have a combined net worth of $10.9 million CAD, Forbes estimates. Often referring to himself as “middle-class Joe,” during his political career, reports show that the couple’s wealth is relatively recent accumulated during Biden’s career in office as vice president and president.
According to tax records and financial declarations made public by the Biden campaign and posted on the campaign’s website, the couple’s wealth is primarily derived from book royalties and speaking engagements.
He currently maintains at least $950,000 in cash accounts and has two homes totalling more than $5.5 million CAD in value (net debt), according to Forbes.
AUSTRALIA: PM ANTHONY ALBANESE WORTH UP TO $6.8 MILLION Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s exact net worth hasn’t been disclosed by his government although it is widely known in the country that he comes from a humble background as the only child of a single mother.
He has recently been criticized due to his real-estate portfolio which is reportedly worth $6.8 million CAD, according to the Daily Mail and News.com.
According to property records obtained by the Daily Mail, he owns several investment properties in Sydney and Canberra; most of which are worth millions of dollars separately.
RUSSIA: VLADIMIR PUTIN’S WORTH IS UNKNOWN Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, who claims a salary of just $140,000 a year, is often suspected of being one of the richest people on the planet, according to Fortune Magazine.
The Kremlin maintains that Putin makes a small income and resides in an apartment measuring 830 square feet, but political experts have often raised concerns regarding the validity of these assertions.
He is rumoured to own or have access to a massive palace and a $137 CAD million yacht, according to published reports. CTV News was unable to verify Putin’s connection to the palace or yacht.
Putin’s personal wealth is estimated to be worth $95.8 billion CAD by Stanislav Belkovsky, a Russian political analyst who formerly advised the Kremlin but now counsels the opposition, The Business Insider reported.
A vocal Kremlin critic before becoming one of the largest investors in Russia, financier Bill Browder testified to the U.S. Congress in 2017 that he thought Putin was worth $274 billion CAD, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Atlantic.
UKRAINE: VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY IS WORTH $27 MILLION Thanks to his stakes in a successful TV company, which he gave up when he entered leadership, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is estimated to be worth between $27 million CAD and $41 million CAD, according to Forbes.
His primary asset is an estimated 25 per cent ownership in the Kvartal 95, a conglomerate that produces comedic shows, which he surrendered to his partners after winning the presidency but will probably reclaim after leaving office, Forbes reports.
Zelensky played a Ukrainian high school teacher who is elected president in the popular political comedy ‘Servant of the People,’ which was created and is owned by Kvartal 95.
In March, Netflix, which had previously streamed the programme between 2017 and 2021, bought the rights once more. Forbes Ukraine estimates Zelensky’s ownership to be worth $15 million CAD with yearly revenues of $41 million CAD.
With files from the Associated Press and CNN
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