Yahoo Finance ranks Mahathir at USD 40 billion, second-richest in Southeast Asia

Yahoo Finance ranks Mahathir at USD 40 billion, second-richest in Southeast Asia

5 Dec 2025 • 1:00 PM MYT


TheRealNehruism
An award-winning Newswav creator, Bebas News columnist & ex-FMT columnist

Image credit: Yahoo Finance


According to the Yahoo Finance list that recently reignited debate across Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad sits at Number 7 on the ranking of the richest world leaders of all time. The article assigns him a staggering estimated net worth of USD $40 billion, placing the former Malaysian prime minister not among corporate tycoons or tech moguls, but among a very different and far more controversial league of global figures.


What makes this list particularly striking is not just Mahathir’s placement, but the company he appears beside — a gallery of rulers whose wealth was often accumulated under regimes marked by authoritarianism, patronage, and immense concentrations of state power.


To understand the scale of the narrative this list creates, it is useful to zoom out and observe the full ladder Mahathir is placed on.

The Titans Above Him: The Top Six

Only six political leaders exceed Mahathir in wealth. They form a group often associated with absolute power, entrenched rule, and opaque financial systems.


Number 1: Muammar Gaddafi (USD $280 billion)


The late Libyan strongman tops the list with an alleged fortune seven times larger than Mahathir’s. His rule controlled vast oil reserves and a network of foreign assets built over four decades. His wealth was so deeply embedded in Libya’s state structures that no one has ever fully mapped it.


Number 2: Vladimir Putin (USD $258 billion)


For years, reports have pointed to Putin’s hidden equity stakes, shell companies, and trusted oligarch proxies — a shadow network of wealth accumulated during Russia’s transition from Soviet industrialism to oligarchic capitalism.


Number 3: Hosni Mubarak (USD $98.2 billion)


Egypt’s ex-president spent three decades consolidating power and enabling his family to dominate sectors ranging from construction to telecommunications.


Number 4: Ali Abdullah Saleh (USD $82.6 billion)


Yemen’s long-ruling president controlled state resources and military patronage systems, allowing his circle to accumulate wealth even as the country remained one of the poorest in the region.


Number 5: Suharto (USD $58 billion)


Indonesia’s former strongman oversaw an era of state-guided development and pervasive crony capitalism, allowing his family's corporate empire to penetrate virtually every major sector.


Number 6: Ferdinand Marcos (USD $53 billion)


The Philippines’ former dictator, infamous for “ill-gotten wealth,” amassed vast international holdings, real estate, and offshore accounts — much of which remains contested today.


Together, these six leaders represent an era where political longevity and personal wealth accumulation were deeply intertwined.

Mahathir at Number 7: The Southeast Asian Continuum

Placed at seventh, Mahathir follows Suharto and Marcos — forming a Southeast Asian trio in the top tier of global political wealth.


Southeast Asia’s post-independence era produced leaders who wielded enormous executive power during periods of rapid modernization. Malaysia’s own state-driven development model, with its megaprojects, privatisation drives, and politically linked conglomerates, mirrored this regional pattern.


Mahathir’s USD $40 billion estimation, though contested in Malaysia, positions him as one of the wealthiest political leaders in Southeast Asian history, surpassed only by Suharto and Marcos, and ahead of modern monarchs, generals, and presidents across the region.

How Do Modern Global Leaders Compare?

What makes Mahathir’s ranking even more dramatic is when one compares him to globally recognisable leaders whose personal wealth is widely discussed.
Donald Trump

Trump, despite being a billionaire businessman before entering politics, is listed at around USD $4 billion — only one-tenth of Mahathir’s estimate. While Trump’s wealth is heavily tied to real estate and branding, he does not come close to the scale attributed to Mahathir.

Kim Jong Un

North Korea’s leader's wealth is often estimated at between USD $5–10 billion, largely through state-controlled assets, luxury imports, and foreign accounts. Even at the highest estimates, his wealth remains only a quarter of the USD $40 billion attributed to Mahathir — a striking comparison given that Kim rules one of the world’s most closed dictatorships.

Fidel Castro

One of the most surprising names on the list is Fidel Castro, estimated at around USD $900 million. As the leader of a communist state that officially rejected private wealth, Castro’s inclusion underscores a paradox: even ideological systems built on egalitarianism, according to Yahoo, can produce leaders with enormous personal fortunes.

A Narrative of Power, Scale, and Era

Mahathir’s placement at Number 7 in Yahoo Finance list, surrounded by names synonymous with immense political authority and immense personal wealth, constructs a specific narrative:


that he is seen not merely as a Malaysian statesman, but as part of a global elite class of leaders whose fortunes reflect entire eras of state-driven economic power.


It frames him alongside rulers from oil empires, military regimes, and dynastic strongholds — and far above modern figures like Trump, Kim Jong Un, or Castro.


Whether the USD $40 billion figure is believable or not is highly debatable — there is no concrete evidence to verify such a fortune. Yet, the very fact that his name appears on the list is enough to serve as political fodder in Malaysia. In a country where public discourse is often dominated by perceptions of corruption, influence, and elite wealth, the Yahoo Finance ranking can be weaponized by opponents or commentators to frame Mahathir’s legacy in a particular light, regardless of the factual accuracy.


By situating him alongside Suharto, Marcos, and global heavyweights, the list reinforces a narrative about political longevity, access to state resources, and the intertwining of personal and national fortunes — themes that continue to resonate in Malaysian politics today.