Genghis Khan Was Worth $120 Trillion

The further back one goes in history, the harder it is to estimate a reasonable net worth figure. Elon Musk’s net worth of $1.3 trillion is confirmed by several sources, including Forbes and Bloomberg.

Andrew Carnegie’s (1835-1919) figure is hard to calculate, based on tangible measurements. What was ownership in steel mills really worth? Carnegie’s net worth is usually put at about $375 billion. There are similar calculation problems with John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), whose net worth is usually put around $400 billion. What was his stake in Standard Oil worth? The future is only an educated guess.

There is another category of the super-rich: the emperors. Most of these lived centuries ago, and estimating their net worth is even more of a guess. However, a number shows up on rich lists, particularly when accounting for inflation-adjusted dollars.

The ruler list usually includes Muammar Gaddafi (1942 to 2010), Libya’s leader. The argument is that he owned most of the country’s oil reserves. Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14AD) ruled Rome. The case of his wealth, at $4 trillion, is that he owned vast parts of the Roman Empire. It is another argument that is a wild guess.

According to Yahoo, the wealthiest person in history is Genghis Khan (?-1227), who had a net worth of $120 trillion. He conquered an estimated 12 million square miles. Most biographies say he gave some of this land away as he conquered it. These areas became known as the Mongol Empire. In the process, some historians say he killed millions of people. That is another guess. At the end of his life, according to Britannica, “Mongols then controlled land from the China Sea to the European part of Russia.” No one really knows what that land was worth.