On 21 October 2026 the Forbes real-time list had 14 billionaires from the Netherlands, with a combined net worth of $80 billion. That is 0.4% of the world total and puts the Netherlands #26 of 77 countries on the list. On 19 January 2020 it was 11 billionaires and $38 billion (0.4% of the world).
The video shows the richest people one by one. This article looks at what the tiles cannot show: the whole list, where the money comes from, how the country total moved, and what the average billionaire looks like.
How concentrated is the wealth?
The richest person, Jean-Louis van der Velde, holds $38 billion, or 47% of the national total. The top three together hold 75% and the top ten 93%. On the world list Jean-Louis van der Velde is ranked #56.
The average billionaire from the Netherlands had $3.5B in January 2020 and has $5.7B now, 1.6 times as much.
Where the money comes from
Counting each person under the main industry Forbes gives, finance and investments is the largest source of wealth in the Netherlands: $39 billion, or 49% of the total. It is followed by food and beverage (21%), technology (10%).
How the total moved
The combined net worth of billionaires from the Netherlands started at $38 billion in 2020, fell to $30 billion on 23 March 2020 and reached its highest point of $82 billion on 5 August 2026, when the list had 14 billionaires from the Netherlands.
By 31 August 2026 (the last day of the country series) it was $82 billion, close to the peak.
The number of billionaires from the Netherlands on the list ranged from 9 to 15 during this period. A person can enter or leave the list because the cut-off moves with the market, not only because their own wealth changes.
Biggest movers among the people in the video
Comparing 1 February 2020 with 21 October 2026, the largest relative gains were Wim van der Leegte ($1.2B to $3.6B, +195%), Kommer Damen ($1.9B to $3.2B, +70%) and Arnout Schuijff ($1.7B to $2.2B, +29%).
The weakest development was Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken ($17B to $17B, -3%).
Who the billionaires are
Of the 14 billionaires from the Netherlands, 1 is a woman (7.1%). Ages are known for 5 of them; their average age is 47 and the median 47.
How to read the numbers
- Figures are Forbes estimates in current US dollars, taken from the real-time list. The source project states that it makes no claim to accuracy or completeness.
- A person is assigned to a country by citizenship, not by where they live. A family entry (marked “& family”) refers to the family fortune.
- Daily values are noisy because they follow stock prices, so the video steps through the data in half-month intervals and the chart above shows weekly values.
- The country series ends on 31 August 2026; the list used for the 21 October 2026 numbers is the latest one available.
Sources
Forbes real-time billionaires, compiled by komed3 (rtb-api on GitHub, MIT licence).
