On 21 October 2026 the Forbes real-time list had 29 billionaires from Turkey, with a combined net worth of $70 billion. That is 0.3% of the world total and puts Turkey #32 of 77 countries on the list. On 19 January 2020 it was 28 billionaires and $47 billion (0.5% 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, Hamdi Ulukaya, holds $11 billion, or 16% of the national total. The top three together hold 29% and the top ten 56%. On the world list Hamdi Ulukaya is ranked #329.
The average billionaire from Turkey had $1.7B in January 2020 and has $2.4B now, 1.4 times as much.
Where the money comes from
Counting each person under the main industry Forbes gives, diversified is the largest source of wealth in Turkey: $28 billion, or 39% of the total. It is followed by food and beverage (23%), fashion and retail (8.7%).
How the total moved
The combined net worth of billionaires from Turkey started at $47 billion in 2020, fell to $27 billion on 21 December 2021 and reached its highest point of $94 billion on 9 May 2026, when the list had 40 billionaires from Turkey.
By 31 August 2026 (the last day of the country series) the total was $78 billion, 17% below that peak.
The number of billionaires from Turkey on the list ranged from 14 to 40 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 Hamdi Ulukaya ($2.0B to $11B, +438%), Filiz Sahenk ($2.0B to $2.6B, +33%) and Ferit Faik Sahenk ($2.1B to $2.8B, +32%).
The weakest development was Erman Ilicak ($3.9B to $3.5B, -11%).
Who the billionaires are
Of the 29 billionaires from Turkey, 4 are women (14%). Ages are known for 5 of them; their average age is 49 and the median 48.
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).
