No single individual is definitively known to own the most homes globally, but large portfolios are held by billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, and Ken Griffin, while institutions like the Catholic Church own vast land/property, and nations like Laos and Romania have the highest rates of citizen homeownership. Property ownership varies by individual wealth, investment strategies, and national housing policies.
The largest landowner in the world is not a major oil magnate or a real estate investor. No, it's the Roman Catholic Church. According to lovemoney.com, the church owns more than 70 million hectares. An area that is larger than France.
Slovakia. This eastern European country is home to one of the highest homeownership rates in the world. The most recent study, conducted in 2021, found that the occupants owned 92.9% of all the buildings in a designated residential area.
The Pope, as head of the Catholic Church, is linked to around 177million acres globally, including churches, schools and missions. King Mohammed VI of Morocco also ranks highly, with holdings of 175million acres. Among non-royals, Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, is the largest private individual landowner.
A LendingTree analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data finds that single women who live by themselves are more likely than single men who live by themselves to own a home in 47 of 50 states. Our study also finds that single women own about 2.72 million more homes than single men.
Home ownership rates have declined, especially among younger Australians, while older generations maintain higher ownership levels. Census data from 2021 indicate a home ownership rate of 67% – including both outright owners and those with mortgages – down from 70% in 2006.
Gina Rinehart is often cited as Australia's largest private landowner, controlling millions of hectares through her Hancock Prospecting and other interests, primarily for mining and cattle, but ownership is complex with vast areas held under lease and significant land also owned by large corporations like the Australian Agricultural Company and First Nations groups, notes The Guardian and A-Z Animals.
The British Royal Family is often described as the world's largest landholder, with King Charles III overseeing vast assets managed through the Crown Estate. Reports estimate that land linked to the monarchy covers around 16% of the Earth's surface, about 6.6 billion acres across multiple continents.
The Emmersons became America's largest landowners in 2021 when they acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon from Seneca Timber Company.
Denmark. Denmark is at the top of the list of the top ten countries for quality of life. This small Nordic country consistently ranks highly in international surveys on factors like happiness, income equality, safety, and access to education.
1. Lee Shau-Kee – Net worth: ~US $29.1 billion. Founder of Henderson Land Development and co-founder of Sun Hung Kai Properties, he remains the richest person in the real estate industry.
Crown lands comprise around 23% of Australian land, of which the largest single category is vacant land, comprising 12.5% of the land. Crown land is used for such things as airports, military grounds (Commonwealth), public utilities (usually State), or is sometimes unallocated and reserved for future development.
The House of Saud, which is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia, is reportedly the wealthiest family of the globe. Surpassing the combined fortunes of high-profile billionaires like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Adani, Narayana Murthy combined.
The largest landowner in the world currently is King Charles III of England. How much land does the Royal Family own? He and the British Royal Family own more than 6,600,000,000 acres of land around the world. They technically own many territories around the globe, amounting to 1/6 of the surface of the planet.
For example, the cost of 100 acres of rural land ranges from $390,000 for this block at Wondai in Queensland, to as much as $2.3 million for this architect-designed home at Nicholson near Lakes Entrance, based on current properties listed for sale on farmbuy.com.
As at 30 June 2024, 4,314,744 square kilometres of the land mass of Australia and 113,517 square kilometres of the sea country of Australia were subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's rights or interests (figure CtG15. 1).
Topping the list is Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart, whose agricultural assets – through S Kidman and Co and Hancock Agriculture – are now valued around $2 billion. According to The Australian's recent rich list, Rinehart has a wealth of about $46.34 billion.
The Zammit family case has become emblematic in Australia. In the midst of a city in constant transformation, the gesture of keeping the land intact has become synonymous with cultural preservation and family identity. While skyscrapers and modern developments multiply around it, the house remains standing.
World's Celebrity Billionaires 2025: In 2025, Steven Spielberg emerged as the wealthiest celebrity globally, with an estimated net worth of $5.3 billion, surpassing George Lucas, according to Forbes' latest Billionaire List.
1. Bollywood Actress Sonam Kapoor's Mumbai Home Pays Homage to Indian Craft. Ornate, nostalgic and brimming with shining examples of Indian artisanal heritage, Sonam Kapoor's artfully layered Mumbai home is an homage to the cultural diversity that makes India, India.
In a stunning and strategic move, billionaire Adrian Portelli turned The Block's 2024 auction day into a historic, single-buyer sweep. This season featured five meticulously renovated homes on Phillip Island, and Portelli saw the value in acquiring the entire collection.