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Top 10 Richest Pharaohs in History

Ten pharaohs ranked by a historical reconstruction of the resources they controlled. These are order-of-magnitude estimates of state revenue and accumulated wealth, not market valuations, and each profile explains the method.

Last reviewed: Read our methodology

The ranking at a glance

The top three in this ranking, based on our dated estimates.

  1. Portrait photograph of Ramesses II
    #1Ramesses II$120BControl of state revenue, gold and land
  2. Portrait photograph of Thutmose III
    #2Thutmose III$95BControl of state revenue, gold and land
  3. Portrait photograph of Amenhotep III
    #3Amenhotep III$85BControl of state revenue, gold and land

The richest pharaohs in history

  1. 1
    Ramesses IIControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $120B
  2. 2
    Thutmose IIIControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $95B
  3. 3
    Amenhotep IIIControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $85B
  4. 4
    Pepi IIControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $70B
  5. 5
    KhufuControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $65B
  6. 6
    Ramesses IIIControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $55B
  7. 7
    HatshepsutControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $50B
  8. 8
    Seti IControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $45B
  9. 9
    AkhenatenControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $40B
  10. 10
    TutankhamunControl of state revenue, gold and land · Nov 3, 2026
    $25B

Behind the fortunes

A closer look at each name on this list: how the money was made and where it sits today.

  1. Portrait photograph of Ramesses II

    1. Ramesses II

    $120B

    Ramesses II ruled for 66 years and spent that time turning revenue from Nubian gold, grain and trade into monuments that still stand. Abu Simbel, the Ramesseum and a new capital at Pi-Ramesses were all funded from the treasury he controlled.

    View Ramesses II's profile
  2. Portrait photograph of Thutmose III

    2. Thutmose III

    $95B

    Thutmose III fought seventeen campaigns and turned Egypt into an empire that collected tribute from the Levant. The Annals at Karnak record what arrived each year, which makes his reign the best documented case for estimating pharaonic revenue.

    View Thutmose III's profile
  3. Portrait photograph of Amenhotep III

    3. Amenhotep III

    $85B

    Amenhotep III presided over an Egypt at peace and at its wealthiest. Foreign rulers wrote to him in the Amarna letters asking for gold, and his building programme at Luxor, Karnak and Malkata consumed a large part of it.

    View Amenhotep III's profile
  4. Portrait photograph of Pepi II

    4. Pepi II

    $70B

    Pepi II came to the throne as a child and is credited with a reign of about 94 years. Expeditions to Punt, Nubia and the oases are documented, but the long reign ended with the Old Kingdom losing control of its own revenue.

    View Pepi II's profile
  5. Portrait photograph of Khufu

    5. Khufu

    $65B

    Khufu ruled during the Fourth Dynasty and left the Great Pyramid, 2.3 million blocks assembled over roughly 20 years. The logistics behind it show a state able to feed, house and organise a workforce of thousands.

    View Khufu's profile
  6. Portrait photograph of Ramesses III

    6. Ramesses III

    $55B

    Ramesses III won the battles that kept Egypt intact during the Bronze Age collapse. The Harris Papyrus, prepared after his death, lists in detail what he gave to the temples, which makes his reign one of the best documented for measuring royal wealth.

    View Ramesses III's profile
  7. Portrait photograph of Hatshepsut

    7. Hatshepsut

    $50B

    Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh for about two decades, sending a famous expedition to Punt and building the terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari. Her wealth came from trade and from the gold and grain already flowing through Egypt.

    View Hatshepsut's profile
  8. Portrait photograph of Seti I

    8. Seti I

    $45B

    Seti I campaigned in Canaan and Libya, reopened the turquoise mines at Serabit el-Khadim and began the great temple at Abydos. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings remains one of the largest and most decorated.

    View Seti I's profile
  9. Portrait photograph of Akhenaten

    9. Akhenaten

    $40B

    Akhenaten replaced the traditional cults with the worship of the Aten and built a new capital at Amarna. The transfer of temple income to the crown and to the new city was enormous, and it came at the cost of the empire’s foreign holdings.

    View Akhenaten's profile
  10. Portrait photograph of Tutankhamun

    10. Tutankhamun

    $25B

    Tutankhamun ruled for about nine years and died young. His tomb survived largely intact, and the roughly 5,000 objects inside are the best evidence anywhere for the wealth attached to even a short and minor reign.

    View Tutankhamun's profile

How this list is compiled

Every entry is pulled from our shared profile dataset and sorted by estimated net worth in US dollars. Each estimate adds up documented assets, such as reported contracts, endorsement income, company stakes and property, and subtracts known debts. These are editorial estimates, not financial advice.

Read our methodology