Henry Kravis Net Worth

Henry Kravis has an estimated net worth of $12.1 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Henry Kravis profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $5.5 billion in 2019.

Henry Kravis is an American businessman and investor best known as a cofounder of KKR. He started the firm in 1976 with his cousin George Roberts and Jerome Kohlberg. KKR became a major name in private equity through buyouts and long-term investing. One of its most famous deals came in 1989, when KKR led the $25 billion buyout of RJR Nabisco, a transaction later tied to the book Barbarians at the Gate.

His wealth is tied to private equity and to KKR’s rise as a public company. Kravis and Roberts took KKR public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010, then changed it into a corporation in 2018. In 2021, they stepped down as co-CEOs and became executive co-chairs. Forbes put his net worth at $12.1 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker in October 2026.

How Henry Kravis built his fortune

Kravis made his name in finance by helping build KKR into one of the biggest private equity firms. The firm was launched in 1976 by Kravis, George Roberts, and Jerome Kohlberg. Their business centered on buying companies, improving them, and investing across industries. Over time, KKR backed many well-known businesses, including HCA, TXU, Playtex, Beatrice Foods, Safeway, Toys "R" Us, Borden, First Data, Regal Entertainment Group, and Duracell.

His money comes mainly from KKR, which operates in private equity and broader investing. A big turning point came in 2010, when KKR went public on the New York Stock Exchange. Another came in 2018, when the firm converted into a corporation. Kravis and Roberts gave up their co-CEO roles in 2021 and stayed on as executive co-chairs. Forbes notes that KKR has more than 250 portfolio companies and more than $650 billion in assets under management.

Forbes net worth history

Forbes has shown large swings in Kravis’s fortune across the past several years. It estimated his wealth at $5.5 billion in 2019, then $5.2 billion in 2020. The number moved up to $7.3 billion in 2021 and $7.7 billion in 2022, before easing to $7.5 billion in 2023. Those changes came as KKR kept growing after its public listing and later corporate conversion.

The biggest jump in the Forbes figures came after that. Forbes estimated Kravis at $11.7 billion in 2024 and $13.3 billion in 2025, then $11.5 billion for the 2026 World's Billionaires List. Its real-time tracker later placed him at $12.1 billion in October 2026. The main business backdrop was KKR’s scale: Forbes says the firm ranks among the five largest private equity firms.