Susanne Klatten Net Worth

Susanne Klatten has an estimated net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Susanne Klatten profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $21 billion in 2019.

Susanne Klatten is a German business owner and investor known for major stakes in BMW and Altana. She studied business finance, worked at Young & Rubicam from 1981 to 1983, then added marketing, management, and an MBA focused on advertising. She also built experience at Dresdner Bank, McKinsey in Munich, and Bankhaus Reuschel & Co. Her public profile grew through her role in large German companies and her long connection to BMW.

Her wealth comes mainly from inherited holdings that she helped build into bigger businesses. After her father's death, she inherited a 50.1% stake in Altana and later became its sole owner and deputy chair. Forbes says Altana has more than $2.5 billion in annual sales. She also owns about 19% of BMW and holds stakes in Entrust and SGL Group. Beyond investing, she founded UnternehmerTUM at Technical University of Munich.

How Susanne Klatten makes money

A large share of Klatten's fortune is tied to BMW. Forbes says she owns about 19% of the automaker, while her brother Stefan Quandt owns nearly 24%. She joined BMW's supervisory board in 1997. Her stake grew after she inherited a 12.50% holding from her father and later reached 19.2% following her mother's death in 2015. BMW remains one of the biggest pillars of her wealth.

Her other main asset is Altana. She inherited control of the company and helped turn it into a major pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals business. In 2006, Altana AG sold its pharmaceutical activities to Nycomed for €4.5 billion, leaving the specialty chemicals business. In 2009, she bought almost all remaining shares she did not already own. Forbes says she is now the sole owner and deputy chair, with additional stakes in Entrust and SGL Group.

Forbes net worth and key money moves

Forbes has tracked big swings in Klatten's fortune in recent years. Its World's Billionaires List estimated her wealth at $21 billion in 2019, then $16.8 billion in 2020. The estimate climbed to $27.7 billion in 2021, eased to $24.3 billion in 2022, rose again to $27.4 billion in 2023, and moved to $26.5 billion in 2024. Those changes followed the value of her holdings in major companies.

The most recent Forbes estimates show another jump and then a lower real-time mark. Forbes put her at $25.2 billion in 2025 and $29.7 billion in 2026 on its annual list. As of October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker showed $24 billion. Her money is concentrated in large equity stakes, so the estimate can move as public market values and company performance change.