by Helen Roy, Aberdeen
Courtesy of Daily Mail
AS of 2025, the world’s largest private landowners include monarchs, religious institutions and business magnates, each holding vast tracts of land across continents. At the top is King Charles III, who, through the British Crown and Commonwealth realms, is associated with control over approximately 6.6billion acres, although much of this is symbolic or held in trust.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia follows, with legal authority over 531million acres, reflecting the absolute monarchy’s control over national territory.
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. She controls about 24million acres through cattle stations and agricultural investments in Australia and the US.
Other notable landowners include Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman (76million acres), King Abdullah II of Jordan (22million acres) and King Jigme Khesar of Bhutan (9.6million acres), all of whom legally own their nations’ land under traditional or constitutional frameworks.
The largest non-royal private landowner in the UK is Anders Holch Povlsen, a Danish billionaire and owner of the fashion company Bestseller (which includes brands such as Jack & Jones and Vero Moda).
He owns approximately 218,000 acres, concentrated in the Scottish Highlands, where he focuses on rewilding and conservation, aiming to restore natural ecosystems through his company Wildland Ltd.
