I’ve always been curious about just how wealthy the most powerful leaders in the world really are. Recently, I came across a statistic about the richest heads of state in the world, and it made me realize how terrifying the combination of political power and wealth can be.

The Russian president’s wealth valuation is the most outrageous—reportedly as high as $7,000,000,000. That figure already surpasses many tech tycoons. By comparison, the former U.S. president’s personal fortune, though also $5,300,000,000, still shows a clear gap between the two. These two may be the richest heads of state in the world, and the sources of their wealth are often complicated, involving real estate, business interests, and all kinds of opaque assets.

What’s interesting is that several rulers in the Middle East have considerable wealth as well. The top leader of Iran’s assets are valued at around $2,000,000,000, while the sultan of Brunei and the king of Morocco also have fortunes in the billions. These figures make you reconsider the relationship between power and wealth—those who control a country’s resources often also end up controlling vast personal wealth.

There are also a few names on the list in Africa. The former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s net worth is estimated at $1,500,000,000, and Egypt’s current president has also been listed among billionaires. As for the leaders of Singapore and France, their wealth is relatively lower, but it still amounts to numbers ordinary people can hardly imagine.

After reading this list, you’ll notice a pattern: the wealthiest heads of state usually come from resource-rich countries or regions where power is absolute. The way they accumulate wealth is often not transparent, involving real-estate empires, controlling stakes in businesses, and even directly controlling national resources. This also explains why power and wealth are so tightly intertwined in these individuals.

So the question is: how real are these numbers? It’s hard to verify, because many assets are hidden behind complex business structures and offshore accounts. But in any case, this list does remind us that the world’s wealthiest people are often the ones who hold the greatest power.