Amancio Ortega Net Worth

Amancio Ortega Net Worth

Amancio Ortega net worth – What is the net worth of Amancio Ortega? Amancio Ortega is a Spanish billionaire businessman and the founder of the Inditex fashion group, best known for its flagship chain Zara. With a net worth of $147 billion, he is the wealthiest retailer in the world and the second-richest person in Europe. A pioneer of “fast fashion,” Ortega revolutionized the clothing industry by shortening the time between design and delivery. Despite his immense wealth, he is famously reclusive, preferring to eat lunch in his company cafeteria rather than at gala dinners.

What is Amancio Ortega’s Net Worth?

As of 2026, Amancio Ortega has an estimated net worth of US $147 billion. His wealth is primarily derived from his 59% ownership stake in Inditex, the parent company of brands like Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Bershka. In addition to his retail empire, Ortega has built a massive real estate portfolio through his family office, Pontegadea. This investment arm owns over $20 billion in premium commercial properties worldwide, including landmark buildings in London, New York, and Seattle, making him one of the world’s most significant individual landlords.

Net Worth Comparison with Other European & Retail Billionaires

Billionaire Estimated Net Worth
Amancio Ortega $147 Billion
Bernard Arnault $191 Billion
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers $99.5 Billion
Alice Walton $116 Billion
Jim Walton $135.2 Billion
Phil Knight $42 Billion

Amancio Ortega Net Worth Growth Timeline

Year Net Worth
2018 $70.0 Billion
2020 $55.1 Billion
2022 $59.6 Billion
2024 $103.0 Billion
2026 **$147.0 Billion**

Who is Amancio Ortega?

Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936, in Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain. He is the youngest of four children born to a railway worker and a housemaid. His humble beginnings played a crucial role in shaping his work ethic; he famously left school at age 14 to work as a shop hand after witnessing his mother being refused credit at a local grocery store. He founded Zara in 1975 and grew it into the largest fashion retailer on the planet. Unlike many billionaires, he avoids the media spotlight, having only granted interviews to a handful of journalists in his entire life.

Amancio Ortega Biography

Field Details
Full Name Amancio Ortega Gaona
Nickname The Quiet Billionaire
Date of Birth March 28, 1936
Age 89 years
Birthplace Busdongo de Arbás, Spain
Nationality Spanish
Profession Businessman, Fashion Executive
Years Active 1949–present
Net Worth $147 billion
Source of Wealth Zara (Inditex), Real Estate (Pontegadea)
Education None (Left school at 14)
Marital Status Married
Spouse Flora Pérez (m. 2001)
Children Sandra, Marcos, Marta
Parents Antonio Ortega Rodríguez, Josefa Gaona Hernández

Early Life and Education

Ortega’s childhood was defined by poverty. His father was an itinerant railway worker, and the family lived in a row house by the train tracks. At the age of 14, while living in A Coruña, Galicia, he dropped out of school to help support his family.

He found a job as a delivery boy for a local shirtmaker called Gala. It was there that he learned to make clothes by hand and observed that the real money was not in manufacturing, but in delivering exactly what customers wanted quickly. In the early 1960s, he started his own business, Confecciones Goa (his initials reversed), selling quilted bathrobes produced by local women in sewing cooperatives.

Career

In 1975, Ortega opened his first retail store in downtown A Coruña, named Zara. He originally wanted to name it “Zorba” after the film Zorba the Greek, but the name was already taken by a nearby bar. He reorganized the letters to form Zara. The store was an instant hit because it sold high-end lookalikes at affordable prices.

He founded the holding company Inditex in 1985 to manage Zara and his growing portfolio of brands. He pioneered a business model known as “instant fashion,” which reduced the design-to-store cycle from months to just weeks. This allowed Zara to refresh its stock twice a week, a strategy that crushed competitors. Inditex went public in 2001, making Ortega one of the richest men in the world. He stepped down as chairman in 2011 but remains the majority shareholder and a guiding force.

In his later years, Ortega has focused on diversifying his wealth through Pontegadea, acquiring iconic real estate assets such as the Haughwout Building in Manhattan, the Adelphi Building in London, and massive office blocks leased to Amazon and Facebook in Seattle.

Personal Life

Amancio Ortega is notoriously private. For decades, no photograph of him had ever been published, and many investors did not know what he looked like until the company prepared for its IPO in 2001.

He has been married twice. His first wife was Rosalía Mera, with whom he co-founded Zara. They had two children, Sandra and Marcos. Rosalía passed away in 2013. In 2001, he married Flora Pérez, with whom he has a daughter, Marta Ortega Pérez, who currently serves as the chairperson of Inditex.

Ortega lives in a discreet apartment building in A Coruña, Spain. He famously refuses to wear a tie and usually dresses in the same uniform: a blue blazer, white shirt, and gray trousers—none of which are Zara products.

Favorite Things

Category Favorite
Hobby Horseback Riding
Food Fresh seafood, Eggs and fries
Routine Eating in the company cafeteria
Clothing Blue blazer, white shirt (No tie)
Vehicle Audi A8
Animal Chickens (he raises them on his country estate)

50 Unknown Facts about Amancio Ortega

  1. He is the richest man in Spain.

  2. He dropped out of school at age 14.

  3. He worked as a delivery boy for a shirtmaker as a teenager.

  4. He started his first business making bathrobes.

  5. He originally named his store “Zorba,” but changed it to Zara because a local bar had the same name.

  6. He has never had a private office; he prefers to sit in the open-plan design room with his employees.

  7. He eats lunch in the employee cafeteria almost every day.

  8. He refuses to wear a tie.

  9. He rarely wears Zara clothing, preferring higher-end brands for his personal uniform.

  10. He briefly surpassed Bill Gates as the richest man in the world in 2015.

  11. He owns the “Haughwout Building” in SoHo, New York.

  12. He owns the “Troy Block” in Seattle, which is leased to Amazon.

  13. He owns the tallest skyscraper in Spain, the Torre Cepsa (until he sold it/or owns similar major assets).

  14. He has only granted three interviews in his entire life.

  15. No photo of him was published until 1999.

  16. He works 7 days a week and rarely takes vacations.

  17. He raises chickens and goats on his country estate in Galicia.

  18. He owns a superyacht named “Drizzle.”

  19. He also owns a yacht named “Valoria,” named after his mother’s hometown.

  20. His daughter Marta started at Zara by stocking shelves, anonymously.

  21. He owns a show-jumping center, Casas Novas, in Spain.

  22. He built the equestrian center because his daughter Marta is a competitive rider.

  23. He invested in a major energy grid operator in Spain (Red Eléctrica).

  24. He donated €300 million to the Spanish health system to buy cancer-fighting equipment.

  25. He owns the historic Adelphi building in London.

  26. He employs over 170,000 people globally through Inditex.

  27. He does not like to speak at shareholder meetings; he usually sends a delegate.

  28. He has a net worth larger than the GDP of Ukraine.

  29. He is a self-made billionaire with zero inheritance.

  30. He is known to be a “hands-on” boss who inspects fabrics personally.

  31. He has a fear of flying (though he owns a private jet, a Gulfstream G650).

  32. He visits the Zara headquarters almost every day, even in his late 80s.

  33. He paid $370 million for an entire block of retail space on Lincoln Road in Miami.

  34. He owns the Southeast Financial Center in Miami.

  35. He is the largest real estate tycoon in Europe among retail billionaires.

  36. He has a simple daily routine: coffee and donuts with friends in the morning.

  37. He lived in a railway worker’s quarters as a child.

  38. His first company, Confecciones Goa, stood for his initials (Gaona Ortega Amancio) in reverse.

  39. He has focused his philanthropy on healthcare and education.

  40. He owns property in South Korea, Canada, and across Europe.

  41. He bought a luxury residential building in New York’s Financial District (19 Dutch).

  42. He prefers to invest in “brick and mortar” assets rather than stocks.

  43. He is a Roman Catholic.

  44. He has been awarded the Order of Civil Merit by the King of Spain.

  45. He does not speak English well.

  46. He is known to be very demanding but fair with his employees.

  47. He sold his first bathrobe orders to local retailers before opening his own shop.

  48. He controls about 60% of Inditex.

  49. He earns hundreds of millions in dividends every year, which he must invest within 12 months for tax reasons (usually into real estate).

  50. He plans to leave his empire in the hands of his daughter Marta.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Amancio Ortega?

Amancio Ortega is 89 years old (as of early 2026).

Where does Amancio Ortega live?

He lives in a discreet apartment in A Coruña, Spain, a coastal city in Galicia.

Is Amancio Ortega married?

Yes, he is married to Flora Pérez. His first wife was Rosalía Mera.

How much is Amancio Ortega worth?

His estimated net worth is $147 billion.

What company does Amancio Ortega own?

He is the founder and majority shareholder of Inditex, which owns Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, and Zara Home.

Does Amancio Ortega wear Zara clothes?

Surprisingly, no. He typically wears a uniform of a blue blazer, white shirt, and gray trousers from luxury brands, though he rarely wears a tie.

What is Pontegadea?

It is Ortega’s private investment firm, which manages his massive real estate portfolio and receives his annual dividends from Inditex.

Is Amancio Ortega the richest man in the world?

No, he is currently ranked around the 10th richest globally, though he briefly held the #1 spot in 2015.

Does Amancio Ortega have a private jet?

Yes, he owns a Gulfstream G650 and previously owned a Bombardier Global Express, primarily for business travel, despite his reported dislike of flying.

Who is running Zara now?

His daughter, Marta Ortega Pérez, serves as the non-executive chairperson of Inditex, while professional CEOs manage daily operations.

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