What is Rishi Sunak's net worth and how did he make his money?

The richest man in the House of Commons is now Prime Minister of Great Britain, leaving many asking: what is Rishi Sunak's net worth?

Rishi Sunak has become the UK's fifth Prime Minister in six years, so it's understandable that the electorate want details on everything there is to know about him, from how Rishi Sunak voted on Brexit to how many children he has.

And while the public were also keen to know who he's appointed to the new Cabinet, the new Prime Minister draws most intrigue when it comes to his personal finances. Here's everything we know about Rishi Sunak's net worth.

What is Rishi Sunak's net worth?

This year, the Sunday Times Rich List valued the joint fortune of Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty at £730m. The couple own four homes worth an estimated £15m: two in London, one in Yorkshire and one in LA.

Their Kensington mews home, which is estimated to be worth £7m alone, has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and two reception rooms spread across four storeys, as well as a private garden. The other London residence is located on Old Brompton Road and is said be used as a place for relatives to stay.

The property in Yorkshire is a Grade-II listed Georgian mansion, set across 12 acres and includes an ornamental lake. In 2021, Sunak's family were given planning permission to build a swimming pool, gym and tennis court beside the historic North Yorkshire home.

Earlier this year, Sunak came under fire for the new private pool, which will reportedly cost £13,000 per year to heat at a time when families across the country are struggling to pay their energy bills. In addition, Richmond Swimming Pool, which is based near his home, is also facing closure after a recent report found it continued to "struggle financially."

Finally, the penthouse in California - where Sunak and his wife met while studying at Stanford University - is reportedly worth £5.5m and overlooks the beach where Baywatch was filmed.

Sunak is reportedly the richest man in the House of Commons, with a net worth even higher than that of the Conservative Party Chairman, who's recent tax affairs allegation have led people to ask how did Nadhim Zahawi make his money.

Rishi Sunak - Sunday Times Rich List

Sunak and his wife ranked 222 in the Sunday Times Rich List of the UK's wealthiest 250 people. It was their first time to be featured, though the paper said the couple had made their first appearance because it was only able to confirm Ms Murty's stake in her father's business over the last year.

Rishi Sunak is the first frontline politician to appear on the list since it began in 1989. His inclusion came at the same time as calls for the then-Chancellor to take action against spiralling prices for food, energy, and other essentials. 

However, former deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab defended Sunak's place on the list, saying "I think it’s fantastic that you’ve got someone of British-Indian origin, showing all people in our country that you can get to the top of politics."

How did Rishi Sunak make his money? 

While he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak's salary was reported to be £151,649 - and he is believed to be the richest man in the House of Commons. 

Before entering politics, Sunak was a partner at two highly-profitable hedge funds and from 2001 to 2004 he was an analyst for the investment bank Goldman Sachs. According to The Times, Sunak was a multi-millionaire in his mid-twenties.

In 2019, Rishi Sunak was appointed chief secretary to the Treasury by former Chancellor Sajid Javid, at which point he registered a blind trust - which is said to contain a multi-million pound fortune.

Now he is Prime Minister, Sunak will be getting a pay rise. As of 2022, Prime Ministers are entitled to an annual salary of £164,080. Rishi Sunak has become one of the richest Prime Ministers in Britain's history, and he and his wife's fortune is double that of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s estimated £300-350m wealth.

In April 2022, Sunak came under pressure from the Labour Party to respond to claims that he was listed as a beneficiary of offshore trusts in the British Virgin isles and the Cayman Islands. However, a Treasury source said Mr Sunak, his wife and her family were not aware of any trusts naming the Chancellor as a beneficiary.  

Family fortune

Sunak's father-in-law, Narayana Murthy, is a billionaire and one of the richest men in India. Mr Murthy co-founded Infosys not long after his daughter was born, and the success of the IT services company propelled him onto India's rich-list. 

Mr Murthy stepped down as chairman in 2011, but continues to hold a minority stake in the company. The BBC reported that the company had revenues of more than $11.8bn in 2019, $12.8bn in 2020, and $13.5bn in 2021. An estimate by Forbes puts Mr Murthy's net worth at $3.5bn.

As a result, the vast majority of Sunak's family wealth comes from his wife, Akshata Murthy, who as well as being an heiress to a fortune worth billions and having a stake in her father's company, owns a fashion label called Akshata Designs. She is also director of a venture capital firm and was said to be richer than the late Queen.

According to The Sun, the Murthy family also has £900million joint ventures with Amazon in India. Sunak owned shares in the company but transferred them to his wife before he became an MP.

Murthy landed her husband in hot water earlier in 2022, when it was revealed she had been claiming non-dom status in the UK, allowing her to save an estimated £20m in taxes. However, she has since said she will start paying UK tax.

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