Ortega vs Walton

Inditex and Walmart.

The differences

Forbes puts Amancio Ortega about $5.1B ahead of Jim Walton.Forbes figures from 6 Oct 2026 and 15 Oct 2026.
Amancio Ortega: founded it. Jim Walton: inherited it.
Amancio Ortega is about 12 years older than Jim Walton.
Amancio Ortega is from Spain; Jim Walton is from United States.

Put someone else on either side

Ortega

Walton

Net worth, Forbes: $142BForbes, 6 Oct 2026; $137BForbes, 15 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $126BBloomberg, 9 Oct 2026; $140BBloomberg, 11 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 10Annual list, 1 Mar 2026; No. 13Real-Time list, 15 Oct 2026
Billionaire since: 2001First year on a Forbes billionaires list: Forbes says he took Inditex public in 2001 and 'debuted on the Forbes billionaires list the same year' (No. 43, $6.6 billion); Not stated

How it started: Founded itInditex calls him its founder: he started a clothing workshop in 1963, opened the first Zara in 1975, and Inditex was formed as its parent in 1985. Forbes says he co-founded Inditex with his ex-wife Rosalía Mera (d. 2013); Inherited itYoungest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton; Forbes' 2006 list described his fortune as inherited
Main source: Inditex stock, held through Pontegadea Inversiones and PartlerBloomberg: 'The majority of Amancio Ortega's fortune is derived from a 59.3% stake in Inditex'; he has received more than 9 billion euros in dividends since the 2001 IPO, much of it put into property; Walmart stock held through Walton Enterprises and the Walton Family Holdings Trust; Arvest Bank GroupForbes lists Walmart as his source of wealth
Companies: InditexInditex: Non-executive proprietary director; Walmart, Arvest Bank GroupWalmart: None; director from 2005 to 2016; Arvest Bank Group: Chairman
Biggest stake: Inditex59.294% owned; Arvest Bank Group44% owned

Born: 28 Mar 1936Busdongo de Arbas, Spain; 1948Newport, Arkansas, United States
Country: SpainLives in A Coruña, Spain; United StatesLives in Bentonville, Arkansas, United States
Education: No universityLeft school at 12 to work; Bachelor's degreeMarketing degree, University of Arkansas (1971)
Parents: Born into a working family; began working in the textile trade at a very young ageParents' occupations not stated; Son of Sam and Helen Walton, who ran a five-and-dime store in Bentonville before Sam founded Walmart

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Fundación Amancio OrtegaCreated in 2001; works in education and social welfare; Walton Family FoundationFamily foundation set up by Sam and Helen Walton in 1987; Walmart's 2005 release named him a trustee
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: On the boardNon-executive director of Inditex; chief executive of Pontegadea; Chair of the boardChairman of Arvest Bank Group
Successor: His daughter Marta Ortega Pérez, non-executive chair of Inditex since April 1, 2022Óscar García Maceiras has been CEO since 2021; his wife Flora Pérez Marcote is also a director; His son Steuart Walton sits on Walmart's board; John Furner became Walmart CEO on February 1, 2026Steuart Walton is a director, not an executive
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: 2013: Supreme Court of SpainThe Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in a dispute with tax auditors, leaving him to pay 33 million euros in back taxes for 2001 to 2003.; None found