The list of Hungary’s wealthiest individuals has been dramatically transformed during the 16 years of the Orbán era, with businessmen closely linked to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the ruling Fidesz party climbing rapidly to the top while several former economic heavyweights have fallen back.
According to a comparison of the 2010 and 2025 wealth rankings published by HVG and analysed by 444.hu, only four individuals appeared on both lists, while just one member of the 2010 top five — banker Sándor Csányi — remains among the country’s leading billionaires today.
The most striking example is Lőrinc Mészáros, a childhood friend and close ally of Viktor Orbán. In 2011, Mészáros reportedly had savings of only HUF 21 million, alongside land ownership and a share in a company with annual revenues approaching HUF 1 billion. Analysts estimate his actual wealth at the time may have been around HUF 500 million.
By 2025, however, HVG estimated Mészáros’s fortune at HUF 1,422 billion, making him Hungary’s richest man by a considerable margin.
This represents an extraordinary 284,400% increase — roughly a 3,000-fold rise in wealth during the Orbán years.
Wealth growth far outpaced Hungary’s economy
The scale of the increase stands out even more when compared with Hungary’s broader economic performance over the same period.
While Mészáros’s fortune multiplied thousands of times, Hungary’s nominal GDP grew by roughly three times between 2010 and 2025. Meanwhile, cumulative inflation over the 15-year period reached around 99.2%, meaning that merely doubling one’s wealth would largely have preserved its real value.
Critics argue that such explosive accumulation would be difficult to explain under normal market conditions.
The reshuffling of the rankings also highlights the emergence of a new business elite closely associated with the political system, often referred to as the NER (Nemzeti Együttműködés Rendszere, National Cooperation System), the political-economic framework built under Orbán’s governments.
Orbán-linked businessmen dominate the new rankings
Several of today’s wealthiest Hungarians either rose to prominence during the Fidesz era or are widely seen as connected to the ruling political network.
Among them are:
- László Szíjj, whose business interests became increasingly prominent during the 2010s;
- Dániel Jellinek, previously linked in business dealings with Orbán’s son-in-law;
- István Garancsi, known for his close ties to the prime minister;
- Gellért Jászai, whose company 4iG has secured extensive state business;
- and István Tiborcz, Orbán’s son-in-law, whose wealth has continued to expand rapidly in recent years.
Although Tiborcz has not yet entered the top 10, his fortune reportedly grew from HUF 100 billion in 2024 to HUF 188 billion last year alone.
Historian and business figure Mária Schmidt also saw substantial growth in family wealth, rising from HUF 99 billion to HUF 133 billion.
Former top figures lose ground
The story of Hungary’s rich list is not only about those favoured by the current political-economic system, but also about those who appear to have lost influence.
Tamás Leisztinger, who ranked fourth among Hungary’s richest in 2010, slipped to 15th place by 2025 despite still increasing his wealth to HUF 153 billion.
Similarly, logistics entrepreneur György Wáberer, once eighth on the list, has gradually fallen out of the top tier since 2017.
Some fortunes, however, appear to move in cycles. Elek Nagy, once considered close to Orbán during his first premiership between 1998 and 2002, reportedly lost influence in the early NER years but has recently regained momentum. Following his election as chamber president in 2024, his wealth climbed again, though his estimated HUF 93 billion fortune still leaves him outside the top 20.
Hungary’s richest in 2025
According to HVG’s latest estimates, Hungary’s 10 richest individuals are:
- Lőrinc Mészáros – HUF 1,422 billion
- Sándor Csányi – HUF 820 billion
- Zsolt Felcsuti – HUF 526 billion
- Tibor Veres – HUF 480 billion
- György Gattyán – HUF 441 billion
- László Szíjj – HUF 370 billion
- Dániel Jellinek – HUF 336 billion
- Gellért Jászai – HUF 264 billion
- Gábor Széles – HUF 258 billion
- István Garancsi – HUF 221 billion
