Who is the largest landowner in the world?

The answer depends on whether you mean a purely **private citizen** or include **sovereign holdings**: ### 1. Largest Private Individual Landowner: **Gina Rinehart** Australian mining and pastoral magnate **Gina Rinehart** is widely considered the largest private individual landowner/landholder in the world. Through her company *Hancock Prospecting* and various pastoral investments, she controls roughly **22 to 28 million acres** (about 9 to 11 million hectares) of cattle station land across Australia. This accounts for more than 1% of Australia's total landmass. --- ### 2. Largest Individual Landowner in the US: **John Malone** In the United States, media billionaire **John Malone** holds the title of the largest private landowner, holding over **2.2 million acres** of timberland, ranches, and rural land across states like Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. --- ### 3. Sovereign / Crown Land (Non-Private): **King Charles III / The British Crown** If sovereign capacity is counted, **King Charles III** (as head of the Crown) technically holds nominal title to over **6.6 billion acres** globally (including Crown lands in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). However, this is held in a sovereign/public capacity rather than as personal, sellable private property.