John Mars' Net Worth (2022) | Wealthy Gorilla

Net Worth:	$42 Billion
Age:	90
Born:	October 15, 1935
Gender:	Male
Height:	Unknown
Country of Origin:	United States of America
Source of Wealth:	Heir to Mars Fortune
Last Updated:	Dec 28, 2025

Table of Contents

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• Introduction
• Net Worth History
• Early Life
• Mars
• Pet Care & Food Brands

Introduction

John Franklyn Mars is an American businessman with an estimated net worth of $42 Billion.

Net Worth History

Year	Net Worth
2016	$23.4 Billion
2017	$27 Billion
2018	$23.6 Billion
2019	$23.9 Billion
2020	$24.7 Billion
2021	$31.3 Billion
2022	$31.7 Billion
2023	$38.3 Billion
2024	$38.5 Billion
2025	$42.6 Billion

John Mars’ net worth is primarily derived from his 33% stake in the Mars fortune. While still a privately owned company, the brand’s revenues have increased drastically over the last couple of decades. In 2016, Mars generated an estimated $33 billion in revenue and had a market valuation of roughly $85 billion. During this time, John’s net worth was estimated to be $23.4 billion.

Thanks to investments in pet care (Pedigree dog food and Whiskas cat food), as well as food brands such as Ben’s Original rice (formerly Uncle Ben’s), Mars’ annual revenue has increased to $55 billion as of 2024. Between 2018 and 2020, John Mars’ wealth typically ranged from $23 billion to $25 billion. However, in 2021, his net worth began seeing significant upticks. This year marks the first time his fortune has surpassed $40 billion, according to estimates.

Early Life

With his family background and relationship to the founder of the Mars company, John Mars has enjoyed considerable wealth throughout his life. His inheritance in 1999 made Mars one of the wealthiest people in the world, and his net worth has continued to rise along with the company’s fortunes. Known for his secrecy and desire to keep his personal life out of the public eye, little is understood about his role in the company’s success.

John Mars’s impressive net worth was built on the entrepreneurial activities of Franklin Clarence Mars. Taught by his mother to hand-dip candy, by the age of 19, he had established the Mars Candy Factory, selling candy wholesale. After moving to Minnesota, he founded the present-day Mars company, embarking on years of expansion that would become one of the largest corporations in the country.

Mars

Over the decades since its founding, Mars has produced a range of candies and other confectionery products that remain popular to this day.

In 1923, they launched the Milky Way chocolate bar, followed by 3 Musketeers and Snickers, and expanded into the worldwide market. Their base of operations in the United Kingdom also contributed to their candy line, with Twix entering development and production in the late 1960s.

This was followed in 1974 by the Skittles candies, originally manufactured by a British company and copyrighted by a Mars company subsidiary. Chocolates such as the Bounty bar are other examples of Mars confectionery initially introduced in the United Kingdom before achieving global reach.

Little is known about John Mars’s degree of involvement with decision-making regarding his relationship with the Mars company’s journey. However, the inheritance he received in 1999 following his father’s death is part of the public record and confirms his status and wealth.

As with other famous heirs to fortunes, such as Christy Walton, Mars, and his siblings inherited considerable stakes in the company. It is estimated that John Mars and his sister Jacqueline own approximately one-third of the company, with the remaining shares held by his nieces.

Pet Care & Food Brands

While Mars is widely known for its candy development and manufacturing, the corporation has also invested in many other products. John Mars’s net worth has increased due to this diversification, which includes a line of popular pet care products and foods. The Whiskas cat food brand falls under their orbit, becoming the number one brand for cat owners by the early 1990s.

In 2003, the company acquired Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, adding a broad selection of aquarium and pond products to its portfolio. Former CEO Grant Reid explained the company’s commitment to high-quality products in an interview with the Financial Times in 2022. In addition to veterinary health products and drugs, the company has also generated revenue through its ownership of multiple factories.